With nearly 31 years of horticulture under his belt, Fresh Berry Company Director Dean Astill knows that no two growing seasons are ever the same.

“It's always a challenge, you're always looking to improve and do it better but I like growing great fruit for people to eat, I get a bit of a buzz out of that," he says.

The Fresh Berry Company is responsible for selling roughly 65 per cent of New Zealand's national raspberry supply, along with strawberries, blueberries and blackberries enjoyed by families and berry lovers of all ages.

Despite working in a protected cropping environment, the challenges remain significant.

“Like any grower, pests and disease and our cultural practices that keep our hygiene up are quite important, particularly with soft berry fruit. 

“When things go wrong in this environment, they go wrong real fast, but they go right just as fast so you can correct it, but you have to be well on your game.”

The power of precise data

To stay ahead of these challenges, the Fresh Berry Company relies on MetWatch, using the platform's comprehensive analysis tools to support smart decision-making.

“The growing-degree hours and the chill-hour accumulation that we use with MetWatch are far more detailed and far more superior to other data that's available.”

The company uses this granular data not only for fruit production but also for its nursery operations. 

Astill says MetWatch offers him the precision to work in hours, rather than just days.

“We're talking about chill hours rather than days or growing-degree hours rather than days. We're drilling right down to the hour and we can drill down further than that if we have to.”

From crystal ball to sales tool

This precision has transformed MetWatch from a weather monitoring tool into what Astill describes as "quite a powerful tool" – not just for growers but for the company's sales and marketing team as well.

“We do think that we have got a bit of a crystal ball,” he says.

More recently, the Fresh Berry Company has expanded its use of MetWatch into technical modelling around growing-degree hours to monitor and forecast crop yields and harvest times, which has delivered immediate financial benefits.

“It makes a difference to the timing of that yield or us being able to forecast the timing of that yield. If you get that wrong you lose value, if you get that right you actually get value back as a grower.”

Astill says the accuracy of MetWatch's data and the support of its team have made them an invaluable partner for the Fresh Berry Company’s operations.

“I'd highly recommend using the MetWatch team. The data that they provide is outstanding, it's accurate, and they're great people to work with.”

For a company supplying such a large proportion of New Zealand's berries, having a crystal ball in the form of precise and reliable weather data is essential to maintaining its position as an industry leader in its field.

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