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Waikato production manager, Tony Graham (left), Waikato operations manager, Brad Cooper and Derek Edwards
Genesis of nursery and IP business in NZ A strong new player has emerged in the nursery and plant intellectual property (IP) space in New Zealand with the formation of Genesis Nurseries Ltd. By Rose Mannering Ashburton-based Genesis Private Equity has purchased and combined two longstanding owner-operator fruit tree nurseries to form the new business. In 2019, Andy McGrath sold his Waikato-based McGrath Nurseries to Genesis but retained his interest in sourcing new international plant varieties. In August, Genesis added Pattullo Nurseries to the business, purchasing the Hawke’s Bay nursery from Kerry Sixtus. These two assets have been joined to form Genesis Nurseries, a commercial fruit tree growing business. Genesis Nurseries chief executive, Derek Edwards, says part of the process has been gaining access to all-important intellectual property of new and promising varieties.
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The ORCHARDIST : DECEMBER 2021
It is a considerable change in this space, with two renowned, long-established businesses brought under one umbrella. With protected and new varieties becoming so important to the marketplace, the merge will help Genesis Nurseries in accessing greater varieties from New Zealand Fruit Tree Company (NZFTC). The business, which represents 40% of the market, has not fundamentally changed, says Derek. Genesis is heavily invested in growing cherry trees and is the main supplier throughout New Zealand. Exciting new apricot trees developed by Plant & Food Research Ltd in Clyde, known as the Summer series, will also be offered. Genesis will have a number of proprietary apple varieties in its listing, including Honey Crisp, KORU®, Tazi and Rockit™.
