Yen Ben Lemons, Gisborne

Gisborne is known for a lot of things – the first city in the world to see the sun, the home to the iconic Rhythm & Vines music festival, and one of the best climates in New Zealand for growing citrus. This is what Zarn Meredith, one of our Anathoth Farm growers, loves most about the region.

Zarn has been growing Yen Ben lemons for the First Fresh wholesaler for seven years, with about 3000 trees to look after. Yen Ben Lemons are loved by chefs and mixologists alike for their intense flavour, high juice content and thin skins. They’re also loved by growers like Zarn for how often they can be harvested. Zarn carries out up to six harvests a year, getting some additional help from pickers in the summer months.

Formerly a sheep sheerer and an ultrasound technician for sheep, Zarn sees his new life as a citrus grower as his retirement job. He still dabbles in these in the winter months but now enjoys living amongst the trees with no commute to work.

Zarn always wanted to buy a farm, but there was the challenge of having to convince his partner who wanted to stay in town. They were able to find the perfect spot, just 6kms out of Gisborne with the best of both worlds.

Gisborne is celebrated for its fertile soil, warm summers and mild winters. The Gisborne climate isn’t always perfect, though. Like so many orchards in the region, Zarn’s lemons were hit by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023. After getting “pretty hammered”, there was a big clean up job between him and his partner to clear out the rubbish and dead trees and fix the irrigation. Thankfully, Yen Ben Lemons are a hardy tree, once Zarn was able to get the water draining, they recovered quickly.

Zarn is one of many growers who sell their citrus to the First Fresh wholesaler in Gisborne. First Fresh then sells this delicious NZ citrus onto us for our Lemon Curd, Breakfast Marmalade and Traditional Fruit Mince, and other products made at our factory in South Canterbury. To find out more about First Fresh, you can visit their website here.