Barker's of Geraldine

This article is about the food brand. For other uses, see Barker (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with the New Zealand clothing brand Barkers.

Barker's of Geraldine

Industry	Food processing
Founded	1969 (1969)
Founder	Anthony and Gillian Barker
Headquarters	Geraldine , New Zealand
Products	preserved foods
Number of employees	300 (2024)
Parent	Andros
Website	https://barkers.co.nz

Barker's of Geraldine is a food preservation business based in Geraldine, New Zealand. The business primarily produces fruit preserves, fruit syrups and relishes.

History

The company was founded in 1969 by Anthony Barker and his wife Gillian. The business started making elderflower wine in a converted shed on their farm in Pleasant Valley, but soon changed to creating fruit preserves. By 2009 the business had grown to be purchasing around 1,000 tonnes (980 long tons; 1,100 short tons) of New Zealand fruit annually. In 2007 they acquired rival relish manufacturer Anathoth Farm. The business remained family owned until 2016, when a majority stake was sold to French food company Andros.

Barker's has won several industry awards. In 2009 the company was named the "supreme business" by the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce in their Business Excellence Awards. In 2015, Barker's was named "South Canterbury's best business". In August 2024 they were again named supreme winner by the Chamber of Commerce.

In 2019 Barker's opened a store and café complex in Geraldine. As of 2024 Barker's employs 300 people, making it the largest employer in Geraldine, a small town with a population of around 3000 people. In April 2024 the company announced a major expansion of their factory facility in the town, that will increase the floorspace from 3,300 m² (36,000 sq ft) to 9,200 m² (99,000 sq ft).