PEMBERTON.
OR AS WE LIKE TO CALL IT, PARADISE.
LOOKS GOOD
FROM UP HERE.
YOU SHOULD SEE THE
SOIL DOWN THERE!
Delcados are slow grown in Western Australia’s pristine Pemberton region, one and a half hours south east of Margaret River. Pemberton is an historic timber town nestled amongst the world-famous giant karri tree forests.
Back in the day, the Delroys almost nomadically wandered around WA looking for the best place to grow their avocados. In truth, they could’ve chosen almost anywhere. But they settled on this majestic slice of the southwest as the perfect spot.
ONE OF A KIND
There’s a pretty unique set of circumstances happening here, in WA’s southwest. The climate of very hot summers as well as an absolute tonne of rain seems to be ideal. Then when you combine that with the nutrient rich karri loam soil, you have some pretty perfect avo growing conditions. And as luck would have it, as the trees begin to mature, the position of the gully protects the precious fruit from the famous ‘Doctor’ winds. Come to think of it, maybe that was less luck and more good planning!
PRETTY NICE
AND NICELY
SUSTAINABLE
The Delroy family only uses rainwater to nourish their avocado trees. The naturally high winter rainfall is supplemented with water from their dams during the long, hot summers. Those giant karri trees that border the orchard have a crucial role to play here too - filtering and purifying the huge quantities of rain before it is captured and stored in the vast dams that populate the orchard. To maintain the pristine environment the Delroys are also focused on using biological methods to control insect pests, rather than pesticides.
WELL, IF THE
MARRON LIKE IT…
How else do we know it’s good? Well, the Delroys have more than 100 acres of dams on the orchard and in those dams are huge marron stocks. Marron are a freshwater crayfish, similar to a yabby on the east coast and they are hugely popular on high-end restaurant menus.
Marron only feed and flourish in the cleanest of waters as they are highly sensitive to pollution. So in a way, they are the Orchard’s ‘canary of the coal mine’. The abundance of marron proves just how pristine the waters are.
There is a genuine harmony here, with a natural ecosystem sustained further with the marron enjoying being fed off the avocado scraps from the harvest.