About Us
Science Meets Time-Honoured Traditions
- World-Class Breeders
- Purpose-Built Facility
- Careful Monitoring
- Impeccable Quality
- Strict Standards
- High Performance
From Tissue Cultures to Your Table
It all begins with plant material sourced from world-class breeders throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. Because no whole potatoes can be imported, varieties arrive as tissue cultures that pass through strict New Zealand biosecurity checks. These are grown in our purpose-built glasshouse in Templeton into tiny plantlets, which produce what we call “Generation Zero” mini tubers — often no bigger than your thumb.
From there, the seed potatoes are multiplied over several years:
- G0–G2: Grown under our direct care and supervision.
- G3 onwards: Passed to our contract growers, who expand the seed stock further.
By the time potatoes reach commercial growers supplying supermarkets, crisping companies, or French fry processors, they’ve gone through several carefully monitored generations. This multi-year process ensures every batch is healthy, uniform, and high performing.
Meeting Industry Needs
With over 50 commercial varieties in production, we work closely with our customers to match the right potatoes to the right markets. Whether it’s the perfect fry colour for McCain and Talleys, disease resistance for smaller growers, or the taste and texture that makes ETA and Proper Crisps stand out, every variety has its place.
Quality You can Trust
From the cool stores in Methven to the fields of our Canterbury growers, every step of the process is managed to strict standards. Our investment in packing, grading, and storage facilities ensures our customers always receive seed potatoes of the highest quality.
At Alex McDonald Ltd, seed potato production isn’t just farming. It’s a science, a craft, and a promise that our potatoes are always of the highest quality.