West Australian citrus grower lists orchard and packing facility for sale
Leading West Australian citrus grower-packer-marketer, Moora Citrus Group, has been listed for sale.
The sale features key assets such as the Moora Citrus Orchard, a 341ha landholding based in Moora with 213ha of planted citrus; state-of-the-art packing facility, Northern Valley Packers; and long-term lease right to Sandgroper Fruits Orchard.
The Moora Citrus Orchard includes automated drip irrigation and micro sprinklers, computerised fertigation equipment and a large 2,600ML ground water licence.
Citrus varieties in production include Washington navel, Midknight Valencia, Lanes Late navel, Navelina navel, Cara Cara, Leng navel, Newhall navel, M7 navel, Nectar mandarin, Imperial mandarin, Afourer mandarin and Eureka lemons.
The 6,934m2 Northern Valley Packers facility includes 180ha of land located in Bindoon a short distance from the Perth CBD. The modern grading plant comes complete with equipment, cool rooms, support offices and staff amenity. It services both existing orchard operations and other local growers to pack and market their fruit to domestic and international markets.
The Sandgroper Fruits Orchard long-term lease right grants the buyer access to 91ha of orchard near Gingin (together with associated sheds and cool rooms) which Moora currently leases with the Costa Group. This includes 66ha of planted citrus, 2ha of stonefruit and 1ha of figs with rights to over 800ML ground water licence.
According to Colliers Agribusiness, Moora Citrus represents an opportunity for an astute investor who will have the support of an experienced management team with excellent local operational and supporting staff.
“The Australian citrus industry is proudly one of Australia’s largest fresh produce exporters, and with exploding middle-class growth in Asia, West Australia’s favourable location provides a gateway to lucrative export markets,” said Colliers Agribusiness national director Duncan McCulloch.
“This is an outstanding opportunity to acquire an operating business of scale with a steady growth produce profile, inclusive of an extensive list of modern plant and equipment and committed workforce dedicated to best-in-class farming, operations and safety practices.”
The Moora Citrus Group is being offered for sale in one line or as separate assets. Colliers anticipates strong interest from both onshore and offshore buyers.
