Kiwifruit post-harvest supplier EastPack delivered a $17.7 million profit for the year ending December 31–up 44 per cent on the previous year.

The financial result sees the grower owned company pay a 30c per tray rebate, maintain investor share dividends at 15c per share, and reduce overall company debt.

EastPack Te Puke pack house manager Alan Davidson.

The financial results follow EastPack's February announcement of its increased 2011 returns to Green growers by a further 10 cents per tray, taking the average 2011 Orchard Gate Return (OGR) per tray for EastPack Green growers to $4.24 – amongst the highest OGR in the industry and above Zespri's average of $3.72 per tray.

EastPack chairman Ray Sharp attributes their strong financial performance to the company's focus on quality to minimise waste and maximise payment to Growers.

He says EastPack continues to achieve excellent productivity gains through its ‘Growing Excellence' Lean manufacturing programme.

'EastPack is focused on helping our Growers to achieve improved economic results for their business."

Ray says they do this by "supporting them to grow a high yield of high value fruit, very careful picking and low packing prices by delivering a low reject rate, and carefully handled product to our packhouses that can be efficiently packed and achieve good coolstore outcomes".

He says EastPack's $11m debt, which equates to 52c per tray, is low by industry standards.

'It puts EastPack, with its modern facilities, in a good position to ‘weather' the downturn expected in industry volumes for 2013.”

Chief executive Tony Hawken says an excellent storage season and low fruit loss for the EastPack Green pool had enabled them to further increase the 2011 OGR per tray for its Green growers.

'As a 100 per cent grower owned company, we are passing these financial gains directly to our growers.”