Boysenberries get the genteel treatment

Locally grown Boysenberries get the genteel treatment from Wattie’s

As the only canner of this locally produced fruit, Heinz Wattie’s today begins the very gentle process of canning this season’s Wattie’s Boysenberries.

Boysenberries are the first of Wattie’s summer fruits to be canned. The 120 tonne Wattie’s crop is grown and hand-harvested by 11 growers in Hawke’s Bay and Whakatane.

Agriculture Manager Ivan Angland explains the boysenberry crop is the most difficult to process, and the berries receive genteel treatment from the time they are picked.

“We have a high quality crop, and everything we do is designed to keep the fruit intact during transportation and throughout inspection and spray washing process prior to canning.

“We operate a special can-filling system for boysenberries, and the processing line reduced to less than a third of its normal speed.

“Our boysenberries certainly get the total genteel treatment.”

Wattie’s Boysenberries are most commonly used in deserts, such as ‘boysenberries and ice cream’. Other locally grown fruits to be processed this season include peaches, pears, Black Dorris plums and Nectarines. Locally grown pears and peaches also go into the fruit salad.

The boysenberries and the other Wattie’s summer fruits contribute to the total of around 130,000 tonne of local fruit and vegetables grown for Wattie’s branded products annually.

ENDS

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