Smashing investment: Rare avocado farm supplying major supermarkets for sale

A substantial avocado orchard in south east Adelaide – representing almost a quarter of avocado plantings in South Australia – has hit the market with a $6 million price guide.

The 59.7ha property, located at 804 Bull Creek Road, Ashbourne, which is part of the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide, is home to about 45 hectares of avocado trees.

The orchard is predominantly planted with Hass avocados. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

Owner and former fruit wholesaler Tony Schirripa established the orchard 25 years ago after struggling to source a reliable summer supply for his customers.

“We relied on New Zealand fruit that came by boat, by the time it landed, it was too ripe,” he said.

“We thought, if we can’t source enough, we’ll grow our own. The climate down here matched that of southern WA, so we decided to give it a go.

“We were basically pioneers in that area, because usually avocados are grown in the Riverland where it’s a little bit hotter, but the excess heat can have a detrimental effect on trees, so a cooler climate might be a better place.”

Commercial avocado production in South Australia is relatively small in comparison to Queensland and Western Australia.

The orchard’s produce are sold through Avolution to Woolworths and Aldi. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

Mr Schirripa and his brother David are selling the business, and at 66 years old, Mr Schirripa said he was ready to slow down.

“A lot of it is done with tractors and stuff, but the harder part is obviously the harvesting that’s all done by hand,” he said.

Mr Schirripa said while was unsure of the exact number of trees within the orchard – which were predominantly Hass and a small quantity of the Reed variety – he estimated there was about 9000 to 10,000 trees all up.

“We’ve got an older part of the farm that we planted in 2000 and then in 2019, we planted 15 ha under netting, which are new trees, so there’s 3000 there.”

The orchard’s produce are sold through Avolution to Woolworths and Aldi, and there is accreditation in place to import to India.

The new farm section, which spans 15ha, is covered by a protective netting system to shield the trees from environmental factors, such as wind, sun, hail, and pests.

The new section of the orchard has protective netting, enhancing both yield quality and consistency. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

Other areas of the farm comprise of unplanted areas suitable for further orchard development, or vegetables or vineyards.

The Fleurieu Peninsula is currently a fruit fly free zone.

The orchard has a projected 2026 financial year income of $1.8 million.

The sale includes a packing shed, cool rooms and accommodation for seasonal workers. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

Sales agent Russell Iles from Woodbridge Iles said the rare listing also has a significant water allocation totalling 249ML, and this year the water pumps and filters and shed were upgraded.

“There are very few avocado orchards in South Australia of this size, which is the lions share,” he said.

The site also includes a packing shed, cool rooms, a caged chemical storage area, pallet racking and an area for machinery for washing, drying, and packing.

There is also a kitchen, office, shower, laundry, as well as four bedrooms to accommodate seasonal workers.