NZ Hothouse Ltd has always been ahead of the game regarding growing crops sustainably, but innovations have been coming in.
Decades after they first began harvesting rainwater to nourish their tomatoes and cucumbers, the company has begun trialling compostable twine and truss clips and hopes to roll it out site-wide as soon as possible.
The move will divert an astonishing 12,000km of plastic twine from landfills yearly, as it can simply be composted with other green waste.
NZ Hothouse Sales and Marketing team member Claudia Wharfe said all crops have been grown vertically, winding around twine suspended overhead. The growing facility spanned 19ha across two sites.
“In a year, we use enough twine to stretch from New Zealand to Los Angeles, so that’s a lot of plastic waste. We have previously trialled compostable growing materials, but none were suitable,” said Wharfe.
“Now, with new developments and redesigns, we believe switching to compostable is achievable. We’ve been trialling various options over the last 12 months and hope to roll it out across the whole business next year.”
The company prides itself on its eco-friendly approach, recyclable packaging, and family culture. The business was founded 40 years ago by Brett Wharfe and has continued to employ multiple family members plus a long-standing team.
Cherry tomatoes account for half of NZ Hothouse’s total production, with about 8 to 10 million punnets harvested each season from their Bombay site.
Other tomato varieties, such as cocktail truss, Roma (low acid), loose tomatoes, and 7 to 8 million telegraph cucumbers, have been grown and packed at the company’s second site in Karaka.
Wharfe said people often questioned why the cucumbers were individually wrapped in plastic.
She mentioned that the wrapper was 100 percent recyclable and could be used with soft plastics. It was wrapped because of the high water content in cucumbers.
“You’ll have a two to three-day shelf life if they're not wrapped. So, by the time it’s picked, put into crates and sent to the store, you’ve already lost a day. Then, they might sit on the shelf for a day, so the consumer loses out.”
NZ Hothouse has also invested heavily in automated packhouse machinery recently and has kept a close eye on technological developments. The business employed 300 people during the peak summer harvest.
“There’s been a lot of gains in automation and robotics over the last five years, which has helped us get to market quicker. And because we’re more efficient, we can offer better quality and value to customers. I think automation has been a great win for the whole industry. But everything we grow is handpicked by staff, and all our crop work is done by hand.”
Pests and diseases have remained a challenge. NZ Hothouse employed a dedicated ‘bug scout’ to identify crop problems and used integrated pest management to tackle common issues, such as introducing Encarsia wasps to keep on top of whiteflies.
Over four decades, the company has become a major supplier of tomatoes and cucumbers to domestic consumers. Their cherry and strawberry tomatoes are packed and sold under Woolworths and Foodstuffs brands.
Wharfe added that snacking varieties have become popular as consumers gravitate towards convenience and prepackaged items.
NZ Hothouse is a long-time member of United Fresh and a keen supporter of industry collaboration and promotion.
“We’re proud to be part of this industry and offer something to Kiwis that has a positive outcome and keeps our country healthy. Our slogan is ‘from our house to yours,’ which encapsulates what we’re trying to do.”
