Anne and Harry Frost purchased a 40-ha property at Mamaku Plateau in 1968 while looking for a career change. The property was a small dairy farm, so there were limited options for what to do with it.
Based on a friend's recommendation, the couple planted 1000 blueberry trees in the early 1980s. Luckily for them, the trees took off, and a year later, they could propagate more trees from the original plants.
Their oldest 2-hectare orchard was established with older blueberry varieties such as Jersey, Dixi, and Burlington, all chosen for their exceptional flavour above all else. Later, additional blocks were planted with more varieties to lengthen the season from early January to late March.
When Cyclone Bola hit, the family discovered that blown-off berries could be saved, cleaned, and turned into delicious blueberry wine. Their initial attempts to squeeze and press blueberries and produce blueberry juice were successful, leading to a shift in focus from export to local sales at farmers' markets.
The Mamaku Blue Blueberry Complex building has welcomed local and overseas tourists since 2000. It offers complimentary tastings of various blueberry and gooseberry products made on-site and tours to learn more about horticulture and the blueberry business.
The couple has experimented with various berries on their property, including raspberries and black currants, but only blueberries and green gooseberries thrived. Due to fantastic feedback from customers, the quality of the blueberry juice was significantly improved.
In recent years, the business has heavily invested in upgrading pressing, juicing, and bottling equipment on-site. Some orchards have also been covered with polytunnels to protect the harvest from wet summers.
Their son Phillip and his wife Michaela have been involved in the business for over ten years and took over during the COVID pandemic. Anne and Harry are still part of it as much as they desire.
Phillip manages the orchard and is responsible for juicing the berries and various maintenance tasks, while Michaela handles marketing and administrative aspects.
Mamaku Blue has continued to develop new and exciting blueberry and gooseberry products, some of which have received awards, such as the 250ml PURE 100 percent blueberry juice and 250ml PURE 100 percent gooseberry juice.
Strawberries have been the latest addition to Mamaku Blue's fresh produce offerings. Berry produce and products are directly available from their premises, at farmers’ markets, and at select supermarkets such as Farro Fresh in Auckland. Mamaku Blue's PURE 100 percent juices are also stocked at Fresh Choice Te Ngae in Rotorua.
