Events and Programmes

30 May - 07 Jun 2023

Hort Market Immersion

Adelaide / Australia

Join us for an incredible opportunity to explore the world of horticulture in Adelaide, South Australia! Callaghan Innovation proudly presents the Hort Market Immersion from 30 May to 4 June, specially crafted for New Zealand agritech businesses, researchers, growers, and other horticulture enthusiasts.

South Australia is a renowned producer of premium horticulture with an impressive range of vegetable, fruit, and nut crops. Their largest outputs include tomatoes, potatoes, almonds, and citrus. The state's horticultural regions are carefully localised around available water, where the climate and soils are best suited to each commodity.

This trip is the perfect chance for you to expand your network with industry professionals and gain valuable insights into the South Australian market.

Don't miss this incredible opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of horticulture and build valuable connections with industry experts! Register now to secure your spot.

Agenda

Day 1 - Tuesday 30 May

Heading to Hahndorf - giving us the chance to experience the beautiful food and wine from the region.

2.45pm Meet at the Holiday Inn Express Adelaide City Centre 📍 to travel by bus to The Mana by Haus 📍. 

4.00pm Check in to The Mana by Haus. This is where we will be based for the next two nights. 

5.15pm Head to Hahndorf Inn 📍.

5.30pm Welcome Dinner and Farmers 2 Founders Workshop. The workshop will be run by Ben Baghurst. Helping us understand what help NZ companies need when entering the Australian market, also understanding about their Gateway to Australia programme. The group will introduce themselves with quickfire 90 second pitches. We will also be joined by local ledgend Oli Madgett for the evening. Callaghan Innovation will cover the cost of food but delegates will purchase their own drinks.

Day 2 - Wednesday 31 May

Tour around Adelaide Hills, known for apples, pears, cherries, and strawberries. 

8.50am Bus departs The Mana by Haus for Beerenberg Family Farm.

9.00am Tour Beerenberg Family Farm. This is a sixth-generation Australian-owned family farm is well known for their strawberries. Their united focus is to produce the best tasting jams, condiments and sauces in the world.

10.00am Bus departs for Ceravolo Orchards 📍.

10.45am Tour Ceravolo Orchards. An Australian family owned and operated orchard. Growing apples, pears, cherries & strawberries in the Adelaide Hills since 1957. Hosted by Sandra Ceravolo, Tony Ceravolo, Brittany Groth, Paul Ewins.

12.15pm Bus departs for Lunch stop.

12.45pm Lunch stop Balhannah Hotel 📍.

1.45pm Bus departs for Lot.100.

2.15pm Tour LOT.100 📍 The home of five of South Australia’s best, forward-thinking, food and craft beverage producers. We will tour around the Mismatch Brewing facility, hosted by Tom Wood (Head Brewer). We will also have the opportunity for a beer or gin tasting $25/head. Hosted by Stephanie Baradakis.

3.45pm Bus departs back to The Mana by Haus📍.

4.14pm Arrive at The Mana by Haus.

Day 3 - Thursday 1 June

Visit the McLaren Vale area, one of the premium wine regions in Australia. 

8.40am Bus departs The Mana by Haus for McLaren Vale, ensure you have checked out and got all your belongings. 

9.50am Visit McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Coast Visitors Centre 📍 to hear about the Willunga Basin Water Company who have been supplying recycled wastewater to the region since 1999. Hosted by Craig Heidenreich and Eddie McGarry. 

10.50am Bus departs for Chalk Hill Wines 📍.

11.00am Discussion with Chalk Hill Wines, where they will tell us about the agritech they use. Chalk Hill Viticulture provide tailored solutions for viticulture needs and help growers produce fruit to desired specification through economic and environmentally sustainable practices. Chalk Hill Winery is a family-owned winery, dedicated to making small batch, hand crafted wines of distinction from McLaren Vale. Hosted by Jock Harvey.

12.00pm Lunch at Chalk Hill Collective. Nestled into the hill overlooking McLaren Vale, eating food from Cucina Di Strata - beautiful Italian street food. We will also taste some Chalk Hill Wines.

12.50pm Bus departs for McLaren Vale Distillery 📍.

1.00pm Distillery Tour including Paddock to Bottle Tasting, begin with new-make spirit and learn about the process from barley to bottle. The tasting includes gin, whiskies, a fortified wine and two Haighs truffles. $45/per person. Hosted by Velvet Oaks.

2.00pm Bus departs for Holiday Inn Express 📍.

3.00pm Bus arrives at the Holiday Inn Express.

