Prebbleton Peonies: Business is blooming at family-focused farm near Christchurch

Sacha Coogan and her dad John pile peonies into a worker's arms. Photo / RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

By Cosmo Kentish-Barnes of RNZ, Country Life

Picking, grading and packing for export is in full swing at Prebbleton Peonies near Christchurch.

The flower farm has 23,000 plants and 22 varieties and the large fragrant blooms are flown daily to Japan, the United States and Europe.

Manager Sacha Coogan says the picking season usually peaks in mid-November.

“That’s when we get eight or nine varieties all at once and they range from red, white, pinks, mixed and light pink.”

The growing area has tall windbreaks to protect hundreds of rows of verdant peony bushes.

Some are over 20 years old and need wires to keep the top-heavy plants upright.

When RNZ’s Country Life was there, three pickers were head down, bum up in a block of corals.

They were cutting four varieties – coral sunset, coral charm, pink wine and supreme.

Throughout the day, the freshly cut flowers were swiftly passed to a runner who carted them into a chiller.

“You’ve got to keep them cool,” Sacha said.

“It’s a matter of getting them in the chiller, then boxed and into the airport.”

Her dad John, who is one of the pickers, said you have to be quite strategic when picking for export.

“It’s a very tactile thing,” he said.

Image 1 of 6: Because this peony has already flowered it will be sold in the shop. Photo / RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

“You aim for that constant standard and the exporters check them too, for size, shape, colour and how it sits.”

A shop on the farm sells the flowers that aren’t suitable for export which is good for cash flow, Sacha said.

Fill-a-bucket events are popular too.

“We expanded our markets with the shop which is good, but for export, we’re price-takers, so it does depend on the market and if you can get them in early, the price is better.

“But it’s always a gamble, to be honest.”

The Coogan family bought the farm 10 years ago and it’s been expanding ever since.

Sasha, who took the reins two years ago, reaches her arms out joyfully and looks around.

“This is our office! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to working a nine-to-five.”

- RNZ