Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that doesn't appear in the list below, you can ask us directly by clicking here....

"Who founded Barker’s of Geraldine?"
"Who owns Barker’s of Geraldine?"
"Does Barker's own any other food brands?
"Where is Barker’s situated?"
"How many people does Barker’s employ?"
"How many products does Barker’s make?"
"Where does Barker’s buy its fruit?"
"Does Barker’s use artificial colouring?"
"Are any of Barker’s products gluten-free?"
"Where can I buy Barker’s products?"
"Is the Barker's shop in Geraldine really world famous?"
"Why is the latest jar of Barker's jam I purchased runnier than usual?"
"Why has my jam got mould on top?"
How do Barker's Syrups compare?

"Who founded Barker’s of Geraldine?"

My Father, Anthony Barker, started making elderberry wine in a converted cowshed on his Geraldine farm. Neither the elderberry wine nor the strawberry and gooseberry wine that he made survived the test of time, but they were pioneering fruit products in every respect.

"Who owns Barker’s of Geraldine?"

We are still a family owned and managed business. As the Managing Director of Barker's I'm proud to continue the traditions started by my father over 40 years ago. He invited an independent board of Directors to advise him and to help channel his innnovative energy, a tradition I have maintained, but Dad's role as chair has been replaced with an independent chairperson. While we have grown significantly, we have held true to the same values my father held dear - integrity, quality and innovation. Our new labels reflect those values and our pride in remaining a New Zealand family business.

"Does Barker's own any other food brands?"

Yes, we are the owner and producer of the popular Anathoth brand of jams and pickles sold in supermarkets throughout New Zealand. Anathoth’s success has been based on traditional recipes using small-batch production and a strong focus on "New Zealand fruit first". We still make Anathoth jams and pickles in this traditional way using New Zealand grown produce wherever possible. In fact, we have recently built an extension to the Barker's factory dedicated solely to Anathoth products, right here in Geraldine on the old Barker family farm.

Barker's also produces the authentic, healthy range of Tandoori Palace Indian simmer sauces - 96% fat free, gluten-free and preservative free. These traditional recipes were all created by the Tandoori Palace restaurant chefs and you can see the full range, together with great usage ideas on their website www.tandooripalace.co.nz.

"Where is Barker’s situated?"

We are still on a corner of the Barker family farm, 8km from the picturesque town of Geraldine in South Canterbury. The Four Peaks mountain range looks down on us. Barker's has always been about Geraldine and the surrounding area. The Geraldine district is where my family has now lived for 6 generations; our staff come from the district all around us, this is where we source our blackcurrants and where our factory and offices are located.

"How many people does Barker’s employ?"

We are the largest employer in Geraldine, with around 120 full-time equivalent employees.

"How many products does Barker’s make?"

Our selection of 52 products includes Kiwi favourites Raspberry and New Zealand Strawberry jam; Lemon Curd; New Zealand Tamarillo & Plum Chutney; and our original New Zealand Blackcurrant Syrup, with over 700 squeezed South Canterbury berries in every bottle. We have recently added to our range of savoury sauces, which now includes Tomato & Roasted Garlic and Barbecue. Our Marmalade range has also been enhanced and now contains only New Zealand citrus fruits - grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges and mandarins. Also, in time for Christmas 2011 we have just released an exciting range of patisserie fillings, designed to make entertaining easy....with a ready-to-use piping bag so that you can create your own cakes, desserts and tartlets quickly and simply.

We are also the leading supplier of bakery fillings and toppings in Australasia and a leading supplier of fruit preparations to yoghurt and ice-cream manufacturers. We supply other manufacturers with fruit fillings, fruit spreads and cremes for pastries, cakes and artisan bakery;. We also make catering sizes of all our best-loved products - chutneys, curds, patisserie fillings and savoury sauces for the food service industry for use by caterers and chefs. These products for industry are all featured on Barker's Trade website www.barkersfruit.biz.

"Where does Barker’s buy its fruit?"

