The APAL Board of Directors welcome Jake Norris
Board informationJake Norris has been CEO of Hansen Orchards since 2016, leading a fourth-generation, vertically integrated family business of growers, packers and marketers.
Prior to his role at Hansen Orchards, Jake worked with professional services firm KPMG where he advised small to large businesses from multiple sectors, and he brings strong financial experience to his work as CEO of Tasmania’s largest apple and cherry producer.
Jake understands all levels of the supply chain across multiple produce categories. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Tasmania) and Graduate Diploma of Accounting (Deakin University).
Jake Norris
Jake also sits on the Tasmanian Regional Council of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Quick 3 questions with Jake:
1. How long have you been in the apple and pear industry?
Approximately 6.5 years, but that time has gone by very quickly. It’s a long story but, in many ways, I ended up in this industry by accident. With that said, I’m very glad I am here, as the fundamental core of any horticulture business (i.e. using a patch of dirt, adding sunlight and water, then deploying a mix of other resources to turn those base elements into something you can sell for a profit) is a concept I find very simple to follow and rewarding to be a part of.
2. What are the biggest challenges you see in the industry?
The overarching challenge for apple and pear growers is simply to work out the best way(s) to capture more of the value in the supply chain as, ultimately, whoever is capturing the most (from the farmer all the way to the end consumer) is winning the game, and at the moment this is certainly not the growers. I concede this is a broad-brush statement, but the retail statistics show the category is actually experiencing material growth in both volume and value, while our returns continue to decline. Therefore, others in the supply chain are clearly playing the game better than us right now, and we are leaving dollars on the table for them to keep.
3. What are the biggest opportunities you see in the future of the industry?
The opportunity is not really any different to the challenge, in my view – the opportunity is simply to overcome the challenge. How do we give ourselves the best opportunity to do that? Simple, by working together as an industry!
This article was first published in the Summer 2022 edition of AFG.
