Biodynamics: The best of nature for the best apple cider vinegar

We are on a bit of a mission at CoralTree. We are driven to help humanity tune into nature. We produce the very best organic apple cider vinegar and organic fruit juices by essentially bottling sunshine. That is capturing the very best of natural processes and making sure they get to you in the most natural state possible.

Everything we do is driven by this mission. And so we want to give you a bit of a glimpse at how we run the organic, biodynamic orchard, that supplies the fruit, that produces the very fine CoralTree Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

Biodynamics: Going beyond organic at CoralTree

Organics growing is great. We want to limit the amount of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides used in the production of our food. But here at CoralTree we are striving to capture the very best of nature, so we go further.

Biodynamics is a step further on from Organics. It is a way of concentrating on the life-force that produces all living things and ensuring we are doing everything to enhance the life-giving properties. We ensure our management techniques support these processes. This philosophy fits in well with the fermentation process used in creating vinegar.

That also means that our growing techniques must compliment the environment. While it is organically acceptable to mow the orchards, we choose the biodynamic approach. To add another layer of life forces into the chain, we use stock to control the grass. This both shortens the grass, manures the trees and keeps the black spot and codlin moth to a minimum, all without the use of chemicals.

Permaculture: Natural whole-systems thinking

I am also committed to the principles of Permaculture. When you do something, make sure it achieves a number of benefits (not just one). So using the example of stock to control the grass, we achieve a number of advantages in our overall management of the orchard, which are all adding to the overall life force.

To help reduce my carbon footprint, I run all of my vehicles on bio-fuel, produced from recycled cooking oils. And sometimes, I smell a bit like a pickle in a fish and chip shop.

Want to know more?

Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association NZ

The NZ Biodynamic Calendar