Nestled between Ahipara Bay and the Awanui River near Kaitaia, Bell’s Produce is perfectly positioned to grow the very best fruit and vegetables nature has to offer.
The operation is run by one of the former owners of Bells Produce, Johnny Reed. It grows 40 hectares of early season kumara, 23 hectares of mandarins along with a smaller area of melons, corn and pumpkins, as well as stock feed.
Johnny started working at Bells Produce 28 years ago, alongside his cousins Jeffrey Moore, Allan Bell and Nick Bell. Three years ago, the business partners decided it was the right time to sell the property to Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa (Te Rarawa).
“Our whole family has been involved in horticulture,” says Johnny. “I’m a Reed but we’re all related - we’re one big family.”
“We sold our small place in Kerikeri and I moved up here to join forces with Alan, Nick and Jeff. After starting off fairly small, we grew bigger and bigger and I’m pretty proud of the business we’ve developed.”
“Together we’d achieved so much but there comes a time when you need to change our lifestyle so the decision was made to sell the business to Te Rarawa.”
“Part of the agreement was for me to stay on. It’s a great opportunity – I love this place and still have a real passion for the business and the people here.”
"The best piece of advice I ever received was that with farming you get out what you put in and I still have plenty I want to achieve"
Johnny admits that the transition took some adjustment, as he’s now more involved in all areas of the operation.
“An important part of our success over the first 25 years was the way we looked after different parts of the business but were all working together at the same time,” says Johnny.
“My main role for 25 years was overseeing the machinery, trucking, spraying and operational side of things.”
“Our accountant joked that having four family members working together for so long without killing each other was a miracle. For us it was just normal – everyone did their job and no one let anyone else down.”
“It has been quite energising to be more involved in packing, marketing and the people side of things. We’re developing some really good capability in the business with young people coming through.”
“Daniel Masters has brought new ideas and made a real difference and we’re looking to employ more young talent in the business. A big part of my role is helping these guys out and stepping back a bit to let them take more control.”
The location, its historical success, its potential for growth and the fact it’s a large employer were all factors that made Bells Produce an attractive investment for Te Rarawa.
“Te Rarawa are proud to be involved in horticulture and are keen to expand this part of the business,” says Johnny. “Over the past 12-18 months we’ve already grown significantly by relocating one of their farms. We’re currently growing around 180 hectares of stock feed to support the neighbouring dairy operations.”
“We’ve all worked together well to keep developing the business. There’s been some healthy debate along the way, but it’s always been really constructive.”
Bells is renowned for supplying some of the best quality early season kumara and mandarins in the country. They benefit from excellent growing conditions and a temperature that allows them to produce during windows when the market is short.
“Kumara is our bread-and-butter – it’s the backbone of this business,” says Johnny. “I grew it when I was in Kerikeri and it was the first thing I put in the ground when I came here.”
“We added mandarins because they fell outside the kumara window, giving us really good continuity while corn, pumpkin and melons give us other opportunities and allow us to make the most of the land we have available.”
“Having a year-round operation means we can make a commitment to our people by giving them work for 52 weeks of the year.”
Bells Produce have been on this land as long as they’ve been supplying MG and value the relationship with key staff such as Marketing Representative Alan Wake and Procurement Manager Neil Bridgens.
“Having Neil here in Northland to support the business during the peak of the season has been really helpful,” adds Johnny. “It’s a big task moving the volumes we’re putting through but we’re in good hands.”
Top: Johnny Reed & Daniel Masters with MG Representative Neil Bridgens
Bottom: Bells Produce Johnny Reed with MG Representative Neil Bridgens