Eastpack
EastPack is New Zealand's largest kiwifruit post-harvest cooperative, providing grading, packing, and cool storage services to its grower-members across six Bay of Plenty sites with 58 million tray capacity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersRotorua, New Zealand
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Eastpack does
EastPack is New Zealand's largest kiwifruit post-harvest operator, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Te Puke (originally established in Edgecumbe). It runs six packing sites across the Bay of Plenty with a combined capacity of 58 million trays, and serves a member base of kiwifruit growers that collectively own the business as a 100% grower-owned cooperative. The company employs 251-500 permanent staff supplemented by 3,000+ seasonal workers during harvest, and represents grower interests externally through the EastPack Entity Trust.
The core service is post-harvest handling of kiwifruit: receiving fruit from orchards, grading it via automated computer-vision and NIR-enabled sorting lines (Spectrim on Compac hardware, including a 14-lane sorter installed in 2017 and the newer Grader 3 commissioned in 2023), packing it into trays, and managing cool storage prior to dispatch to market. The 2014 recommissioning of the Washer Road site, the 2013 Satara merger, and the 1996 Opotiki Co-op acquisition have progressively extended its site footprint, while the Prospa subsidiary extends the offering upstream into orchard management services.
EastPack generates revenue primarily through per-tray packhouse fees charged to grower-members for grading, packing, and storage services, supplemented by cool storage charges, Prospa orchard management fees, and related ancillary services. It funds its capital program through cooperative equity, retained earnings, and the EastPack Notes debt security issued in December 2022 at 8.9% per annum. The business is structurally dependent on the Zespri single-desk export channel downstream, but customer concentration at the grower level is highly distributed across thousands of cooperative members.
Eastpack firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Eastpack
- Legal name
- EastPack Limited
- Website
- https://eastpack.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- EastPack is New Zealand's largest kiwifruit post-harvest cooperative, providing grading, packing, and cool storage services to its grower-members across six Bay of Plenty sites with 58 million tray capacity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Eastpack industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Kiwifruit Post-Harvest Services
- NAICS
- Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113)
- SIC
- Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fresh Produce Packhouses (Fruits & Vegetables) (AFAOAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Apple/Pear Packing & Controlled-Atmosphere Prep (AFAOAGAC)
Keywords
Where Eastpack is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rotorua
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices7 records
Markets served
Eastpack business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Packing Services: Time service and base charges for packing trays that are shipped; charges for coolstorage and condition checking services
- Orchard Management (Prospa): Full range of orchard management services offered to suit all orchard business structures
- EastPack Notes: Fixed rate debt securities issued to investors; 8.9% p.a. interest rate, paid quarterly; 5 year investment term with option to redeem after 3 years
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | EastPack Notes - Fixed Rate Debt Securities |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Eastpack product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EastPack provides post-harvest kiwifruit packing, coolstorage and orchard management services to New Zealand growers. The company operates nine graders across six Bay of Plenty sites with capacity to pack 58 million trays per season, using Spectrim vision grading with NIR technology, automated tray/box fillers, robotic palletisers, and automated coolstores. Through its Prospa division it offers full orchard management services, while the EastPack Entity Trust administers grower fund distribution and advocacy.
Product overview
EastPack is New Zealand's largest kiwifruit post-harvest operation structured as a grower-owned cooperative. The company offers a unified portfolio of services centered on three pillars: Packing Services (core product with 58 million tray capacity across six sites using Spectrim grading and automation), Prospa orchard management division (full-service orchard management), and EastPack Entity Trust (grower advocacy and fund distribution). Additional offerings include EastPack Notes (fixed-rate debt securities for investor financing), a digital Grower Portal for orchard management access, and technical support services. The company operates state-of-the-art facilities with advanced automation including Compac fruit sorters with NIR and Spectrim vision grading technology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Prospa: EastPack's Orchard Management division offering full range of services for orchard business structures with local knowledge across growing regions.
Products and services
- Packing Services Core kiwifruit packing operations delivered across six sites in the Bay of Plenty region with capacity to pack 58 million trays, featuring Spectrim vision grading, automated tray and box fillers, stacking palletisers, automated coolstores, harvest decision support tools, and technical assistance. Services are provided to EastPack's grower-shareholders across New Zealand.
- Prospa Orchard Management EastPack's orchard management division offering comprehensive services including total orchard management, local orchard managers for each growing region, production progress reports throughout the growing season, and optimisation of orchard performance for investor and experienced grower clients.
- EastPack Entity Trust (EET) Independent Trust administering the distribution of grower funds, handling Zespri fruit and incentive payments to growers. The EET Forum comprises eighteen elected or appointed grower advisors representing major growing regions.
- EastPack Notes Fixed-rate debt securities issued to investors to fund EastPack's continued growth. 8.9% p.a. first year interest rate with minimum 8.5% p.a., interest paid quarterly on 16 Feb/May/Aug/Nov. 5-year investment term with option for EastPack to redeem after 3 years. Unsecured and subordinated. Listed on the Syndex trading platform for secondary market trading.
