About Us

In 2003 Johanne and Robin purchased a 12 acre property in the Totara area of North Otago in New Zealand. Totara is renowned for the quality of the totara tar soil which is known to be able to grow anything.

Johanne and Robin with Meg our West Highland White Terrier

We made the decision to plant some cherry trees along with around 1500 hazelnut trees because of the suitability to the local area and have enjoyed the experience of establishing the orchard from the humble sheep block that it once was. We choose to keep our sprays to a minimum, and only spray when we absolutely need to.

The cherry trees are grown as dwarf trees to make it easier to pick the fruit. The trees are also covered with protective coverings to keep a lot of pests off the ripening fruit. These covers also give us a micro climate and allow the fruit to form under the very best conditions.

The hazelnuts we grow are 'whiteheart', which have developed here in New Zealand and are widely grown throughout the Canterbury and Otago areas, and have proven to be one of the tastiest nuts available. They are ideal as a table nut, roasted or processed for oil.

In 2006 we decided to open a small Gift Shop on the property which we filled with products that we made from our cherries, hazelnuts, honey bees and berryfruit (check out our Product page). We also brought in some wonderful gift products to suit most tastes, things for the home or garden (some of these products can be found in the Gift Product page).

In 2007/08 we saw our small Shop grow with customers throughout New Zealand and tourists from around the globe enjoying the Totara Lowlands products and experience. Our Products, Gift Baskets and Cherries were delivered throughout the country, with some of our Cherries even making it to Hong Kong and Taiwan for the Chinese New Year. The response from our customers has been so overwhelmingly positive and a motivation to expand the business to meet the growing demand, while still maintaining the cottage industry feel that we, and our customers, enjoy.

2009 made way for some Miniature Highland Cattle. These little guys will grow to no larger than 42 inches and really enjoy the attention of visitors. In the tradition of great Highlanders we have named the boys Oliver, Tane and Antone. Their nature and personalities are really starting to develop and they really do brighten our day.

We hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoyed bringing them to you.