Our Story
For more than 30 years, our family has been growing beautiful, delicious berries and sharing them directly with our customers. At Piopio Berry Orchard, we believe great produce starts with care - for the land, for the fruit, and for the people who enjoy it. Freshness, flavour, and family have always been at the heart of what we do.
Our journey began in Hamilton, where we grew strawberries, apples, and stone fruit for export, local markets, and a small roadside shop. Over time, we realised our real passion was berry production, and we began building a business that could grow alongside our young family.
In 1993, we moved to Piopio with our three young children, later welcoming our fourth, and named our new venture Piopio Berry Orchard - a way to celebrate our new community and build a family business rooted in the region. Those early years were full of hard work and happy chaos: the children made forts from banana boxes, rollerbladed up and down the concrete, and tended to their pet lambs while we worked in the fields. As they grew older, they became part of the orchard’s daily life - carrying boxes to customers’ cars, restocking shelves, and helping wherever they could.
Mike and Angela built the orchard side by side, balancing family life with long days and early mornings, steadily growing the business from the ground up.
By 2004, after purchasing additional land, the shop was expanded and the focus on retail grew - creating a welcoming place for locals and travellers to enjoy fresh berries and real fruit ice cream.
In 2005, the family made a defining decision to focus solely on berries, allowing them to specialise, improve quality, and grow with intention.
As the orchard evolved, their daughters Jessie and Maggie joined the business. Jessie stepped into the shop and customer experience, while Maggie brought her strengths in finance and administration, helping support the business behind the scenes.
In 2019, the introduction of strawberry tunnel houses marked another major step forward. Since then, production has continued to expand, extending the season and ensuring consistently high-quality fruit.
Today, Piopio Berry Orchard produces around 100 tonnes of berries each year across 13 hectares of land. It remains a true family business, with Mike and Angela still closely involved, supported by Jessie and Maggie in their day-to-day roles.
We are especially proud that the next generation is now growing up in the orchard, already learning the values of hard work, care, and community that have always guided us.
We look forward to welcoming you to Piopio Berry Orchard to enjoy our berries and a taste of life on the orchard.
Our Family
Angela and Mike Roy are the heart behind Piopio Berry Orchard. Since moving to Piopio in 1993 with their young family, they’ve poured their energy and love into growing the orchard from a small blueberry block into the bustling 13 hectare berry farm it is today. Their passion for good food, hard work, and community has shaped every part of the orchard.
These days, their oldest daughter, Jessie, brings her warmth, energy, and enthusiasm to the family business. She runs the shop and manages the wonderful team of shop staff who keep things running smoothly during the busy season. From greeting customers with a smile to keeping the ice cream counter humming, Jessie carries on the family’s tradition of friendly service and genuine country hospitality. She and her husband, Hamish, live locally, where he manages a nearby dairy farm, and together they’re raising their four young boys - the next generation growing up surrounded by berries, fresh air, and the same values she was raised with.
Their youngest daughter, Maggie, may be based in London, but she’s still an important part of the family business - managing the administration and behind-the-scenes work from afar, while raising a young family of her own. She proves that family teamwork can stretch a very long way!
Their two sons have followed their own exciting paths - Jack is based in New York, and Thomas proudly serves in the New Zealand Army - but both remain closely connected to the orchard and the family roots that started it all.
Together, the Roy family are proud to welcome visitors from near and far to enjoy their berries, ice creams, and a taste of life on the orchard.
Find out more about our team at the link below:
Visiting us
We would love to see you at the Orchard.
We are open daily 9.00am to 5.00pm from Labour Weekend, until April.
Not only is our store packed full of delicious berries, we also sell berry ice creams, coffee, berry smoothies, jam and homemade berry muffins.
With berry ice cream for the kids, coffee for the grown-ups, plenty of parking and grass for the dogs - Piopio Berry Orchard is the perfect place for a pit stop.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Berry Availability
WEATHER DEPENDANT
Strawberries: October to April
Blueberries, Raspberries & Blackberries: December to April
Opening Hours
WE ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THE WINTER AND WILL REOPEN IN OCTOBER
From late October to late April
Every day from 9.00am to 6.00pm
Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday
Orders
FROZEN BERRIES ARE AVAILABLIE ALL YEAR ROUND
Click here to organise a pick up for your berry fix when the orchard shop is closed for Winter.
After berries for a special occasion or Christmas Day?
Click here or email us to place an order - shop@piopioberries.co.nz
Please note: delivery is not available - all orders must be picked up from the orchard shop.