impressive new winery at Woollaston Estate. It's a great another visionary company, Sujon Berryfruits, with the opening of its new, world class processing plant. This is a significant milestone for Sujon and the Gibb family, who freezing technology in the world.
This demonstrates Sujon a global player in the berryfruit processing industry. Blackcurrant Co-operative, which has partnered with Sujon Berryfruit in the venture. I understand that Sujon crop, and therefore plays a key role in the value chain for the blackcurrant industry.
It is exciting to see companies and industries working together like this, and co-operating be here, and I congratulate John and Sue Gibb, on their blackcurrant industry have been able to do together. values: pure, healthy, clean and green, and sustainable. looking at exciting new opportunities, based on the functionality of the New Zealand grown berry.
These days, As the blackcurrant industry knows well, our New Zealand, however, our strong sun and ideal growing which give the fruit its purple colour. of blueberries. Although New Zealand is a small producer by volume, we produce some of the highest quality fruit in the world leaders, in the same way as our wines, kiwifruit, and for our regional economies where the crops are based.
advanced Sujon plant, Nelson is well positioned to become a Crown Research Institute, Hort Research, is putting developing new varieties, and into pest control, growing regimes, and better methods of processing. For example, the new freezing system in this plant, freezes fruit so fast that virtually all fruit, even that affected by bad weather, can be available for value- add opportunities. That's important for the fruit from this past growing season where, without the new system, almost 40 per cent of the crop would have gone into ingredients.
The investment here has had an whole life cycle of the product, from growing to achieves a large reduction in energy use. Whereas 20 tonnes of blackcurrants used to take 20 hours to freeze, with this system that time is reduced to just 7 hours. That not only Despite all the good news, I am also aware challenging times, especially over the last couple of years, and not only because of our high dollar.
produce vastly greater quantities than New Zealand, and they sell at much lower prices. New Zealand sales have taken a serious hit, which presents both a financial and a strategic marketing relationships, particularly in Japan, through the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Tokyo Beachhead Initiative, products for the Japanese market. Through these partners, the blackcurrant industry.
I am pleased to see that some of strategic, research, product development work, and marketing high-value nutraceutical products, and on the partnerships entrepreneurship and business building. There are many challenges. But if the blackcurrant industry gets it right, and continues to co-operate to compete, it will be a future of the New Zealand berryfruit industry.
I congratulate the Gibb family, Sujon Berryfruits and the New has been a huge project. It is bold, innovative and entrepreneurial, and it is something to be celebrated. The development, through New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, with two grants to Sujon over the past year, and with support to and berryfruit industries, good for Nelson, and good for NZ.
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