Pick-your-own berry boom: Why this age-old experience is booming in the Bay

Danielle Sutton from Out of the Blue berry farm in Hamurana has been reaping the benefits of the pick-your-own berry boom. Photo / Andrew Warner

Whether it's to teach children where food comes from, to be one with nature or to get that perfect summer Instagram picture, Kiwis are more eager than ever to jump on the berry-picking bandwagon.

Many berry farms across the Bay have offered pick-your-own options for decades but the trend has exploded in recent years, with this summer being no different.

With good crops and year-on-year growth in visitors, Covid-19 has had little impact on the industry.

Rotorua's Out of the Blue Berry Farm owner and operator Danielle Sutton said every year was better than the last.

She said families wanted to show their children where their food came from and berry picking was a great experience for all.

"It's such an amazing experience for children to see how food is grown and it's such a seasonal thing that families know they can only do it certain times a year.

"We're usually pretty popular with Asian tourists, who we haven't had this year, but every year is getting busier for us. Some days, our carpark is chocker and we're getting 200 or more people through a day.

"I think the popularity of pick-your-own is only going to keep growing as people want to get out among nature, spend time together as a family and be able to take away fresh fruit."

Sutton also attributed part of the rise in popularity of pick-your-own berry farms to social media.

"People love to take photos in among the vines, they always have their phones out there in the field. It's free advertising for us so we're all for it," Sutton laughed.

Always growing the business, Sutton has this year added a real-fruit ice-cream shop and has planted some raspberry bushes, which should be reading for picking next season.

"We're excited about the new things we can offer our customers as we continue to grow."

While Sutton will be closing her doors at the end of January, Redwood Lane Blueberries in Tauriko is just starting its season.

Redwood Lane Blueberries owner Shirley Marriott says they've started their season busy. Photo / George Novak

Owner Shirley Marriott says she has less common blueberry plants, which fruit later but it works well because "I'm just opening up as the other fruit-picking businesses close so everything gets shared around".

"People like to make an experience out of fruit picking. They bring their families down, pick their blueberries then have a picnic and a real-fruit ice-cream under one of the big redwood trees."

Marriott said the business, which started as a simple honesty box 13 years ago, had taken off and every year she saw "phenomenal amounts" of new customers walk through the doors.

"People know they're going to get really good fruit at a good price, it gives the family something to do, it's organic and healthy and people are able to just enjoy the whole experience.

"I've been doing real-fruit ice-cream for the past three years and that's very popular. I make soap in the winter, which I sell in the shop and people seem to enjoy and want to buy that too."

Marriott said the crop was amazing this year and they were ready to open to the public a little earlier than in previous years.

"We're just a little farm business, we're low profile and like to just keep it simple and people seem to appreciate and respond to that."

This year, Marriott has also opened her property up to other vendors to create a market space of homemade products.

"It's something to add a bit of flavour, help out other local sellers and create a nice little community out here. We have the land and we have the people, so this will give us the chance to create something new and unique."

One of the most well-known berry-picking farms, Julian's Berry Farm and Café, has also experienced a great season.

Monica Julian says the family-run business has an enduring reputation that has people returning year after year. Photo / File

Co-owner Monica Julian attributes the business' popularity to its long-standing reputation in the Bay.

"We've been here for so long so when people come to Julian's they know they're getting consistency, a family-run business and a good experience out in nature."

Julian said people had also become more aware and knowledgeable of the berry season in recent years and knew when to go to get the best of the crop.

Based in Whakatane, the farm offers pick-your-own strawberries, as well as fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and sweetcorn in store.

Visitors are able to make a whole day out of a visit to Julian's, with a petting farm and minigolf on offer as well.

"We've had masses of people coming, we get bus-loads from Rotorua, people come down from Tauranga and Auckland when the crops are peaking in November and December.

"We had a fabulous berry season this year and Covid hasn't really had any impact which has been great."

Somerfields Berryfruit Farm co-owner Richard Somerfield said fruit picking had been a popular family activity ever since the business started 40 years ago.

"It's a good experience for young families and kids in particular.

"We are seeing more people coming as they realise this is a good and cheap way to entertain the kids during the summer holidays."