After you pick up your berries
Berries don’t like the heat! After leaving the orchard, pop them in the coolest part of your car - the floor is a great place to keep them fresh on the journey home.
Storing your berries
Once you get home, if you’re not eating your delicious berries straight away, store them in the fridge to help them stay fresh for longer. When you’re ready to enjoy them, take them out about an hour before serving - berries taste their sweetest and most flavourful at room temperature.
Raspberries: Very delicate, especially in warm or humid weather, so it’s best to enjoy them the same day you buy them.
Strawberries: Best eaten within a day or two for peak flavour and freshness.
Blackberries: Similar to strawberries - best enjoyed within 2–3 days of purchase.
Blueberries: The hardiest of the bunch, they’ll stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge.
Freezing your berries
Freezing your berries is a great way to enjoy the taste of summer all year round! Here’s how to keep each berry at its best:
Strawberries: Remove the green leafy tops, then freeze in a single layer on a tray before transferring to a bag or container. This helps prevent them from sticking together.
Blueberries: Naturally free-flowing - simply place them straight into a bag or container and freeze. No prep needed!
Raspberries & Blackberries: These soft berries are more delicate, so freeze them in a single layer on a tray first, then transfer to a bag or container once firm. This keeps them separate and easy to use later on.
For best results, use your frozen berries within 6–9 months and enjoy them straight from the freezer in smoothies, baking, or desserts.
We also sell frozen berries all year round! Contact us here or call us on 07 877 8490 to organise picking up frozen berries during the winter.
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!
Opening Hours
From late October to late April
Every day from 9.00am to 6.00pm
Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday
Berry Availability
WEATHER DEPENDANT
Strawberries: October to April
Blueberries: December to April
Raspberries: December to April
Blackberries: December to April
Frozen berries are available all year round. Click here or call 07 877 8490 to organise a pick up for your berry fix during the winter.
Orders
After berries for a special occasion or Christmas Day?
Call or email us to place an order
07 877 8490 or shop@piopioberries.co.nz
Please note, delivery is not available, all orders must be picked up from the orchard.