Butlers Fruit Farms and Cafe Ltd — known to generations of South Canterbury travellers simply as Butler's — sits on State Highway 1 just south of Makikihi, a short drive south of Timaru. You'll know you've arrived when you spot the wagon load of huge strawberries standing at the entrance, an unmistakable welcome to one of the region's most iconic roadside stops. The story goes back to 1967, when a young Donald Butler built his first small fruit stall on SH1 from timber bought with pounds, shillings and pence — and rang up his first sales in the brand-new dollars and cents. Strawberries were, and remain, his first love, but the farm now grows raspberries, Karaka blackberries, red and blackcurrants and gooseberries alongside them. Today the licensed café serves seasonal berry-inspired food, fresh fruit ice-cream sundaes and smoothies, with everything prepared and baked on the premises daily. The café is open 7 days, and the coffee has a reputation all of its own. In season, families come to pick their own berries straight from the plants, and year round you can smell, taste and buy the jams and chutneys made on site from the farm's own fruit. If you'd like to linger, Jackie and Donald Butler also run backpacker accommodation — two self-contained units with a TV lounge and library, open all year round and handy to the main road and cycleways.
Follow State Highway 1 south out of Timaru and you'll know you've arrived at Butlers Fruit Farm & Café long before you reach the door: a wagon load of huge strawberries stands at the entrance, a pretty clear message that this South Canterbury landmark has been expecting you. The farm sits just south of Makikihi, and for well over fifty years it has been one of the most recognisable stops on this stretch of road.
The story starts with a young man named Donald Butler, who wanted to grow strawberries "because everyone loves them". His first small fruit stall on State Highway 1 was built from timber purchased with pounds, shillings and pence — and its first sales were rung up in the brand-new dollars and cents. That was in 1967, the year New Zealand went decimal, and Butlers has been part of the roadside landscape ever since.
More than half a century on, Donald is not new to growing strawberries, and they remain his first love. But the berry farm has grown into something much bigger, raising strawberries alongside raspberries, Karaka blackberries, red and blackcurrants and gooseberries. Renowned for high quality fruit and produce, awesome coffee, a delectable selection of café food and friendly service, Butlers has become a destination for all rather than a quick roadside stop. Jackie and Donald Butler still personally invite visitors to drop in and stay awhile.
At the heart of the farm is its licensed café, serving seasonal, mouth-watering berry-inspired food, fresh fruit ice-cream sundaes and smoothies the farm itself describes as "to die for". Everything is prepared and baked on the premises daily, so what lands on your plate starts with fruit grown just outside the door. Coffee has a reputation all of its own — the farm counts its awesome coffee among the reasons people make the trip — and the café is open 7 days a week.
Come berry season, the rows open up for pick your own. Families head out to gather strawberries, then move on to raspberries, Karaka blackberries, red and blackcurrants and gooseberries. The farm's own pitch says it best: if the strawberries are divine, just wait until you taste the raspberries. PYO is an in-season tradition, part of the family fun that keeps people coming back to the same patch of SH1.
Not everything needs to be eaten on the day. In the farm's kitchen, those same berries become jams and chutneys made on site, and visitors are encouraged to smell, taste and buy before they take jars home. Because the preserves are made fresh from the farm's own strawberries, raspberries, Karaka blackberries, red and blackcurrants and gooseberries, they're a direct taste of the season — and a favourite way to stretch a summer visit into the months that follow.
Unusually for a fruit stall turned café, Butlers also runs backpacker accommodation that is open all year round. There are two self-contained units open to all, with a TV lounge and library to relax in, and the location is handy — close to the main road and cycleways, so road-trippers and cycle tourers can stop for a night or a few days. Booking is a simple phone call away on 03 689 5849.
You'll find Butlers Fruit Farm & Café on SH1 south of Makikihi in South Canterbury, an easy stop just south of Timaru. Come for a coffee and a sundae, stay to pick a punnet in season, leave with jam under your arm — and if the strawberry wagon at the gate isn't temptation enough, the smell of the preserves being made usually is.