N & A Fruit Distributors
Ian and Rob Cathels – Managers
"We certainly feel very lucky to be living in such a beautiful location doing what we love," Ian Cathels tells us. And at Woolies, we couldn't agree more. Nestled amongst the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, Ian and Rob Cathels' picturesque farm is perfectly positioned to grow the very best quality apples that Mother Nature has to offer. The high altitude means sunny days and cold nights, allowing the apple trees to put all their energy into creating the crunchy and juicy apples with optimum colour.
The Cathels brothers get a great sense of satisfaction from growing quality apples in a sustainable fashion. But they don't just sit back and watch the trees grow. They're forever engaging professional horticultural consultants who offer the world's best practice in orchard management. On top of that, they're always on the lookout find new apple varieties that offer great value and quality to consumers. And the boys go well beyond the back paddock to find them, and travel all over the world to source the best varieties.
Another one of their fresh tips is to nurture the young trees so that they're perfectly shaped from the start, to suit each farm and paddock specifically. As each of their farms has different soil, rainfall and sunlight conditions, the variety, row spacing, planting density and trellis is considered, resulting in the best quality fruit and a healthier tree for the future.
Different trellis systems are also employed for each different variety. This ensures maximum sunlight for a flavourful, sweet and a wonderfully coloured apple.
Now, once the apple trees are planted in the orchard, trees are monitored and vegetative growth is encouraged by minimising fruit load and providing nutrients when necessary.
During the winter months, each tree in the orchard must be pruned. This will have a large impact on the yield per tree as well as the quality of fruit.
Springtime is when the trees blossom, and the orchards are buzzing with bees, busy pollinating the orchard. The fruits develop over summer, ready for harvest in Autumn. Early varieties start in February, and picking continues right through to early May.
The Cathels' have been on this land as long as they've been with Woolies. And over the years, both have grown together. In fact, N&A Fruit Distributors supplies Woolworths with over 5,000,000kg of apples per year. How do you like them apples!
Every apple variety has its own unique characteristic, so a general rule of thumb is to always look for a firm, bruise‐free apple with bright coloured skin. And for maximum crunch, it's best to store apples in the refrigerator to extend their shelf life.
Apples are perfect to use in kids' lunches fruit salads, savoury salads, and is a delicious addition to cheese platters.