YOUR INDUSTRY
Clyde Orchards general manager, Kris Robb
Images: Clare Toia-Bailey, Image Central
Clyde Orchards – Sharing life on a summerfruit orchard For anyone wanting to know more about what life is like living and working on a summerfruit orchard, then Kris Robb is your man.
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By Chelsea Donnelly Jump on the Clyde Orchards’ Facebook Page and you can scroll through the 60-odd short videos Kris and the team have produced on topics such as when to frost fight the apricot blossom block, the role bees have on an orchard, and how Cravo houses (greenhouses with retractable roof coverings) operate, along with some light entertainment in the form of winter fashion, local scenic bike rides and a great orchard version of the Hilux Ute advert. Kris is the general manager of Clyde Orchards based in Earnscleugh, Clyde in Central Otago. When he left Logan Park High School in Dunedin in 1995 and came to Clyde for an eight-week job processing dried apricots at the then Sunbury Park Orchard, he didn’t set out to become a general manager of an orchard. It wasn’t long until he secured a full-time orchard position for the next couple of years, during which time he developed a passion for fruit 36
The ORCHARDIST : OCTOBER 2021
production and orchard management. Kris later enrolled at Otago University to study management for three years, then returned to a full-time position at Sunbury Park managing the orchard. He became actively involved with the local Fruitgrowers’ Association, Young Growers group, and Young Grower competitions while completing his Diploma in Horticulture at the Otago Polytechnic Central Otago Campus.
He became actively involved with the local Fruitgrowers’ Association, Young Growers group, and Young Grower competitions