From the start

It started with silk traders of a far-gone millenia pausing their camel trains as they went through the mountains of Ancient Russia, at a place now called Kazakhstan, and plucking the tiny green fruit of giant gnarled trees and taking the fruit to Rome; of Romans cultivating and nurturing the fruit and naming it the ‘apple’ and taking this new wonder food to the whole world; and the first part of our story ends with England’s early history as a Roman orchard and its being named the Isle of Avalon (“apple”).

From the beginning of our story the apple has a special place in people’s hearts and minds. It was arguably one of the great foods of ancient times. But the apple’s very popularity gained it a terrible notoriety in early Christian times as the fruit used by eve®  to seduce Adam. It became the forbidden fruit and people were scared to be seen enjoying it.

But then with the Renaissance in Europe came a seeking for sweeter, fresher food: for food that uplifted the soul and the palate. The apple was rediscovered and England re-emerged as one of the, then, great apple growing regions of the world.

Soon after, the apple began its conquest of both the Old World and the New. First the Americas in the 1600’s and then in the 1800’s it began its longest journey ever: with early English settlers to the other end of the world, to New Zealand. And finally to our destination: to the sun-drenched valleys and plains of the land known as Nelson-Golden Bay.

The apple bloomed in this special place: a veritable Antipodean Garden of Eden. So much so, that the region produced wonderful new varieties. Spontaneous outbursts of the creativity of nature blossomed in the orchards and gave birth to apples such as Braeburn and Royal Gala. And these apples then traveled back from the New World to the Olde and captured the hearts and palates of apple lovers everywhere.

More on eve

The story of eve

In the Nelson-Golden Bay there is a special place: a place where the sun seems brighter and the days hotter and the night’s crisper and the sky bluer: this place is called Mariri.

And it is here, in Mariri, a Garden of Eden of the Antipodes, near the end of last century, that an apple tree produced the most wonderful apple bud.

Click here for the full eve story .
 
Taste of eve

Discover the taste and personality of the world's best eating apple. Learn what to expect when served with an array of your favourite cheeses, there's even a description of what wine eve® would be.

Click here for more on the taste of eve® .

What is Applecraft?
 
The Heartland group has developed their passion into a craft. They call it ‘applecraft’ and its made up of three disciplines: growing, harvesting and cellaring.

And eve® is their apple-pinnacle: one of the finest apples in the world.

For more information on Applecraft click here .
Updated Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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