Rayner’s Orchard desperate for lifeline from Melbourne visitors

With no international tourists for the past year, this u-pick orchard has had to completely reinvent itself. Now that Melburnians are allowed to travel, the growers hope days of wasted fruit and worry will soon be behind them.

Rayner's Orchard hopes visitors will return. Picture: Nicole Cleary

WITH international tourists banned and the loss of government income support, it’s only thanks to the internet that boutique fruit and vegetable operation Rayner’s Orchard has been able to tread water.

Located at Woori Yallock in the Yarra Valley, east of Melbourne, the business grows more than 450 varieties of fruit and promises visitors there will be at least eight varieties available to pick every day of the year.

It has developed from the overgrown 15ha bush block Len and Heather Rayner bought in 1977 and — before COVID reared its head — turned into a vibrant and bustling operation offering personalised farm tours, with five trailers able to accommodate 150 passengers an hour, u-pick fruit, cafe and produce store, fruit bottling workshops and plant nursery.

The family also offered educational tours for school groups, a Day on the Farm program, Chinese New Year celebrations, weddings and party packages.

Rayner’s Orchard owner Len Rayner with a crop of tamarillos. Picture: Andy Rogers

With three generations now involved, the orchard had improved business turnover six-fold in the past five years and employed more than 20 staff at the height of summer.

With 80 per cent of the orchard’s visitors coming from overseas, principally from Asia, COVID lockdowns have forced the family to move almost exclusively to online sales.

“We’ve done a lot of home deliveries and that, along with selling fruiting plants, has kept us going,” Mr Rayner says.

“Our farm tours had been the bulk of our business, plus our cafe seating 160 people had to close, so it’s the internet that’s saved us from going insolvent.

“Currently, on a busy day, we’ll get three or four customers, but they have to come from within five kilometres – and from where we’re located, there aren’t that many people around.

“Back in March we got on to JobKeeper, which was an absolute salvation, but, unfortunately, we’ve now lost that.

“We’re still open and we’re still picking fruit, but a lot of it, sadly, is going to waste.

“We know our customers are still there and remain supportive.

“The minute we’re allowed to open, I’m sure we’re going to be extremely busy – people are dead keen to get out of Melbourne.”

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