In 1981, doing their due diligence on the best crop to venture into, the couple bought land in Pearson Rd near Cromwell to use as a testing ground for growing walnuts.
They did not realise the extent they too would be tested.
A study trip to California through Lincoln College confirmed walnuts were worth pursuing and the couple bought about 30 trees from the Ministry of Works at the Lowburn Nursery to gain experience of growing walnuts in Central Otago.
They started grafting the trees to increase their crop and research capacity — not an easy task.
Those trees are still there but a major farm fire in 1993 resulted in the loss of 90% of their research crop.
The trees were about 10 years old at the time.
It was a devastating blow for the Mullers.
"We had to start again and walnuts are notoriously hard to graft — but every tree on the property has been grafted by us.
"So we stuck with it — it’s been an endurance race," she said.
Her Swiss-born husband had came from an engineering background, working all over the world before embarking on walnuts, including developing frost-fighting techniques while working at Webb’s Orchard.
He put his skills to work with the walnuts, inventing machinery to assist with every part of the harvest, including stripping the nuts from the trees.
He retired in 2016 at 93 years of age, after his health declined, and died in 2020.
"It’s not been an easy road."
It was 30 years before they had a good crop, she said.
"It’s not a normal business plan. Most people come of age when they turn 21. We do it at 42."
Son Tim works alongside her on the orchard, having returned to Cromwell, and helps with the harvest and equipment.
"Mum amd I have very much worked together on it the last few years. I grew up on the property and helped out a bit but then I was away for a long time and Mum and Dad were running it on their own.
Mum has progressively been dragging me into more and more jobs," he said.
The orchard is certified organic and the nuts are sold at farmers’ markets. They are also used to make oil, butter, flour and pickled walnuts.
An "extensive mailing list" of customers would take any remaining produce, but a bumper harvest last year led to the opportunity to restore a shed built by her husband so she could finally set up a roadside stall at the orchard. Her son helped with the project, which included telling the history of the unique operation.
The stall opened to the public at the start of December.
"It’s lovely that we’ve been able to use the shed and honour Otto in the same place," she said.
