April 22, 2026 • 7 mins
We track down the MD of Origin Capital Partners in Shanghai to discuss a massive kiwifruit crop, great returns for the industry, and how to invest in it.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dominic Jones is the managing director of Origin Capital Partners,
a Kiwi fruit growing syndicates. The industry's going great guns
at the moment. We're going to tell you how you
can invest in it a week bit later. But dom
you're in Shanghai at the moment. A big night drinking
with the Chinese. That's the way they do business. Last night,
(00:20):
how's the head early on a Thursday morning, Shanghai time?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hi Jamie, thanks for having me on. Yes, I'm in Shanghai.
Just pretty short and sharp, but got well introduced to
the Chinese hospitality last night. So yeah, it was. When
I got home, I was very much looking forward to
setting the alarm to have a call with you at
seven am.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Here talk to me about what you're doing over there.
Are you wearing your Origin Capital Partner's hat? Are you
looking for investment from Chinese investors into New Zealand Kiwi
fruit orchards.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Look, I'm wearing a couple of different hats. We have
a we have an offering for foreign investors whereby if
you invest, we have funds that are eligible for the
ap visa, which is New Zealand's visa that allows residency.
If a certain amount is invested in the New Zealand economy.
So I'm over here meeting folks on that. A lot
(01:18):
of our businesses is Asia and the US. But I'm
also over the industries more than halfway through its gold
harvest and so the fruit is arriving in market. So
I'm meeting a couple of vestry customers and seeing how
it's all going. So yeah, pretty short and sharp trip.
I'm here for four days, but you're having a great time.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, I hope you like Jason to break the chief
executive of ZESPR, and you're not up the front of
the plane dome.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yes, that's correct. I'm about I'm a foot shorter, so
it's not as hard for me.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Hey, massive crop this year. The indications are of a
massive crop. Can you the industry find a home for
all the Kiwi fruit this year?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Really big prop crop. Prior to harvest, the predictions for
about one hundred and forty two one hundred and forty
three million trays. Zestres revised that to about one hundred
and fifty five million, so that's quite that's quite a
big difference. At the end of the day, more fruit
to sell, it will be harder despre they need to
(02:21):
sell more fruit each week, or they need to sell
for more weeks of the year. But look, growers in
the business of growing fruit, packhouses in the business of
packing fruit, in jestries in the business of selling fruits,
So a big crop has to be a good thing.
And look, it's it's yet been a royaler of a
season so far. Not long that continued.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
And you dodged a bullet worth cyclone.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Vaiano seem to have seem to have that look with
any weather event, even if on average people have done well,
will be there will be some growers that have that
have really taken hits, but for the most part that
the damage here to have been pretty light. Yeah, it
(03:04):
wasn't a huge deal for the industry. In total, it's
been a really it's been a really good season. And
from a harvest perspective, the industry, we'll be going about
full noise on the gold for another three weeks and
then it should be about ninety percent through and green
will be green will be starting to flow.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
As I said when introducing you, you're the managing director
of Origin Capital Partners KIW Fruit Growing sending it You've
got two funds already in operation. You've launched a third
capital fund, and the returns on those funds Funds one
and two this year are I watering twenty nine percent
for Capital fund one thirty four percent. This is perannum
(03:45):
for Capital Funds two. As I said, I watering numbers.
Are you fudging the books?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
There dom no the er, The numbers are real. What
I would say is Kiwi fruit has good years and
bad years. Last year was a very good year. So
that means that the that the cash flows generated were
very good. But it also means that asset prices come up.
And so a big part of those returns last year
(04:12):
was orchards increasing in value, in Zestre shares increasing in value.
And if you go back a couple of years, orchards
decreased in value and vespri shares decreased in value. So
you get these year to year fluctuations and and what
I would say as well, if that's a very strong sector,
those returns are out of the ordinary. But anyway, you
(04:37):
enjoy the good years because you need to because there's
always going to be difficult years as well. But the
industry is in a real purple patch at the moment.
The twenty twenty five twenty twenty six crops very very good.
And so yeah, there's a lot of confidence around the place.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I'm pleased to hear that. Now I understand quite a
few of the Fonterra farmers what's the word, diversifying their
portfolios are using their capital repayment to invest in the
key we for its sector. Not a foolish move.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Yeah. Look, a lot of our existing investors in the
funds we raised a few years ago are dairy farmers
or people that have an agricultural background, and so our
standard investor looks like probably age fifty to seventy, and
so they're often looking to diversify a little bit and
(05:31):
put in two or three or four hundred grand with us.
And so we've just kicked off the race of fun
three And yeah, a lot of the early interests is
from people that have received a check from Terra and
so looks it's great for us, and it makes sense
for a lot of those folks as well. We really
like having agricultural people with agricultural background on our books because,
(05:56):
like I said, agriculture it's not it's not a straight line.
It's not a smooth journey. You need to be investing
for the long term, and dairy cockies and red meat
farmers in particular understand that, so it's a natural fit
with us well.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Origin Capital Partners is the name of the fund, the
Capital Fund three. It's open now. If you want to
find out more about it, Dom, where do you go?
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Please go to our website, Origincapitalpartners dot co dot MZ,
leave a message on there and I'll personally get in
touch with you. We have a whole bunch of materials
that you're welcome to see, and even better if you
want to come and view some orchards and have a
look at the fruit going through the pack hours. We're
regularly taking tours over the next month or so, and
(06:43):
so we'd encourage anyone that's thinking about and testing to
actually come up and see what the assets are like
and you'll learn a lot pretty quickly.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
There you go. Dom Jones, Managing Director of Origin Capital
Partners in Shanghai, Safe Travels, Home and Cattle Class.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Thank you appreciate it.
