grower profile
Andrew & Graham Finlay


Andrew and Graham Finlay and their families planted the first stone fruit trees on their property in 1984. A section of the paddock used for grazing sheep was fenced off, cultivated and had some irrigation pipes installed. That was the beginning of the Finlay Orchard. From those first few trees, the orchard has now grown to around 20,000. Remarkably, there are still seven trees remaining from that original planting over 30 years ago and fruit will be picked off them again this season. Shallow soils, warm days, cool nights and a pristine environment provide the perfect conditions for growing great tasting stone fruit. The stone fruit is packed and cooled on the same day that it is picked so that it gets to market as delicious and fresh as possible.


the varieties
narrowing it down
The initial plantings were of eleven different varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots. These were soon reduced to just two varieties when it became obvious which ones were going to do best; the Early Diamond nectarines and Red Beaut Plums. The newer varieties of stone fruit now run from mid-October until Christmas.


elevation
avoiding the frosts
In the year 2000, a second orchard block about 150 meters higher in elevation than the original was developed so that new, early flowering varieties could be grown without the risk of damage from spring frosts. This new block now produces over 75% of the farm’s produce. Over three-quarters of the orchard are trees that are less than 5 years old sourced from the best breeding programs in Europe and California. Traprock stone fruit is known for its sweetness and it’s the Finlay’s careful management of the fertilizer and irrigation that achieves this taste.


sustainable agriculture
improving the health of the soil
The Finlay’s have the belief that growing stone fruit should be done using sustainable farming practices while taking care of the environment. Water use is closely monitored to ensure leaching of nutrients out of the trees root zone is minimized. Organic fertilizers are increasingly becoming an important part of the farm’s nutritional supply. Graham and Andrew firmly believe that improving the health of the soil, and increasing the level of soil biodiversity are two of the keys to sustainable agriculture.
Andrew has been a director on the board of Summerfruit Australia, the peak industry body that represents Australia’s stone fruit growers. He has been on the board since 2012 and has been Summerfruit’s chairman for the past four years. He also works closely with Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd providing advice on the future direction and priorities for research, development, and marketing for the Australian stone fruit industry. Both Andrew and Graham and families hope to provide you with the best tasting stone fruit from passionate growers.



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get in touch
get in touch
PO BOX 399
Nerang, Queensland,
Australia
contact mira
contact Mira
email us: info@divinefruits.com.au
give me a call: 0417 647 963
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