Newton Orchards
Harvey Giblett ‐ Manager/Owner
You would think with a business called Newton Orchards, apples would be the first growing. But as owner‐manager Harvey Giblett explains, the idea to grow apples 'hit them on the head' long after English immigrant brothers George and Harold Newton established their orchards in 1929.
That would've been because they had plenty of other things on their mind back then. Set around Manjimup, in Western Australia's isolated Southern Forests region, the brothers had to clear heavy timber off the hundred acres they bought just so they could begin existing, hand‐to‐mouth, growing vegetables and cattle. Life was tough indeed.
It wasn't until the 1940s that they started growing apples, and the 1950s before they shifted their focus solely to fruit. Harvey's also been in the business for a long time ‐ marrying George's daughter Maureen at twenty and working in the business ever since, taking over management of the operation in the 1980s.
With Harvey's children and partners working alongside, Newton Orchards remains a family‐run business, with apples at the core of their operations across three properties.
"Pink lady is definitely the hero, Newtons were among the first to commercially grow Pink Lady, which was originally developed in Manjimup and is a star of our amazing food bowl region." ‐ Harvey Giblett
On top of apples, they've grown pears since the 1960s and cherries and apricots since the 1980s.
Harvey received his training on the job from his father in law George, and his brother Harold. The seasonal aspect of the job meant there was always something new to do throughout the year. Which is why he finds it hard to pinpoint what he loves so much about it.
"Maybe it's that classic ripe apple scent of the first bins of freshly harvested Royal Galas, the first variety to be picked each year in February. Or maybe later in May, the sight of rows of trees laden with ripening Pink Lady" ‐ Harvey Giblett
It could even be when he drives around the irrigation dam, filled to the brim at the end of winter with pristine rainfall. Whatever the reasons, they continue to drive Harvey to be progressive and to innovate, just as George and Harold did when they ran the orchards themselves.
In the same tradition, Harvey and the team are constantly revising and improving production techniques: incorporating high‐density planting on trellises and using computerised micro‐irrigation to minimise water usage.
"What I like about growing is the challenge of achieving the perfect apple. It's nice to be producing something that you're pretty proud of, and that other people can also enjoy." ‐ Harvey Giblett
Just as much care goes into looking after the fruit once it has grown. The apple harvest is entirely hand picked with great care to avoid bruising between mid‐February and mid‐June. In 2014 they'll pick (with the aid of 300 short term staff) around 16,000 bins of apples, or approximately 6,000 tonnes.
Which is how they can supply Woolworths with over 1,500 tonnes of apples a year (including Macro organic apples), as well as over 70 tonnes of pears. And apart from giving them security, that partnership with Woolworths ‐ now running for six years ‐ has helped in other ways:
"They encourage us to innovate and adopt different packaging and marketing approaches and take the time personally to understand our business, which we really appreciate." ‐ Harvey Giblett A hard working but fair man, advice from his father‐in‐law has helped Harvey try to treat everyone working within the business like family and to always give everyone opportunities.
"When you get wiped out with hail that's pretty devastating. If you have crops that are poor quality when they're harvested it's quite depressing. Farming is very much about hope, we have to hope next year is going to be better." ‐ Harvey Giblett
It's all about getting stuck in and making it work, things that are in Harvey's DNA. Even in his spare time he chooses 190km cycle rides over just sitting back.
So what sort of tips is a regular shopper likely to get from this apple producer and connoisseur?
Choose apples that look firm and are free from bruises. With red apples, look for a nice mid green‐yellow background colour ‐ too much of a golden yellow means it's over‐mature and floury.
Store good condition apples in the fridge and they'll stay nice and crunchy for a few weeks. Also, keep them away from pears and bananas, which release the ripening gas ethylene. Pears go in the fridge to stay crunchy as they ripen quickly in the bowl. And cherries can be kept covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Finally, there's a reason why apple pie is one of the world's most famous recipes ‐ because it's one of the best! However Harvey encourages you to cook apple with the peel on. And if you use Pink Lady for your pie, as it cooks, the pink colour from the skin will diffuse beautifully throughout the pulp.