Natures Candy in Wakefield

ELOISE MARTYN

Fairfield Berries, previously known as Fairfield Gardens, is a 10HA berry farm 2 minutes’ drive south of Wakefield that sells a selection of freshly picked berries, real- fruit ice cream and has recently stocked their shop with beautiful locally made products such as candles and diffusers, Paterpillar Sun hats, funky earrings, plant-based skin care, amazing baby clothes and a product called ‘Equine Keep Clam’ made from local hops and flax seed meal plus many more items!

Part owners Patrick and Elise Cotter, who took over in July 2022, are in full swing of the berry season “It’s a really busy time but we love it” says Patrick who enjoys working outside, a change from his previous office-based job. “It’s awesome be involved in something that’s our own which also gives us the opportunity to bring our young family up in the country, it’s flexible around our family’s needs and we love berries”.

The demand for berries is high and back in October the couple planted an additional 4 Hectares of Raspberries and Boysenberries.  These recent plantings will increase the number of berries they are able to supply to the Nelson company Little Beauties this coming season. In total the property has 4.5HA of Raspberries, 3HA of Boysenberries, 220 Blueberry plants and 7,000 Strawberry plants which yield around 3 Tonne of Strawberries per season. There are also a few rows of existing pear trees that still produce a decent number of quality pears.

The newly planted berries are not the only change for the property, “We are about to start building a new house for us to live in, once it’s built the old house will then be removed which will make room for decent parking area, improved entry and exit to the shop as well as an awesome shaded seating area for families to relax in when they visit us” Elise explains.

Fairfield Berries consists of a team of 15-20 staff including shop staff, picking staff and labourers. Elise says they have a great team which contains a few staff members who have been there for the past 5 years making them a helpful wealth of knowledge. They also have a great support network from people such as Hayden French from Fruitfed Richmond who has created an excellent spraying programme and Glen Holland from Tasman Bay Berries who provides expertise and advice.

Fairfield Berries is open every day of the school holidays and they have plenty of sun kissed Raspberries, Boysenberries, Blueberries and Strawberries waiting to be eaten. Berries are natures candy, not only delicious but a superfood packed with vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants.