Australian grower Nic Giblett wins APAL horticulture award

Third-generation Manjimup grower Nic Giblett from Newton Orchards has been recognised with the APAL Industry Excellence award for Women in Horticulture. She said, "There are thousands of women who won't be nominated for an award who are literally the beating heart of horticulture, doing all the meals in harvest, keeping the house ticking over, and the accounts done and the employees looked after."

Giblett has been active in industry organisations, previously serving on the board of Fruit West and helping to establish the Southern Forests Food Council. She is now fully engaged in both strategic and day-to-day operations at Newton Orchards.

Her family has a long tradition of women in leadership roles, and she noted that her potential role in business was never considered of less value than that of her brother, Mike, with whom she now co-owns and directs Newton Orchards. She oversees HR, compliance, food safety, OHS, and ethical employment.

She pointed out that sourcing young staff remains difficult due to higher wages in Western Australia's mining industry. "One of the key ways to attract and retain women, who are quite often running the family and household business, is to be a flexible and family-friendly business, which is one card that mining can't play," she said.

Newton Orchards is restructuring, removing underperforming blocks and diversifying production. Over the past decade, the orchard has phased out stone fruit and pears, except for cherries, while reducing its apple portfolio to focus on key varieties including Pink Lady, Royal Gala, and Granny Smith. Smaller volumes of Kanzi®, Jazz™, and Bravo® are also grown. "Last year was the hardest growing season on record, climate-wise, but we were very careful around harvest maturity, we got the crop off in excellent condition, and monitored it all through storage, and we had happy customers," she said.

The orchard's strategy now prioritises reliability and quality rather than volume supply. Cherries and avocados are an increasing part of the business, supported by a Tongan workforce. "We are really focusing on a niche premium and a very flexible supply model. We pre-size and rather than commit to pack, have greater capacity to do top-ups for retailers," she said.

Giblett emphasised the value of "worthy work" for staff and the benefits it brings to local and overseas communities. "When times are tough, I'm reminded of the passion and commitment, and investment of our staff. I love reflecting on what we can do for our people in Tonga and their communities and what we've been able to build locally by paying wages, people have built homes, put their kids through school, supported sports clubs."

She was also the recipient of the APAL Marketer of the Year Award in 2022.