©Chestnut Traders 2021

Quality New Zealand Chestnuts and Chestnut Products

Chestnut Traders has been established to promote and market quality New Zealand chestnuts and chestnut products to both local and worldwide markets. We are able to supply fresh chestnuts (in season) and processed product. To find out more about us click here.

Bad News, yet again.

By now, we might have expected chestnut harvest underway.  But over the 10 days or so I have walked through the orchard expecting make a decision about when the opening and harvesting chestnuts for 2025.   

We will not be open this year, again.   Nor we be harvesting for outside customers. But I am being pessimistic (or perhaps being realistic) about this year harvest (and indeed future years ). 

The main reason is the weather. 

In more detail: 
-There has been a lack of rain since Xmas. So there not enough growth in the trees
- There way too many empty burrs (the chestnuts are empty)
- to date, although there have been some chestnuts that are small.  
- and anyway, those that have fallen a great percentage of the nuts have been eating (each night) by passing deer (or rats)!
- But even worse, too many trees keep on dying.  We will likely just have too few trees to be justified in the future.

Bottom line: We are being affecting climate changes, in a bad way.

So, Chestnut Farm is closed for the 2025 season, and perhaps for the foreseeable years

We thank customers over the that past many years 

@pakakaorchard

Chestnut harvest in New Zealand, being a Southern Hemisphere country, runs from approximately the second week of March, until late April or early May (in southern parts of the country). Most growers do not store fresh nuts unless thay have reasonably strong pre-negotiated sales orders. Sales contracts are generally arranged between December and February. Click here to find out more about our products.

We are strong supporters of the New Zealand Chestnut Council (NZCC). This is the "recognised industry body" in New Zealand, and undertakes a number of overall industry functions. Of particular importance, NZCC issues recommendations for orchard hygiene and harvesting and storage protocols. Chestnut Traders insist that their suppliers meet these, as a minimum. For more information about our quality controls click here.

For more information about chestnuts and the New Zealand chestnut in particular, please follow the links.

How to roast chestnuts? See how to do it.