Taylah Eastwell
For 80 years, Cherry Hill Orchard has grown to become one of Australia’s leading cherry suppliers.
From humble beginnings as a parcel of dirt in Wandin East, purchased in 1940 by George Riseborough, Cherry Hill has transformed into a cherished Australian-owned orchard with a name for itself on supermarket shelves and internationally.
Regardless of the huge business growth over the years, one thing persists – Cherry Hill Orchard remains 100% family owned.
George Riseborough’s son, Cliff Riseborough, is celebrating his 80 th birthday this year alongside the company’s 80 th anniversary.
He was born the same year that his parents purchased the Wandin property, and has seen firsthand how much the company has progressed throughout the years.
“The land was mostly cleared by hand over successive years with my father and his father before him. We carted hundreds and hundreds of (logs of) wood off that land where the orchard stands now,” Mr Riseborough said.
“I grew up there and worked with Dad when I left school in 1957. My wife Sylvia did the bookwork, Dad was quite happy to do the work, and between the three of us we ran the business.
One particular moment in time that sticks in Cliff’s mind is when the family got their first Ferguson tractor in 1949 and the labour eased.
“It was the third tractor in the district. I learnt to drive a tractor when I was young, it was just part of life in a rural community,” Mr Riseborough said.
As the years went on, newer machinery was introduced, making fruit growing, production and sorting a lot easier.
“It’s only because of all the different developments that have happened through the eras that have enabled us to expand,” Mr Riseborough explained.
Now with numerous orchards in different locations, including Wandin, Coldstream, Cobram, the Goulburn Valley and the Victorian High Country, Cherry Hill use state of the art grading and packing systems to sort cherries but they are all still centrally packed here in the Yarra Valley.
The Riseborough family’s cherries are sold in major supermarkets in various states, Costco, markets and greengrocers and are also exported to some countries in Asia – but only when the family is content with the quality.
The Wandin orchard is a hit every summer, when thousands of tourists flock to the orchard to pick their own cherries straight from the tree.
Cliff Riseborough is now retired, with the Cherry Hill company in the safe hands of his two sons, Stephen and Glenn.
If one thing stands out from conversations with both Cliff and his son Stephen, it’s the absolute passion for growing quality cherries.
“I remember when I was a kid, mum and dad sat us all down and independently asked what we want to do. I was about 10, and I said ‘well I only want to grow cherries’, and it’s been the same all along,” Stephen said.
The family are celebrating 80 years of Cherry Hill with a limited edition 80 th anniversary box of cherries.