- Grower Portal Online grower portal providing login access to orchard management tools, OGR (Orchard Gate Return) comparisons, production reports, and the EastPack Growers app for technical resources. Enables growers to monitor and benchmark orchard performance.
Quantifiable outcome
- 58 million tray packing capacity
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Eastpack
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Eastpack technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
Eastpack partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SyndexcoreTrading platform for EastPack Notes; allows investors to trade notes and acts as intermediary exchange for investors wishing to buy or sell
- ZespricoreZespri is the kiwifruit marketing company that EastPack distributes fruit through. EastPack Entity Trust receives Zespri fruit and incentive payments and distributes to growers.
- Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH)minorIndustry health organization providing biosecurity and vine health news; EastPack provides news links to KVH updates for grower community
- New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers (NZKGI)minorIndustry representative body for kiwifruit growers; EastPack provides news links to NZKGI updates for grower community
- Kiwifruit New Zealand (KNZ)minorIndustry governance body; EastPack provides news links to KNZ updates for grower community
- ShareMartcoreSecondary market trading platform for unlisted securities; enables EastPack shareholders to buy and sell shares
- ComputersharecoreShare registrar for EastPack shares; handles share registration and administrative functions
- Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL)minorExternal dispute resolution scheme approved by Ministry of Consumer Affairs; available for growers to resolve complaints
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Eastpack competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Trevelyan's Pack and Cool: Bay of Plenty-based kiwifruit packhouse offering packing, coolstorage, and grower services. Directly competes with EastPack for grower supply in the same geographic catchment.
- Seeka Limited: NZX-listed New Zealand kiwifruit post-harvest operator and the largest direct competitor to EastPack. Operates packing, coolstorage, and orchard management services across the Bay of Plenty and other NZ regions, with overlapping grower-shareholder model and similar grading automation.
- Apata Group: New Zealand kiwifruit and avocado post-harvest cooperative providing packing, coolstorage, and orchard management services. Closely comparable cooperative structure and Bay of Plenty footprint make it a near-direct EastPack peer.
- DMS Progrowers: New Zealand kiwifruit packhouse and grower services cooperative operating in the Bay of Plenty / Te Puke region. Overlaps with EastPack on packing capacity, grower services, and cooperative governance.
- Punchbowl PackCo: Kiwifruit packhouse operator in New Zealand providing post-harvest services to growers. Comparable packing, coolstorage, and grading offering to EastPack on a smaller scale.
- Satara: Former direct competitor kiwifruit packhouse that merged with EastPack in 2013 to form the largest post-harvest operator. Pre-merger Satara offers a useful historical benchmark for the consolidated EastPack footprint.
Others
- Zespri Group: Sole offshore marketer of New Zealand-grown kiwifruit and EastPack's most critical ecosystem partner. Not a direct competitor but the channel through which all of EastPack's packed fruit reaches global markets; EastPack Entity Trust distributes Zespri payments to growers.
- TOMRA (Compac): Supplier of EastPack's Spectrim grading and 14-lane Compac fruit sorting technology. Technology ecosystem participant rather than competitor, but a critical enabler of EastPack's automation moat.
- Capespan: Global fresh fruit marketer and distributor with kiwi handling capabilities. Adjacent industry participant rather than direct competitor, but interacts with EastPack's downstream supply chain through Zespri-aligned channels.
Regional players
- Jingold: Italian-based international kiwifruit breeder, grower, and marketer. Operates in a different geography (Southern Hemisphere vs Northern Hemisphere harvest) but serves the same end-product category with similar post-harvest handling requirements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Eastpack social profiles
Digital presenceEastpack financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Eastpack leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Eastpack subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Eastpack funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Eastpack M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Eastpack
What does Eastpack do?
EastPack provides post-harvest kiwifruit packing, coolstorage and orchard management services to New Zealand growers. The company operates nine graders across six Bay of Plenty sites with capacity to pack 58 million trays per season, using Spectrim vision grading with NIR technology, automated tray/box fillers, robotic palletisers, and automated coolstores. Through its Prospa division it offers full orchard management services, while the EastPack Entity Trust administers grower fund distribution and advocacy.
Is Eastpack a public or private company?
Eastpack is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Eastpack founded?
Eastpack was founded in 1983. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Eastpack based?
Eastpack is headquartered in Rotorua, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Eastpack make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Packing Services are the primary driver. The others are orchard Management (Prospa) and eastPack Notes.
Who are Eastpack's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Trevelyan's Pack and Cool, Seeka Limited, Apata Group, DMS Progrowers, Punchbowl PackCo and Satara. Others are Zespri Group, TOMRA (Compac) and Capespan. Jingold is listed as a regional player.
Does Eastpack have an API?
No public API is recorded for Eastpack.
What industry is Eastpack in?
Eastpack's product category is Kiwifruit Post-Harvest Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAOAGAA, Fresh Produce Packhouses (Fruits & Vegetables), with a secondary code of AFAOAGAC, Apple/Pear Packing & Controlled-Atmosphere Prep. Its NAICS code is 1113 and its SIC code is 2030.