Maori-owned orchards bounce back from cyclone damage
A large Māori-owned kiwifruit business that was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle has bounced back with a vengeance.
"We opened our cellar door on the 21st of December and that ain't there anymore," says Winemaker Kel Dixon, after slash and flood waters barrelled through the stop bank, demolished the fully refurbished cellar door, and filled the winery with half a metre of silt.
Shed 530, owned by the Global Endeavours Group, has canned the 2023 harvest, and is instead looking forward to its recovery, with a new winemaking facility and cellar door on the cards. Kel is still bewildered by the destruction around him. "It's not until you get up close and personal that you realise the absolute carnage and the power of nature. It still blows my mind every time I got out there."
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Kel Dixon at Shed 530 after Cyclone Gabrielle. |
Launching Shed 530 was an exciting opportunity, with the historic venue renovated for the opening, making it a space "with great ambiene and presence" close to urban Napier and Taradale. But now there's a "clean slate" and the owners are thinking about what they want the operation to be in 50 years, "and how do we go about getting there?"
Global Endeavours also have a bottling company and distribution arm, so "we have the supporting structure to paint whatever picture we want on a blank canvas", says Kel, deftly wielding a half glass full "with the opportunity to fill it up to the brim".
