Anticipating a bumper crop of plums, peaches, and nectarines, fresh produce company Montague is forecasting it will pack more than 6.6 million kilograms of stone fruit this season.
In that bumper crop will be a new nectarine variety that Montague is launching, called Nectara. It has three types – Sweet Silk, a white nectarine, and two yellow options, Tangy Punch and Smooth Honey.
A different coloured sticker will be on the Nectaras, clearly identifying to the shopper which nectarines are sweet or tangy.
Montague and its partners have 340,960 stone fruit trees across Stanthorpe in Queensland, Swan Hill, Cobram, Katunga and Shepparton in Victoria, and Donnybrook and Perth Hills in Western Australia, with all produce hand-picked and grown to strict specifications.
Montague senior marketing manager, Angela Bracken, said independent research by Red Robin Blue found consumers wanted tasty and healthy fruit, but they were confused by the category.
“Often, they are re-familiarising themselves with the category each summer. We are determined to change this,” Bracken said.
Montague chief innovation officer Rowan Little had proposed the concept to the industry.
“Customer enthusiasm was strong with excitement around the new brand, that is aimed at appealing to a wider audience that also captures younger shoppers,” Little said.
Montague and its exclusive external growers have more than 130,590 nectarine trees nationally. The network grows nectarines in the Bilmont Orchard in Swan Hill, Katunga and Shepparton, Victoria. These locations are ideal for nectarines, which benefit from cool evenings, rich sunshine, and well-drained soils.
Little said the 2022/23 summer had proven to be challenging for many growers due to the excessive amount of rain fall and hail in some regions.
“The wetter growing conditions resulted in a lower crop however we are working hard with our growers to prepare for a strong harvest with a larger crop,” said Little.
To maintain freshness, standards and avoid bruising, picked stone fruit is temperature controlled during storage and transport. Once ready to pack, it is introduced onto production lines via a gradual, gentle tipping process.
A series of rollers and conveyor belts guide fruit along the line, before a specialised defect sorter system removes any fruit that may have arrived to the facility already bruised or damaged.
To reduce food waste, Montague is actively involved in manufacturing products made from imperfect fruit, producing apple cider, and offering imperfect fruit for juicing. It recently launched an imperfect fruit apple paste, and has maintained relationships with Foodbank and Second Bite for over a decade.
A notable food waste project involved a collaboration with Peters Ice Cream: Rescue Pops, sold exclusively by Woolworths. The product repurposed 50 000 tonnes of imperfect fruit into a frozen fruit treat.
For stone fruit, not one fruit picking day looks the same. During harvest, Montague’s growers and pickers will work on average 8 hour days, picking an average four-five days a week over a 120 day fruit picking period.
The amount of people picking fruit varies and all fruit is hand-picked. For instance, it can be up to 40 people or up to 20 people, dependent on the fruit and season, with more workers required for apricots and plums.
The equipment involved is what you would imagine on an orchard: ladders, picking bags, bins, stools, platforms, tractors, trailers and forklifts. The orchards are also currently trialling stem clipping on some varieties to help with punctures but it is quite expensive to do so however Montague will continue to review the feasibility of this.
Bracken said the entire business was embracing the season with renewed enthusiasm following the previous low-yield harvest.
“The team have also been exhausting all avenues to improve bird management and water use in the orchard and to reduce waste since last summer. The business is sustainability-focused and part of that will include consumer education on storage and different uses for stone fruit this season,” said Bracken.
Nectara nectarines will be on shelves in Woolworths, Coles, Costco, and selected independent green grocers from November until late January 2024. Croc Eggs plums are available only at Woolworths, with Montague Tree plums available in Coles and independent green grocers. Montague’s Donut Peaches will be available only at Costco from January.
