From an orchard packhouse to an icecream and chocolate factory, Patagonia has been given consent to convert Denny’s Orchard into a new Earnscleugh enterprise.

Dennis and Denise Paulin have sold their business to Far Away Property Ltd, and the company was granted consent two weeks ago to extend and convert the packhouse to manufacture ice cream, chocolate and roast coffee.

Patagonia Chocolates was started by Argentinian owners Alex Gimenez and Lorena Giallonardo in 2005. They now have five cafes in Arrowtown, Queenstown, and Wanaka.

The company will use fruit products grown onsite in Earnscleugh, as an important condition of the consent, and will set up another office and cafe as well.

This will complement the cafe and country store at the other end of Earnscleugh, opened by Roberts Family Fruit earlier this year.

The former Dennys site on the corner of Earnscleugh and Fraser Road, is 6.95ha and the development will involve an internal fit-out to include space for food production.

Orchardist Dennis Paulin up on his new land on the foothills of the Dunstan Mountains. PHOTO: The Central App

The Central Otago District Plan allows for a ‘rural selling place’ as a controlled activity in the rural resource zone, when using fresh fruit/vegetables, nursery plants, nuts, eggs, etc.

But, some of the retail activity was non-complying and a resource consent hearing was held in March this year to consider the application.

Far Away Property Ltd will employ six people in roles of manufacturing, making food and serving customers in the cafe. The company’s main office will remain in Queenstown.

It’s the end of an era for Dennys, which has been exporting Biogro NZ certified organic apples and summerfruit for the past 16 years, but the business has been around for more than 30 of those.

Dennis Paulin is part of a strong Central Otago fruit-growing family. He bought his first block of land in Earnscleugh at just 19.

Three orchards later, he is currently developing a new orchard on the foothills of the Dunstan Mountains, beside his brother Tim Paulin, of 3 Kings Orchards.

Denise said she was ecstatic with the sale and said it was a huge weight off her shoulders.

“I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life.”