A big fruit and vegetable processor, Wattie's has planted the first seeds of this season's 20,000-tonne beetroot crop in the Paki Paki area of Hawke's Bay.
Over the next 20 weeks, the company will sow more than 350 hectares of the increasingly-popular baby beets - sales of which Wattie's says grew 14% this year.
Wattie's crop supply agronomist Tim Agnew says it's the third straight season where the company's planted a very large beetroot crop.
Mr Agnew says all the beets grown by Wattie's in Hawke's Bay will be canned - but some will be sliced, others diced, wedged or even canned whole.