CHERRY HILL COOLSTORES &
TASMANIAN SEED POTATOES
Pictured: The new add-on machinery for our BU4 Carrot Washer and Unloader, which allows us to unload two deliveries at the same time.
APRIL 2026
In our April newsletter, Edition 45, we share with you our Cherry Hill season report and an update on our new BU4 Unloader. Wayne gives high praise for the values and culture workshop and meet Nathan, our Canes Supervisor. Read on for these stories and more…
IN THIS ISSUE
SEASON REPORT
Pictured left to right: Lynette Nankervis, Wayne Maxwell, Andrew Vandenberg, Justin Johnson, Iris Bacosa, Conor O’Doherty, Dominy O’Doherty, Andrew Langmaid, Kurt Norris and Pam Langmaid.
Due to a combination of planting delays at the end of 2025 and cooler weather throughout growing season, it’s no surprise that harvest will start later this season than last year. We are expecting a delay of around two weeks, with seed potatoes arriving for storage from late March onwards.
At this stage, conditions are looking promising. With favourable harvesting weather forecast and strong yields anticipated, we’re expecting seed to arrive in excellent condition – good news for everyone involved.
Our most recent coolstore expansion has added seven additional coolrooms, increasing our single-site capacity to 31 coolrooms and drystore rooms.
To date two coolrooms have been commissioned, with the remaining five scheduled to come online over the next four weeks.
Driscoll’s canes have also begun arriving for short-term storage, and everything has been running smoothly so far.
As always, our team has done an outstanding job preparing for the season, with the site looking spick and span ahead of the busy months. With several activities ramping up at once, we’re ready to get underway.
Cutting is scheduled to commence in early May. If anyone has any special requests, please contact Kurt Norris on 0439 977 541.
Pictured (above and inset): BU4 Carrot Washer and Unloader
CARROTS AND OUR NEW BU4 UNLOADER UPDATE
Carrot harvesting and unloading has also started later than usual this season. Unloading and washing are expected to begin in late March and reach full capacity in early April.
JACS Engineering and Dobmac have recently completed our latest addition to the carrot washing system – our fourth Bulk Unloader (BU4). This new equipment allows us to unload more carrots quickly when weather conditions are favourable, ensuring produce can be placed into storage without delay.
Most importantly, the system enables us to unload two clients simultaneously, improving efficiency and allowing more carrots to be boxed for storage ahead of washing.
TASMANIAN SEED POTATOES
“Seed harvest was delayed this season, but commenced in late March. Hard to comment on yields as not enough has been finished but looks like it will be slightly above average. There doesn’t seem to be any issues at this stage.”
Andrew Vandenberg
MAINTENANCE REPORT
Simplot shut down for one month over the Christmas break, which provided the perfect opportunity for us to complete their maintenance and equipment servicing program. We were pleased to complete all work on schedule.
Here at Cherry Hill, our team has also completed upgrades and servicing on the carrot line, which is now ready for the season ahead… very soon!
Please call Justin on 0498 780 553 if you require any maintenance or metal fabrication.
Justin Johnson
WAYNE’S WORLD
“It’s been a good growing season, and at this stage I’m expecting promising yields and favourable weather for the seed potato harvest. Of course, you never know for certain until the seed arrives – but I’m expecting it to be in good condition.”
Wayne Maxwell
A SLICE OF LIFE AT CHERRY HILL
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Pictured: Sian Savage of Savage Strategy Co
OUR VALUES & CULTURE WORKSHOP
“It was as good a presentation as I’ve ever seen – and it used all the same words.” Wayne Maxwell
High praise from Wayne doesn’t come lightly, but he was genuinely impressed by the recent values and culture presentation delivered by Savage Strategy Co. Wayne found it engaging and felt the findings aligned closely with his own experience after many years at Cherry Hill Coolstores.
This event marked the first official workplace culture workshop held at Cherry Hill – a valuable opportunity for staff to share their thoughts and perspectives in an open environment.
The presentation itself was lively and enjoyable, allowing staff to relax, share a few laughs, and feel comfortable participating.
Feedback was collected anonymously and moderated by Andrew and Sian Savage before being presented to the management team. The results were reported as percentages across a range of categories, which helped confirm what we are doing well and also highlighted areas where we can continue to improve.
One of the key metrics measured was the Net Promoter Score (NPS) – a widely used indicator of employee loyalty, satisfaction, culture, and teamwork. Based on responses to a single survey question, we were delighted to learn that our NPS score ranked higher than that of companies such as Google.
We’ve always believed Cherry Hill feels like one big family – and now we have the data to support it. It was still a nervous wait for Conor, who was equally relieved and thrilled when the results came through.
STAFF PROFILE: NATHAN HARRISON |
Nathan grew up locally in Latrobe and worked at Huon Aquaculture for 12 years before joining Cherry Hill Coolstores in 2023.
Nathan is Supervisor of Canes at Cherry Hill Coolstores. Short-term cane storage begins in mid-March, with the long-term cane storage season following soon after.
During quieter times, you can catch him up in scissor lifts karchering the walls, repairing crates and preparing for the upcoming storage season.
A proud family man, Nathan enjoys life with his partner and five children (aged from 14-months to 20 years), along with two dogs and a cat. When he gets the chance to unwind, Nathan enjoys playing recreational darts (having competed in the past) and watching the footy – go the Saints!
Pictured: Nathan Harrison.
Pictured: Wayne has a new seat on his forklift, so he cannot possibly leave it, it’s way too comfy.
TESTIMONIAL… Only a phone call away
“I’ve been growing commercial spuds (Innovators), and working with Cherry Hill Coolstores for over 20 years. I mainly deal with Conor and always have a great experience with him. There are never any real problems, and he is always available and just a phone call away.”
Paul Kemp – Kempco Northwest Pty Ltd
View more of our testimonials here.
CHERRY HILL COOLSTORES SEED GUARANTEE
Our Seed Management Services. Cherry Hill Coolstores will guarantee our services on Seed Growers seed. If you buy someone else’s certified seed, which is presented to Cherry Hill in good condition, and it breaks down, we will replace our cutting and services at no charge.
This guarantee specifically refers to seed piece breakdown (i.e. rot), and refers to seed which is delivered directly to Cherry Hill Coolstores from the seed paddock for chemical application, coolstoring and cutting. In order for this guarantee to be valid, the Buyer must make claims within 24-hours of the seed leaving Cherry Hill Coolstores and 
before planting.
In order for this guarantee to be valid, the buyer must make claims with 24 hours of the seed leaving Cherry Hill and before planting.
View more about our guarantee here.
MISSED A PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?
Read past editions of our newsletter here.
GALLERY ADDITIONS
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