An Unusual Citrus Harvesting Season

In the heart of Gisborne, a picturesque region known for its thriving agricultural landscapes, lies the orchard that has become an essential partner in our Wonky journey. On our recent visit to this citrus grower's orchard, we were met with rows of mandarin, navel & and lemon trees and spoke with Miranda, who talked us through some of their varieties. Miranda and the team were our first citrus grower to come aboard, and we’ve been receiving their fruit for over a year and a half now. A visit to their orchard provided a unique insight into their harvesting process and a chance to see how their Wonky fruit makes its way into our boxes.

The orchard boasts an assortment of mandarins, oranges, lemons, and limes. Rows of trees painted against the blue sky form a picturesque sight, yet the region has struggled recently with copious amounts of rain. The region's wettest June in 144 years has turned the orchard's fertile grounds into waterlogged obstacles, impeding operations and jeopardising worker safety. Tractors and machinery struggle through the muddy terrain, meaning that the daily labour of tending to the fruit has become riskier. Upon our visit, the region’s ground was finally beginning to dry out; however, the picking was nearly over.

_{The Harvesting Process}

The fruit is skilfully handpicked by a dedicated team, gathered into sacks, and then transferred to large wooden bins. These bins make their way to a nearby packhouse, where the fruit undergoes sorting. Upon arrival, the fruit is tipped into a water bath because all citrus fruit floats and this is a method to reduce the risk of damage. From there, the fruit moves onto a conveyor belt, where a team of people manually remove any unsuitable items, even for Wonky Box. The next step involves a sophisticated machine that utilises X-rays and imaging to identify imperfections such as soft spots, unusual shapes or markings on the outside. The machine also weighs the fruit and uses this information to determine the appropriate crate to drop it into along the conveyor belt, one of which is a Wonky crate. It's at this point that the fruit is stored in controlled temperatures until they are collected and sent directly from the packhouse to our warehouse for boxing up.

The citrus this year has still stood the test of resilience as we found out that it has generally been a good year for citrus. Notably, the arrival of lemons was somewhat delayed, creating a minor shift in the usual picking rhythm. In contrast, the appearance of oranges and mandarins took everyone by surprise, gracing the scene an entire month and a half ahead of the conventional citrus schedule. This deviation from the norm is likely linked to the region's abundant rainfall and weather patterns. Within the Gisborne region, there has actually been a saturated market for lemons this year, stemming from the decision of growers to invest in Meyer lemon trees years ago, now resulting in an unforeseen abundance now! We also heard a very cool fact about limes - in particular, the ‘bear’ variety, which is the most common lime found in the New Zealand market, is actually best eaten when it is yellow and not green!

We’ve been hearing some great feedback about the citrus in the box over the last few months, and the team have put this down to it being sent directly from the grower. More citrus to come!