Melburnians who want a real Christmas tree without wrestling one into the car can now have it delivered. Amazon Australia says it is delivering real, fresh trees to doorsteps in metro Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for the first time this Christmas, with pre-orders open now and deliveries running from 27 November to 13 December.
The six-foot (183cm) trees cost $199 for Prime members and $249 for other customers, both including delivery. Customers see their delivery date at checkout but cannot choose it, and the trees arrive netted. Delivery is limited to eligible postcodes, and Amazon says numbers are limited.
The trees are grown by Yeowarra Tree Farm, a family farm at Irrewarra in regional Victoria, according to Amazon and the farm's own listing. Amazon says the deal came through its partnership with Harris Farm Markets, which connected it with Yeowarra as one of the grocer's trusted growers.
Farm manager Josh Sutherland told NewsWire that Yeowarra is the largest Christmas tree farm in the country, and that 80,000 trees would be cut this year from an unirrigated 103-hectare patch. Elsewhere on the property, the farm runs beef cattle and grows berries.
The deal with Amazon is not an exclusive offtake agreement, NewsWire reported. “We are consistently growing and then hopefully this Amazon deal can really help push that along,” Mr Sutherland said. “I think the industry as a whole is growing as well, which is really important for us, and I think this Amazon deal will really open it up to a lot more customers.”
The farm will keep selling direct to visitors. “We do have a retail spot on farm, where people can come and grab their tree,” Mr Sutherland said.
He described the radiata as particularly hardy plants, which have been well watered by recent wet conditions after two particularly dry years. “That was a bit nerve-racking, especially for the younger trees. The older stuff's pretty well established,” he said.
Champion woodchopper Scott Anderson, president of the Western Victorian Axemen's Association, helped fell the first trees. Amazon says he grew up ten minutes from the farm. “I'm thrilled and very proud that these local trees are going to become more accessible to others,” he said.
Suyog Sankhe, head of grocery partnerships at Amazon Australia, said: “We're always looking for ways to make our customers' lives easier.” He said customers could now order a fresh, Aussie-grown tree and find everything else they need for the festive season in Amazon's Christmas Store.
The launch comes just ahead of Amazon's Black Friday sale, which runs from 17 to 30 November. Once cut, the trees should last four to six weeks, but they need to be watered and kept out of direct sun, NewsWire reported.