Dominic Jones is the managing director of Origin Capital Partners,
a Kiwi fruit growing syndicates. The industry's going great guns
at the moment. We're going to tell you how you
can invest in it a week bit later. But dom
you're in Shanghai at the moment. A big night drinking
with the Chinese. That's the way they do business. Last night,
(00:20):
how's the head early on a Thursday morning, Shanghai time?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hi Jamie, thanks for having me on. Yes, I'm in Shanghai.
Just pretty short and sharp, but got well introduced to
the Chinese hospitality last night. So yeah, it was. When
I got home, I was very much looking forward to
setting the alarm to have a call with you at
seven am.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Here talk to me about what you're doing over there.
Are you wearing your Origin Capital Partner's hat? Are you
looking for investment from Chinese investors into New Zealand Kiwi
fruit orchards.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Look, I'm wearing a couple of different hats. We have
a we have an offering for foreign investors whereby if
you invest, we have funds that are eligible for the
ap visa, which is New Zealand's visa that allows residency.
If a certain amount is invested in the New Zealand economy.
So I'm over here meeting folks on that. A lot
(01:18):
of our businesses is Asia and the US. But I'm
also over the industries more than halfway through its gold
harvest and so the fruit is arriving in market. So
I'm meeting a couple of vestry customers and seeing how
it's all going. So yeah, pretty short and sharp trip.
I'm here for four days, but you're having a great time.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, I hope you like Jason to break the chief
executive of ZESPR, and you're not up the front of
the plane dome.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yes, that's correct. I'm about I'm a foot shorter, so
it's not as hard for me.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Hey, massive crop this year. The indications are of a
massive crop. Can you the industry find a home for
all the Kiwi fruit this year?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Really big prop crop. Prior to harvest, the predictions for
about one hundred and forty two one hundred and forty
three million trays. Zestres revised that to about one hundred
and fifty five million, so that's quite that's quite a
big difference. At the end of the day, more fruit
to sell, it will be harder despre they need to
(02:21):
sell more fruit each week, or they need to sell
for more weeks of the year. But look, growers in
the business of growing fruit, packhouses in the business of
packing fruit, in jestries in the business of selling fruits,
So a big crop has to be a good thing.
And look, it's it's yet been a royaler of a
season so far. Not long that continued.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
And you dodged a bullet worth cyclone.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Vaiano seem to have seem to have that look with
any weather event, even if on average people have done well,
will be there will be some growers that have that
have really taken hits, but for the most part that
the damage here to have been pretty light. Yeah, it
(03:04):
wasn't a huge deal for the industry. In total, it's
been a really it's been a really good season. And
from a harvest perspective, the industry, we'll be going about
full noise on the gold for another three weeks and
then it should be about ninety percent through and green
will be green will be starting to flow.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
As I said when introducing you, you're the managing director
of Origin Capital Partners KIW Fruit Growing sending it You've
got two funds already in operation. You've launched a third
capital fund, and the returns on those funds Funds one
and two this year are I watering twenty nine percent
for Capital fund one thirty four percent. This is perannum
(03:45):
for Capital Funds two. As I said, I watering numbers.
Are you fudging the books?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
There dom no the er, The numbers are real. What
I would say is Kiwi fruit has good years and
bad years. Last year was a very good year. So
that means that the that the cash flows generated were
very good. But it also means that asset prices come up.
And so a big part of those returns last year
(04:12):
was orchards increasing in value, in Zestre shares increasing in value.
And if you go back a couple of years, orchards
decreased in value and vespri shares decreased in value. So
you get these year to year fluctuations and and what
I would say as well, if that's a very strong sector,
those returns are out of the ordinary. But anyway, you
(04:37):
enjoy the good years because you need to because there's
always going to be difficult years as well. But the
industry is in a real purple patch at the moment.
The twenty twenty five twenty twenty six crops very very good.
And so yeah, there's a lot of confidence around the place.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I'm pleased to hear that. Now I understand quite a
few of the Fonterra farmers what's the word, diversifying their
portfolios are using their capital repayment to invest in the
key we for its sector. Not a foolish move.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Yeah. Look, a lot of our existing investors in the
funds we raised a few years ago are dairy farmers
or people that have an agricultural background, and so our
standard investor looks like probably age fifty to seventy, and
so they're often looking to diversify a little bit and
(05:31):
put in two or three or four hundred grand with us.
And so we've just kicked off the race of fun
three And yeah, a lot of the early interests is
from people that have received a check from Terra and
so looks it's great for us, and it makes sense
for a lot of those folks as well. We really
like having agricultural people with agricultural background on our books because,
(05:56):
like I said, agriculture it's not it's not a straight line.
It's not a smooth journey. You need to be investing
for the long term, and dairy cockies and red meat
farmers in particular understand that, so it's a natural fit
with us well.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Origin Capital Partners is the name of the fund, the
Capital Fund three. It's open now. If you want to
find out more about it, Dom, where do you go?
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Please go to our website, Origincapitalpartners dot co dot MZ,
leave a message on there and I'll personally get in
touch with you. We have a whole bunch of materials
that you're welcome to see, and even better if you
want to come and view some orchards and have a
look at the fruit going through the pack hours. We're
regularly taking tours over the next month or so, and
(06:43):
so we'd encourage anyone that's thinking about and testing to
actually come up and see what the assets are like
and you'll learn a lot pretty quickly.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
There you go. Dom Jones, Managing Director of Origin Capital
Partners in Shanghai, Safe Travels, Home and Cattle Class.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Thank you appreciate it.
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