Barker's of Geraldine

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This article is about the food brand. For other uses, see Barker (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with the New Zealand clothing brand Barkers.

Barker's of Geraldine
IndustryFood processing
Founded1969; 56 years ago (1969)
FounderAnthony and Gillian Barker
Headquarters
Geraldine
,
New Zealand
Productspreserved foods
Number of employees
300 (2024)
ParentAndros
Websitehttps://barkers.co.nz

Barker's of Geraldine is a food processing company based in Geraldine, New Zealand. The business primarily produces fruit preserves, fruit syrups, and relishes.

History

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William Edward Barker (1858–1935), one of the sons of the Christchurch doctor and photographer Alfred Barker, was a pioneer in orcharding in South Canterbury. He established an orchard at Peel Forest. Barker Sr. owned land at Ohapi near Geraldine.[1]

Barker's of Geraldine was founded in 1969 by Anthony Barker and his wife Gillian.[2][3] Anthony Barker is the great-nephew of William Edward Barker, and the orchard is the farm started by Alfred Barker.[1] The business began producing elderflower wine in a converted shed on their farm in Pleasant Valley, but soon shifted to producing fruit preserves.[2] By 2009, the business had grown to purchase around 1,000 tonnes (980 long tons; 1,100 short tons) of New Zealand fruit annually.[4] In 2007, they acquired rival relish manufacturer Anathoth Farm.[5] The business remained family-owned until 2016, when a majority stake was sold to French food company Andros.[2][6]

Barker's has won several industry awards. In 2009, the company was named the "supreme business" by the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce in their Business Excellence Awards.[4] In 2015, Barker's was named "South Canterbury's best business".[7] In August 2024, they were again named supreme winners by the Chamber of Commerce.[8]

In 2019, Barker's opened a store and café complex in Geraldine.[9] As of 2024, Barker's employs 300 people, making it the largest employer in Geraldine, a small town with a population of around 3000.[2][10] In April 2024, the company announced a major expansion of their factory facility in the town that will increase the floorspace from 3,300 m2 (36,000 sq ft) to 9,200 m2 (99,000 sq ft).[11]

Environmental issues

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In 2017 and 2018 Barker's was determined to be non-compliant with their wastewater resource consent, as they were discharging more than the permitted daily limit of 200 cubic metres (7,100 cu ft) of water to the storage pond by their factory. They applied to Environment Canterbury (ECan) for a waiver and consent variation, which was granted in 2019.[12] Barker's utilises a 12,000 cubic metres (420,000 cu ft) wastewater storage pond, with the stored water then discharged across a patch of terraced land above the Hae Hae Te Moana River near their factory.[12] According to their consent, the wastewater contains "fruit and vegetable pulp, juice spillage, and wash-down water from cleaning."[12]

In July 2025 it was revealed that Barker's was again under investigation by Environment Canterbury for improperly discharging wastewater after a complaint was made by a local resident.[12] In December it was revealed that the company had been discharging water by irrigating a nearby field, as well as a neighbouring reserve managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC).[13] The discharged water included corrosive caustic soda, intended to moderate the pH, but which had contaminated the reserve land and killed grass on the neighbouring field. There had been 15 complaints made about their operation between 2019 and 2024. Complainants described the discharge as having a "rotten cheesy chunder" smell. A member of Barker's staff was also fined for ignoring abatement notices from ECan.[13] Barker's had responded to the issues by trucking wastewater off-site for treatment. They claimed that they had done nothing wrong, and alleged that the government agencies had not engaged with them meaningfully to resolve the issues.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Waikonini, former WE Barker Homestead" (PDF). Timaru District Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Tobin, Chris (25 October 2024), "Barker's marks 55 years with sculpture and commitment to Geraldine", The Timaru Herald, retrieved 25 October 2024 – via The Press
  3. ^ Comer, Rachael (19 October 2019), "Barker's of Geraldine business marks 50 years of 'dogged hard work'", Stuff, retrieved 25 October 2024
  4. ^ a b "Barker's SC's finest business", Stuff, 8 October 2009, retrieved 25 October 2024
  5. ^ "About us", Anathoth Farm Official Website, retrieved 25 October 2024
  6. ^ "Barker Fruit Processors joins forces with French family – Hospitality Business Magazine", Hospitality Business Magazine, 5 May 2015, retrieved 25 October 2024
  7. ^ Montgomerie, Jack (4 September 2014), "Barkers chases further honours", Stuff, retrieved 25 October 2024
  8. ^ "Barker's scoops four big awards", The Timaru Herald, 25 October 2024, retrieved 25 October 2024 – via PressReader
  9. ^ Ashby-coventry, Esther (17 September 2019), "Barkers opens new Geraldine food store and eatery behind former vicarage", Stuff, retrieved 25 October 2024
  10. ^ "Subnational population estimates - Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  11. ^ Srinivasa, Yashas (19 April 2024), "Massive expansion planned for Geraldine's Barker's factory", Stuff, retrieved 25 October 2024
  12. ^ a b c d Williams, David (7 July 2025), "Council investigates alleged Barker's wastewater breach", Newsroom, archived from the original on 9 July 2025, retrieved 9 July 2025
  13. ^ a b c Magrin, Federico (7 December 2025), "Barker's battling to keep Geraldine factory amid clash with DOC, ECan", The Press, retrieved 7 December 2025
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