Liquidators have put Ardgour Valley Fruit near Tarras on the market with a deadline sale of October 20.

Ross and Sharon Kirk collaborated with farmers Bruce and Linda Jolly in 2020 as joint founders of the orchard, planting a mixture of apricots and cherries on the 48.03ha site.

The Kirk’s Hortinvest Holdings company managed the orchard on behalf of 16 shareholders, and planted some of the country’s first varieties of NZ Summer apricots.

In 2022 Ardgour Valley Fruit built a new packhouse at Tarras, and in summer 2025 about 150 tonnes of the new apricot varieties were exported under its Temptation Valley brand.

The trees, which were coming into their fourth season, were expected to reach full production in 2026-2027 when the company planned to export 500 tonnes.

Liquidators Diana Matchett and Colin Gower were appointed for Ardgour Valley Orchards on August 10, and the property is currently being marketed by PGG Wrightson.

It includes three frost fighting machines and a large eight-bay packing shed.

The first liquidators report on August 15 said shareholders and limited partners resolved to place the company and limited partnership (respectively) into liquidation, due to unsustainable trading losses and ongoing cashflow constraints.  

Hortinvest Holdings was also managing another two large orchards in Central Otago for a separate company Deep Creek Fruits until the end of August.

Deep Creek has a separate group of shareholders and operates two of the biggest cherry orchards in Central Otago - 51,150 trees in production at Mt Pisa across eight varieties, and a further 49,589 at Lindis Peaks.

The Kirks are no longer listed on the website as managers, and Sharon ceased to be a director as of July 31. A new director was appointed on September 10 - Kevin Jarvis, of Wānaka.

According to the Companies Office website, Ross Kirk has since moved to the Marlborough Sounds.

Google Business shows the Hortinvest Holdings company as permanently closed, and has this message on its website: “We sincerely thank our clients, partners, and supporters for being part of our journey and our story”.

Ross was the development and operations manager of Deep Creek Fruits and Sharon the international sales and marketing manager.

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