Wattie’s Marks Anniversary Year With a Bumper Gold

Wattie’s Marks Anniversary Year With a Bumper Golden Queen Crop

The harvesting and processing of the Wattie’s 75th Golden Queen crop was completed last evening at 8.30 pm when the last of this season’s peaches went into the can.

The final harvest was 5100 tonne, 20% more than anticipated at the start of processing four weeks ago.

Agriculture Manager Ivan Angland said achieving a bigger tonnage that usual was a marvellous way to celebrate the anniversary year.

“Having a dry harvest period after the right combination of sunshine and rain pushed the harvest even higher than we were expecting, and it is an excellent result.”

Golden Queen is one of crops that helped create the Wattie’s brand, as the first peaches were harvested and processed by James Wattie in 1935 after a contract with a Hawke’s Bay grower was sealed on the “shake of a hand”.

The entire crop of Wattie’s peaches is grown on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke’s Bay.

ENDS

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