R&R Smith
Huon Valley, Tasmania
A new organic apple variety, an Australian first.
R&R Smith is Australia’s largest grower of organic apples. Located in Tasmania’s Huon Valley, the company has been supplying organic apples to Woolworths since 2006, and is using the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund to help develop a new organic apple variety.
Through the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund, R&R Smith is partnering with Woolworths to commercialise a new organic apple variety and bring it to market. The Woolworths Organic Growth Fund will help pay for a nursery to develop the variety, with the first harvest expected in 2023.
“The Woolworths Organic Growth Fund is supporting us to adopt innovations in our production and technology – plus it means we are growing for a purpose and growing for a market”, says Andrew Smith of R&R Smith.
Fourth generation Tasmanian apple farmer Andrew Smith has seen his industry completely transformed in a single lifetime – and what he saw prompted him to switch to organic production.
“My ancestors planted the first apple orchard in the Huon Valley and Tasmania’s nickname – the Apple Isle – was based on the apples in our district, which came from around 1000 growers,” says Andrew, who is 4th generation manager of the R&R Smith orchard (William Smith & Sons).
“In my lifetime – due to changes in technology and market conditions – that number has shrunk to just 20 or 30 growers. Apple production in Tasmania was almost wiped out – and I saw the opportunity for surviving and creating a point of difference by changing to organic production”.
R&R Smith became a supplier to Woolworths in 2006, and now most of its harvest ends up on Woolworths’ shelves. As a valued supplier of organic apples, and more recently organic cherries to Woolworths, R&R Smith is using the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund, to help develop a new organic apple variety and bring it to market – an Australian first.