Wattie’s tells some Hawke’s Bay peach growers their fruit is no longer needed

Wattie's is a major employer in Hawke's Bay and also sources fruit locally. Photo / Paul Taylor

Wattie’s has told some Hawke’s Bay peach growers their fruit will no longer be needed.

Hastings peach grower Mike Donnelly has been supplying Wattie’s for about 20 years, and was recently informed the arrangement was ending.

It is understood multiple peach growers have been affected.

It’s unclear if other fruit are also affected.

An industry leader says the changes suggest “a commitment to reduce canned peaches out of Hawke’s Bay”.

Hawke’s Bay Today has approached Wattie’s parent company, Kraft Heinz, for comment.

It had not responded by deadline on Friday.

Wattie’s has its headquarters in Hastings, where it employs hundreds of staff, and makes a wide variety of food products including canned fruit.

Donnelly said his peach block was not massive – about 1.7ha – and he planned to pick the next crop then “pull them out and replant with apples”.

He said Wattie’s had been a good client over the years, and the shift appeared to be the result of multiple factors, including customers preferring cheaper products – given the tough economic climate – such as imported canned fruit.

Summerfruit NZ chief executive Dean Smith, whose organisation advocates for fruit growers, said it was a significant change from Wattie’s.

“We are concerned for the welfare of the growers that are impacted by it, and we acknowledge that the investment that goes in is a long-term investment.

“So, any time there is a very significant and sudden change in demand for what you grow, it is concerning.”

He was unsure of the scale of the changes, and how many growers were impacted.

However, he understood multiple peach growers were affected, and “there is clearly a commitment to reduce canned peaches out of Hawke’s Bay”.

He said, in his view, the best thing consumers could do to support local growers was buy Wattie’s canned fruit products, as opposed to imported products.

“We encourage consumers to be aware of where the product they are purchasing comes from, and to support locally canned products,” he said.

“It’s not always the cheapest, but it’s always better.”

Hastings fruit grower John Evans, from RJ Flowers Ltd, has a contract to supply pears to Wattie’s.

He said he was not affected.

However, he said the changes would be felt within the wider industry.

“There is a huge legacy and history with Wattie’s, and it’s a sad situation, but I guess a reality check on where things are.

“Trying to compete on price point is never easy when you are competing with product that comes from origins [overseas], where their cost components are significantly lower than here.”

Wattie’s was founded in Hawke’s Bay in 1934 by Sir James Wattie.