Growing Better Berries, Naturally
At Piopio Berry Orchard, we believe that growing exceptional berries starts with creating the right environment for our plants to thrive. We’re passionate about producing fruit that tastes incredible while caring for our land, protecting our plants and making thoughtful choices for the future.
Our approach combines modern growing methods with a respect for nature, allowing us to produce high-quality berries while minimising our reliance on chemical sprays wherever possible.
A Better Way to Grow
Our tunnel houses play an important role in how we grow our berries. By providing protection from the elements, they help shield our plants and fruit from heavy rain, wind and challenging weather conditions. For delicate fruits like strawberries and raspberries, keeping rain off the plants and fruit helps reduce prolonged wetness, which can contribute to fungal diseases and fruit spoilage.
Growing under cover also allows us to manage conditions more carefully, from watering and feeding our plants to monitoring their health and managing pests. It’s a more controlled approach that helps us focus on growing healthy plants and producing consistently high-quality fruit.
Inside our tunnel houses, we grow our berries in coconut fibre, also known as coir, rather than directly in the ground. This natural growing medium provides a suitable environment for plant roots while allowing us to manage water and nutrients carefully. It also means we can grow our crops without repeatedly cultivating the underlying soil, helping reduce the pressure that intensive cultivation can place on soil structure and health over time.
By combining tunnel growing with coconut fibre, we can take a more considered approach to crop production, giving our berries the conditions they need to thrive while making thoughtful choices about how we use our land.
Working With Nature
One of the great advantages of our location here in Piopio is our isolation from other orchards. This natural separation helps reduce the spread of certain pests and diseases, contributing to the relatively low disease pressure we experience.
We build on this natural advantage through an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system in our tunnel houses. IPM is a sustainable approach to crop protection that combines careful monitoring, preventative practices and biological control - using beneficial organisms and natural predators to help manage unwanted pests.
For example, we can introduce predatory insects that naturally feed on pest insects that would otherwise damage our plants. Other natural predators, including spiders, also play a role in our growing environment by catching unwanted insects that find their way into our tunnel houses.
An important part of IPM is understanding what’s happening within our crops. We regularly monitor our plants, identify potential problems early and encourage beneficial insects and other natural predators to help keep pest populations in balance.
By working with nature and harnessing these natural processes, we can reduce our reliance on chemical sprays while supporting healthier plants and a more balanced growing environment. It’s one of the many ways we’re continually improving our growing practices and working towards a more sustainable future.
From Our Orchard to Your Table
We take our responsibility to the land, our plants, our team and our customers seriously. That commitment extends beyond how we grow our berries to how we harvest, handle and store our fruit.
We follow NZGAP (New Zealand Good Agricultural Practice), an assurance programme that supports safe, responsible and traceable growing practices. This involves carefully managing and recording key parts of our operation, from crop protection and plant care through to harvesting, handling and storage.
These practices help us maintain high standards of food safety, quality and accountability, giving us confidence in the berries we grow and the fruit we share with our customers.
As a family-run orchard, we’re proud to keep learning, adapting and finding better ways to care for our crops and our growing environment. Our tunnel houses, coconut fibre growing system, Integrated Pest Management programme and careful crop monitoring all play a part in that commitment.
Our goal has always been simple: to grow the healthiest, tastiest berries possible, in a way that future generations can be proud of.
Visiting us
We would love to see you at the Orchard.
We are open daily 9.00am to 6.00pm 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 DEPENDENT
Strawberries: October to April
Blueberries, Raspberries & Blackberries: December to April
Opening Hours
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 AVAILABLE 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.