Agreement through the fund’s rural investment manager FarmRight will see Joli apples grown in Canterbury for the first time
New Zealand grower-marketer T&G has entered into an agreement with the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, through its rural investment manager FarmRight, to grow 125ha of its premium Joli branded apples in Canterbury.
T&G chief operating officer apples, Shane Kingston, said the agreement, which was finalised in December 2024, reflects both companies’ shared growth strategies.
“At T&G, we have built an exceptional global apples business, underpinned by the world’s best varieties and an end-to-end world-class system, focused on meeting growing consumer demand for our premium global apple brands,” Kingston said.
“Over the past three years, we’ve built a strong relationship with the NZ Super Fund and FarmRight, and T&G’s apples growth strategy is well positioned to create strong grower returns for the Fund, with the proceeds helping fund the superannuation of Kiwis into the future.
This will be the first plantings on a commercial scale of Joli branded apples in the Canterbury.
“Joli is an outstanding premium apple,” Kingston said. “For consumers, it’s a vibrant large red apple, bursting with juiciness and providing a full-balanced sweetness. This is a flavour profile that consumers across Asia are actively seeking out, and we have customers and consumers eagerly awaiting the first commercial Joli fruit in 2027.”
According to Kingston Joli thrives across different growing and climatic environments.
“With Canterbury’s temperature, reliable water supply, soil types and land suitable for development at scale, we’re very excited to be working with FarmRight to expand horticulture in the region, while at the same time diversifying the growing footprint of T&G’s premium apple varieties,” he exlained.
FarmRight’s general manager of the NZ super fund portfolio, Ed Tapp said the initiative continues its strategy of investing in premium commercial varieties that deliver premium returns.
“We are excited to be bringing large scale apple production to Mid-Canterbury and the Joli plantings will bring the total canopy area on the dairy-to-apples conversion to 250ha,” he said. “Initial Joli planting will be in the spring of 2025 with the balance in 2026.”
T&G currently has 55ha of Joli branded apples planted in Hawke’s Bay, and by the end of 2026 it plans on having 250ha planted in key growing regions in New Zealand.
Over the next four to five years, as additional trees become available, T&G has plans to extend the opportunity to grow Joli to growers in Europe and the US
