MEDIA RELEASE – 18 February 2013
From The Heartland to the USA – Exciting Prospects for NZ Potato Chips
A $15,000 travel grant from the Lincoln University Foundation has proved of real benefit to the farming and potato chips
business of South Canterbury couple Ray and Adrianne Bowan, who won the Lincoln University Foundation South Island
Farmer of the Year competition in 2011.
“Raymond and I took a long time to decide where we wanted to travel,” Adrianne said. “We wanted to utilise the award to
reflect our farming business as well as our new factory business. In the finish we visited Asia and the United States
and the knowledge we brought back will help us progress both businesses.”
The Bowans farm 1214 hectares in Orari and 197 hectares at Coldstream on the North Bank of the Rangitata River. With 95
per cent of their farm irrigated they grow potatoes, cereals, barley, maize and grass seeds, plus over-wintering dairy
cows. In 2009 when a potato chip factory in Washdyke closed down the Bowans bought the factory and established Heartland
Potato Chips which have enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity through the New Zealand supermarket retail scene.
In Singapore the Bowans visited supermarkets to get a feel for the local trade and then spent more than a day meeting
supermarket sales teams.
“We were surprised at the level of interest shown in Heartland Potato Chips. And, while we have decided not to look at
the export market for now, so we can concentrate on managing the growth in our New Zealand sales, the experience was
invaluable and something we can store up for the future.”
During their travel to the United States, the Bowans looked at potato farming, machinery, spraying programmes and
irrigation at Presque Isle in Maine. They also caught up with potato agronomist Dr Steve Johnson, who spent some time in
South Canterbury area a few years ago. Dr Johnson works with local farmers trying to better the growth and yield from
potato crops.
The winning couple also visited a large grower of potatoes, onions and carrots and caught up with a student at Cornell
University, which has a close association with Lincoln University.
“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to use the travel award at our discretion. Using it to cover both avenues
of our business was important to us as it was both parts of our business that contributed to our winning the award in
2011,” Adrianne said.
Chair of the Lincoln University Foundation Board of Trustees, Ben Todhunter said the Bowans’ experience is just what the
South Island Farmer of the Year award is all about.
“Through creating opportunities for excellent farmers to grow their businesses, bring knowledge back to New Zealand and
utilise that knowledge for the benefit of the agricultural industry here, we believe the South Island Farmer of the Year
award makes a valuable contribution to New Zealand’s agricultural performance.”
All winners of the Lincoln University Foundation South Island Farmer of the Year award not only receive a travel grant,
they are supported to host a field day so that others can learn from the excellence and innovation that earned the
title.
The Bowans held their field day early in 2012 and on Wednesday 6 March this year, the 2012 winner, Synlait Farms, will
hold its field day.
“One of the wonderful things about participating in this competition,” Adrianne says, “is that the knowledge sharing
goes both ways. We were delighted to talk to other agricultural people at our field day about what we have done, but we
have also learned so much from talking to others, especially during the exercise of our travel grant. We would encourage
anyone to go to the Synlait field day and/or consider entering the competition themselves when the 2013 entries are
called for.”
ENDS