Bostock Pioneers Organic Apple Production in New Zealand

By Keith Loria

John Bostock is the man behind Bostock New Zealand and the pioneer of commercial organic apple production in the country of New Zealand.   

He and his wife Vicki started out as conventional apple and squash growers in the ’80s, living on an apple orchard with their three young boys and quickly becoming concerned with the industry’s liberal use of pesticides and other artificial substances. That led to a search for healthier and safer alternatives.

The couple started converting their Hawke’s Bay apple orchards to organic in 1996. They were the first growers in New Zealand to approach organic apple production on a commercial scale and are now the largest organic apple grower in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Bostocks pioneered organic growing at scale, confronting each form of pestilence without the use of artificial chemicals. Their business grew rapidly after that first harvest of organic apples.

John and Vicki combined this growth with a deep commitment to providing their workers, and the people of their community, with healthy and affordable food. John credits his late wife Vicki with igniting his passion for organics as she was so driven to ensure her family was eating safe, healthy food.”

Today, Bostock is driving growth in the Bostock New Zealand orchards and travelling the world to meet and inspire his international customers. Bostock New Zealand now exports its premium produce all around the world to some of the biggest international grocery chains.

“We have a vision to see New Zealand producing food in the most environmentally-friendly way it can, and being really sustainable in terms of the natural environment and the social environment,” Bostock says. “The organic production technologies that have been developed and championed enable other New Zealand apple growers to convert to commercial organic apple growing.”

Since its beginning, Bostock New Zealand has grown to more than 1400 acres of BioGro certified apple orchards and is responsible for marketing and exporting almost 90 percent of New Zealand’s organic apple crop to the world.

Its growers are all certified by BioGro NZ, which is accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM), and aim to improve long-term soil structure and fertility, encourage biological cycles, maintain genetic diversity, avoid pollution, and cycle organic matter and nutrients within the production system. The result of all of these efforts is pure organic fruit with an excellent taste, appearance and storage life. 

“Bostock New Zealand is regularly involved in industry studies that focus on improving our carbon and water footprints and will pro-actively adopt new technologies that are proven to achieve this,” Bostock says. “In addition, our orchards have taken part in large-scale energy efficiency projects in a bid to find new ways to improve industry practices.”

Some examples of its sustainability initiatives include native plantings around the orchards to create biodiversity and attract beneficial insects, as well as to create shade and shelter for native birds, insects and our many workers; a tree planting program in Vanuatu covering 25 hectares to help offset carbon usage; investment in fuel-efficient tractors with built-in GPS and computer assisted running programs to ensure maximum output with minimum environmental impact; and recycling and waste management with bi-products reused to create other products such as stock feed.

“Over the past 10 years, soil organic matter levels have doubled on our properties,” Bostock says. “As well as being a measure of improving soil health, this is important to carbon sequestration and the soil’s ability to hold water, meaning less water use and subsequent loss.”

Bostock believes that the more organics grows, the bigger the opportunity, and the more education and awareness there is around organic produce and the benefits for consumers the better.

Looking ahead, the company has some exciting new apple varieties coming to the U.S., and are developing exclusive, high-quality apples. One of those is the Dazzle Apple, a large red apple that has been in development for 20 years, which Bostock believes is poised to become one of the world’s most popular apples.

“The Bostock New Zealand philosophy is to work in partnership with nature to produce healthy and delicious produce, using sustainable practices to protect our land for future generations,” he says. “In every activity, the company is always looking for long-term sustainable relationships with a view to ongoing business including customers, staff, suppliers and the environment.”