Day 4 - Friday 2 June

Tour around Northern Adelaide Plains, an area with fertile soils and access to water, which is well-suited to intensive vegetable production.

5.15am Bus departs Holiday Inn Express for the Northern Adelaide Plains.

6.00am Tour around the South Australian Produce Markets 📍 - to visit key growers and wholesalers. A premier fresh produce wholesale market for the state where over 250,000 tonnes of fresh produce with a wholesale value of over $590M is traded between wholesalers, growers and retail operators every year. Hosted by Penny Reid

7.15am Breakfast at Josie's Cafe at South Australian Producers Market.

8.00am Bus departs for P’petual Holdings 📍.

8.30am Tour at P’Petual  - one of the largest greenhouse vegetable growers in Australia. P’Petual grow and market a wide variety of tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants. Their 12 hectares of greenhouses are modern and are equipped with the latest specialised equipment. Hosted by Henry Lui and Jacqueline Wang.

10.00am Bus departs for Zerella Fresh 📍.

10.15am Tour of  Zerella Fresh. A vertically integrated wholly-owned company of the Pye Family that grows, packs, processes, wholesales and distributes potatoes, carrots and onion. We are visiting the Carrot packhouse and will see a video of their potato packing shed using tech from Europe. Hosted by Renee Pye. 

11.45am Bus departs for Lunch.

12.15pm Lunch at Sneaky's Restaurant 📍.

1.15pm Bus departs for Holiday Inn Express 📍.

2.00pm Bus arrives at Holiday Inn Express.

Day 5 - Saturday 3 June

Enjoy a free day to explore other horticultural regions or visit some of the fantastic wineries and distilleries in the area. Visit Adelaide Central Markets. Opened in 1869, this gourmet haunt has 80+ vendors selling organic fruit, premium meats & more. Make sure you visit Something Wild (stall 55) Indigenous-owned company working with Indigenous communities to sustainably harvest and supply a range of native Australian ingredients to restaurants and consumers around Australia. 

Day 6 - Sunday 4 June

In the afternoon, we'll host our Let’s Connect Network Event 3-7pm at Atlantis Bar & Lounge 📍, where you can meet others travelling over from New Zealand, our various hosts throughout the week, and other sector experts from Australia.

Our program is designed as the perfect lead-in to this year's Hort Connections 2023 (5-7 June), Australia and New Zealand's largest horticulture conference and trade show. Please note that you'll need to purchase your own tickets to attend Hort Connections.

Flights

We have our flights booked and encourage you to do the same. There are some reasonable prices around, and some good direct services from Auckland to Adelaide. Book ASAP.

Accommodation

Hahndorf - The Mana by Haus

Adelaide - Holiday Inn Express Adelaide City Centre

  • Book from Thursday 1 June through to your departure date

  • Breakfast included

  • Use this link here.

Travel Insurance

If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. Please ensure you have adequate coverage.

Traveller’s checklist:

A helpful list of things we think you should do to be ready for this trip:

  • Book flights.

  • Get travel insurance.

  • Book accommodation for Hahndorf.

  • Book accommodation for Adelaide.

  • Register for Let’s Connect Network Event Sunday 4 June.

  • Buy tickets to Hort Connections.

  • Join the WhatsApp Hort Market Immersion group.

  • Register (if interested) for Horticulture in Technology Meetup Tuesday 5 June 5.30-8.30pm hosted by SA Meetup.

  • Tag social posts with trip hashtag #HortImmersion #agritechactivator

  • Wear closed toe shoes for field tour - possible foot baths.

  • Warm clothes - it could be cold and wet, so dress appropriately.

  • Business Casual clothes for evenings and during Hort Connections.

  • Hort Connections is a trade show, so we suggest to wear your own branded clothing.

Meals, Drinks and Tastings

You are expected to pay for your meals and drinks unless specified otherwise. There are some options for tastings that you can opt in or out of, that you will also need to pay for yourself. 

Lot.100 has given us the opportunity to do a tasting after the tour. Please choose which tasting you would like to do:

  • Beer tasting: Mismatch Brewing -  Lager | Session | Pale Ale | Strawberry Sour $20 per tasting

  • Gin tasting: 78 Degree Distillery - Classic Gin | Sunset Gin | Desert Gin $25 per tasting

At The McLaren Vale Distillery there will be a Distillery Tour including Paddock to Bottle Tasting. Begin with new-make spirit and learn about the process from barley to bottle. The tasting includes gin, whiskies, a fortified wine and two Haighs truffles. $45/per person.

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