Here’s a story about a married couple who arrived in Te Kauwhata with their family to make a new life for themselves back in the 70’s.
They weren’t afraid to try something completely new and even though they’ve had their highs and lows and a few struggles along the way, (like most growers out there) overall they have nurtured quite a team and made a fantastic life for themselves... it’s a lovely story.
John and Anne Shearer as always, greet me like family with hugs, biscuits and a cuppa waiting. Their team gathers around the bbq, cooking up their morning tea and it’s great to listen to the banter and buzz of their daily business. (Not a normal Morning tea - a rare & welcome treat!)
John’s right down to business telling me their story before I’ve had my first sip...
Here’s our history he states...
Anne and I came from Reporoa back in 1976 with our 3 preschooler off spring. We wanted a new life after marrying in our home district of Reporoa and sharemilking for 5 years. We came across a 125 acre dairy farm in Te Kauwhata and set to work breaking it in and milking 125 cows.
Ten years on in 1986 we had purchased 80 neighbouring acres and were milking 200 cows. I was sick of milking by this time & my long term interest in growing was becoming evident. We employed a sharemilker to take over the cows and a 2 hectare kiwifruit orchard was planted at one end of the farm - nothing ventured, nothing gained was their motto. This crop lasted 10 years before the prices crashed and it was time to look for something else.
As the children grew to Secondary level Anne resumed teaching, specialising in Literacy - as every farming family knows, payments are varied & often weather dependent from dairying & cropping and we were pleased to have a regular income.
Always on the move to try new things we decided to sell 100+ acres with the herd and invested the remaining 100 acres left into growing squash and watermelon... another new adventure.
About this time I approached Richard Baverstock (“the kid next door Anne” states) who was then working for a local winery and looking for a change of scenery. Richard worked for a season & then, having formed a great working relationship, it only seemed right to go into business with him.
In 2003 the Shearer & Baverstock company was formed and the rest is history...
We developed early and late main season onions, these were hard times and thank goodness once again, Anne was still teaching.
Serious decisions needed to be made which led us to focus mainly on early crop onions and watermelon. These two crops have really worked for us and by 2017, we were able to purchase the land next door and expand our warehouse facility and invest in a new grader.
Anne could finally retire after 25 years as a teacher and continue in her ever expanding role as our office lady, not something she took lightly. ‘It was quite a change, keeping up with wages, GAP rules & regulations etc’ she says. (Ably helped by Lyn) Fast track to 2023, the business is very streamlined and with no sign of retirement yet, John still very much focuses on cattle farming and growing the business with Richard (his right hand man.)
The team have all worked together for years and it honestly feels like a family, not a business. Nickie took over managing the books in the office from Anne. “Nickie is a gem” states Anne, “she’s so calm and just gets everything done without a fuss, she’s such an asset to the team.“ (Nickie pictured bottom right)
Bing is another integral member of the team, having worked alongside Richard for 14 years and he’s a jack of all trades. He proudly says he loves working for the team, so much so in fact that he travelled from Auckland every day for many years before buying his first home in Huntly, picking up casual staff along the way, “he specialises in getting us reliable staff”.
John Williams (John John) is another jack of all trades by truck driving and being the mechanic for the business, another staff member oozing pride for working for the team.
IN SUMMARY
Putting it simply, Shearer and Baverstock are a small team with a huge heart. There is so much mana and spirit and Anne, John and Richard are like a fine oiled machine. It may only be a small team behind them but everyone is willing to make it all gel together and become a success. Not only do they put money and time into the business, they put the same effort into their staff ensuring they are successful also.
Thank you for your time with me, I always love my visits, laughs and updates on the S&B family business.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE PROUDEST OF?
“The team... the way the company has developed through hardships and highs. We managed to turn things around. Reading the markets and focusing on what is hot to grow” says John.
HOW DID YOU MEET?
Anne laughs, ‘Well John rung me one day and asked me to the local dance, which I accepted. However when the day came and I went to the door to meet my date... it was a different John!’
“53 years of marriage, 3 kids and 8 beautiful grandchildren later” says Anne proudly.
WHAT’S YOUR INTERESTS?
Neither Anne nor John are ones to sit still and both are well known in the community. John is a life member of both the local Squash club after establishing the club back in 1983 and also the Te Kauwhata Rugby Club.
Now he has a bit more time on his hands, you’ll find him playing golf twice a week down at the local golf club.
Anne is an avid tramper and still out there as much as possible. She managed to finish the Milford track last February, despite contracting Covid on the 3rd day. Travel is still in her blood and being the social butterfly she is, she intends to keep on travelling the world and visiting friend & relatives. She says “Life changes all the time and it’s important to keep planning more adventures.”
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