EPICUREAN DELIGHTS: Since 1936 life's been sweet at Pernel

MANDY SMITH
Ladies are everywhere at Pernel Fruit Orchards in Hastings. Some are still young and taut while others are mature and soft with age.
But all are in demand, according to co-owner David Mardon. "We have pink lady, june lady, spring lady, and elegant lady.
"Next thing it'll probably be sexy lady," he said. At the moment, it is white lady peach getting all the attention. It is a lightly-blushed, white-fleshed fruit, harder to handle than yellow-fleshed but worth it for the flavour.
With the peach harvest having begun in early December, the delicate white lady, farmed by the pair for more than 20 years, is rushing out the door and its juice is trickling down eager buyers' chins.
Pernel's is very much a family affair.
It was opened by Percy and Nell Mardon in 1936. The sons took over in the mid-1960s and have built up the land from seven acres (2.8ha) to a sprawling 40ha property planted with more than 110 varieties of fruit.
"I've never known a summer without fruit," David said.
"I was 16 when he first started working at the orchards after two years at high school.
"It was expected back then."
Since those days of just three or four orchard workers, he and brother Philip have taken the business from strength to strength, joined 10 years ago by Philip's son Iain, 35.
The Pakowhai Road complex has 40 permanent workers, who spend the year preparing the crops and harvesting.
Although they once grew some 20,000 granny smith and 15,000 delicious red apples, they have increasingly moved into stonefruit, following the "fashions of fruit", as David puts it.
They now stock local supermarkets, the weekly Farmers' Market and their Pakowhai Road shop with a range of apples and stonefruit.
Working with family has its obvious advantages - they all know the land, the systems and each other.
"But it can get difficult with three sets of ideas," Iain said.
To resolve this, each has their own domain - Iain in the orchards and David and Phillip on tours, packhouse and shop. With rising compliance costs, and 40 percent of export returns gobbled up by costs "outside the gate", Iain said the main challenge these days was making a profit.
But it was all worth it, he said, when you got the satisfaction of having produced a quality product.
Looking ahead, it seems the dynasty may be on shaky ground. The sense of obligation David and Philip had to take on the family business is not as strong in their own children, many of whom are based in the upper north island or Australia.
"Yes I'm disappointed, but I've got to accept the fact that to a reasonable extent that will happen," said David, who is in his late sixties.
"Kids do their own thing - they always have."