We place great importance on ensuring that you get the best possible product when you buy Barker's from your supermarket. To make sure that happens, we select only the best fruit available and to do this we must often pay a premium. We are strong supporters of New Zealand growers and New Zealand fruit is our first choice always. Our jam range uses apricots and plums from Central Otago; raspberries and boysenberries from Nelson; blackcurrants from Canterbury; blackberries from Levin; citrus fruits from Poverty Bay and strawberries from even further North. Our new jam and fruit syrup labels state exactly where our fruit comes from.

We can’t always get all the fruit we need here in New Zealand. No-one is growing Morello cherries here, so we source them from Europe. Likewise, the cranberries we use are grown in North America and the passionfruit from Ecuador or Thailand. You can rest assured that all our international fruit is purchased in a global marketplace under strict quality assurance criteria, and only through approved, reputable trading houses.

If a local crop has a poor season, or consumer demand is extraordinarily high, we have to look overseas at these times. Because the New Zealand raspberry industry has been in decline for over a decade, we buy all the raspberries we can locally and source the balance from Chile and Canada. We always make every effort to put only New Zealand fruit in our products. We don't just choose New Zealand fruit simply because we are a proud Kiwi company, we choose locally grown fruit because it delivers great flavour and that's what you would expect.

"Does Barker’s use artificial colouring and sweeteners?"

No. We do sweeten some products naturally with pear juice concentrate instead of cane sugar - but we don't use artificial sweeteners. For example, Berrylife contains over 420 New Zealand squeezed blackcurrants and boysenberries, no added sugar (sweetened only with concentrated pear juice), no added colours or flavours, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Barker’s Apricot Spread contains plump Central Otago apricots, sweetened only with pear juice concentrate, as are our Blackcurrant and Wildberry spreads.

"Are any of Barker’s products gluten-free?"

Yes, almost all of Barker’s retail products are gluten-free. There are only 4 exceptions: Lemon & Barley Fruit Syrup, Orange & Barley with Passionfruit Fruit Syrup, Chocolate Creme Patisserie Filling and Barbecue Sauce. However, if you have an allergy or intolerance to gluten it's always a good idea to check the label before you buy any product, just to make sure.

"Where can I buy Barker’s products?"

You'll find Barker’s products at your local supermarket. If there's something you can't find locally, you can buy from our entire range directly from Barker's online at www.barkers.co.nz, where you can shop from anywhere in the world.

"Is the Barker's shop in Geraldine really world famous?"

We like to think so! Geraldine is located 2 hours south of Christchurch on the New Zealand tourist highway (79) and Barker's shop has been a major stopping point for 40 years. Many hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world have visited us to sample our delicious and innovative range of regional preserves, including ujams, chutneys, sauces, condiments and fruit juice syrups.

The shop attracts an incredible 70,000 visitors every year and has specials direct from the Barker's factory a few miles away. The Barker's shop also features wonderful gift baskets and boxes and a team of cheerful Geraldine people to make you feel welcome.

"Why is the latest jar of Barker's jam I purchased runnier than usual?"

Some fruits (apricots, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries, for example) are particularly low in natural pectin and this can affect the consistency of any jam. We also experience seasonal fluctuations and achieving an even consistency can sometimes be challenging. Please rest assured that we always strive for improvement and all our jams are quality tested before they are released to the market.

"Why has my jam got mould on top?"

We recommend that you always store jams in your fridge and always use a clean spoon or knife when serving. Because we don't add preservative to our jams, it is possible for mould to grow after opening, under some conditions. Our products are heated to over 90 degrees C during processing and packed above 80 degrees C. After packing, each jar is partially inverted to "sterilise" the lid and any air space at the top of the jar. As a result, mould contamination during processing is very rare.   

"How do Barker's Syrups compare with other Syrups?"

Unlike most other brands, our syrups are not made from reconstituted blackcurrant concentrate. We squeeze and bottle the juice from local blackcurrants, here in Geraldine. We don't add colour, flavour or preservatives and we squeeze more berries into every bottle than anyone else. We decided to put together a comparison of Barker's and other fruit juice syrups so that you can see for yourself. Click here

Back to Recipes

Print page