The pioneer of organic apple production

John Bostock is the man behind JB Organics and the pioneer of commercial organic apple production in New Zealand.   

After starting out as conventional apple growers, John and his wife Vicki became increasingly concerned with the industry’s then liberal use of pesticides and other artificial substances.  As the couple lived surrounded by apples trees on an orchard with their three young boys, they knew it was time to look for healthier and safer growing alternatives.

John started to convert his Hawke’s Bay apple orchards to organic in 1996.  While other organic pipfruit orchards did exist in New Zealand at that time, they were small independent operations scattered throughout the country.  John was the first grower to approach organic apple production on a commercial scale. 

The organic production technologies he developed and championed enabled other New Zealand apple growers to convert to commercial organic apple growing.

From those early days where John garnered the support of 10 other apple growers to convert to organic, so together they could produce sufficient volumes of organic apples for export; JB Organics has now grown to have over 400 hectares of BioGro certified land.  We are responsible for marketing almost 90% of New Zealand’s organic apple crop to the world.

Not surprisingly, John Bostock is highly regarded by both organic and conventional apple growers alike for increasing the industry’s level of environmental consciousness.  His vision to grow and export pure, healthy and delicious organic apples has resulted in a thriving business that manages to be both economically and environmentally sound.