Ardgour Valley Fruit is in liquidation and a second orchard company run by the same managers is under review.

Sources have told The Central App that Hortinvest owners Sharon and Ross Kirk, of Wānaka, will no longer be managing the Deep Creek Fruit company from the end of August.

Deep Creek Fruit operates two of the biggest cherry orchards in Central Otago, with 51,150 trees in production at Mt Pisa across eight varieties, and a further 49,589 at Lindis Peaks.

Both were started by Hortinvest in 2019, then the Kirks collaborated with Bruce and Linda Jolly to venture into apricots in the Ardgour Valley orchard, planting 50ha in the new NZ Summer varieties.

Liquidators were appointed for Ardgour Valley Orchards on August 10. 

Deep Creek Fruit has a separate group of shareholders, and chief executive Jo Pearson declined to comment.

Ross Kirk is currently the development and operations manager of Deep Creek Fruit and Sharon a director and international sales and marketing manager.

The Deep Creek Fruit website lists Maurice Noone as the chairman of the board and director, along with both Richard Perry and Sharon as directors and Debbie Oakley as an independent director.

In 2022 Ardgour Valley Fruit built a new packhouse at Tarras and in summer 2025 about 150 tonnes of the new apricot varieties were exported under their Temptation Valley brand.

The trees, coming into their fourth season, were expected to reach full production in 2026-2027 when they planned to export 500 tonnes.

Ardgour Valley Orchards also produced several cherry varieties including a distinctive, white-fleshed variety (Stardust).

The Kirks didn’t respond to an email about their management contract by the time the story was published.

PHOTO: Supplied