It’s a busy time here at Yarra Valley Cherries! Our trees are primed with ripening fruit that is almost ready for picking. In the meantime, we are very excited to share with you the news that Yarra Valley Cherries has been certified as a carbon neutral cherry orchard through the Australian Government's ‘Climate Active’ program, which is a collective initiative for climate action.
Yarra Valley Cherries is the first cherry orchard in Australia to have gone through the extensive process of certification, realising its commitment to significantly reduce its carbon impact.
In welcoming the certification, the Managing Director Andrew Fairley AM confirmed the commitment that the family has to operating more sustainably.
“We have made every effort possible over the last 10 years to minimise our carbon footprint, and this acknowledgement from Climate Active that we are now carbon neutral is important to us, our broader community and the cherry industry.”
Climate Active is a partnership between the Australian Government and Australian business to encourage organisations to voluntarily take climate action. The certification is only available to businesses that go through a process of measurement, adaptation, and have a commitment to continuous improvement.
Fairley (pictured above) said, "we have reduced our carbon emissions as much as possible, and invested in projects that reduce or remove emissions from the atmosphere. Our efforts include the installation of a 15kw solar array, electric forklifts, greater use of natural fertilizers, chipping our prunings and finding alternative uses for damaged fruit."
Yarra Valley Cherries is incredibly proud to be the first cherry orchard in Australia to have achieved this certification.
Property Manager Peter Foster (pictured above) said, “we have made strategic choices and changes in the way we do business, which is good for our business and good for the planet”.