"Apples that taste like apples."

It's not much of a sales pitch, but that is in essence what Reg Baldwin sets out to grow in his highly-acclaimed orchard.

Housed on the fringe of Bairnsdale, a largely industrial regional hub in eastern Victorian, the Picnic Point orchard might possess the bucolic charm of a family-owned niche business, but it intersects with the forward-thinking principles of modern horticulture.

"It's full time job that requires a lot of input and leaf analysis," said Reg Baldwin.

"We are all under pressure."

Part of that pressure stems from the narrow specifications dictated by a still-rigid market place. Listen Duration: 5 minutes 31 seconds 5 m Listen Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Reg Baldwin explains what makes a good apple ( Jeremy Story Carter ) Download 1.3 MB

"Big apples, if they are Pink Lady, are not required," he said.

"They don't have the flavour, they have no appeal."

"There is a terrible wastage factor due to thinning to get the size right."

He believes the unrelenting demand from the major supermarkets sees many growers picking outside of the optimum time for flavour.

"A lot of apples are picked too green and they don't ripen at the end," Mr Baldwin said.

"We're seasonal. If we pick them at the right time, they taste better."

Stringently adhering to that principle does bring its challenges though, particularly with Fuji varieties.

"[Fujis] have to be kept another month on the tree, so there's more problems with fruit bats, birds, sunburn; they are generally just a lot more work."

Reg Baldwin runs Picnic Point orchard in eastern Victoria with his family. ( Jeremy Story Carter )

The business is able to shift large volumes of produce by selling direct to members of the public, and the orchard has attracted the interest of a number of high-profile chefs, including Matt Wilkinson from Melbourne restaurant Pope Joan.

While they enjoy higher margins through those more localised markets, commercial realities dictate the need to continue supplying through the supermarket chains.

"Our commitments to the bank mean we have to have volume, so both [markets] apply," said Mr Baldwin

"But we like to aim at selling good produce, and there's nothing better than selling apples you're proud of selling."

As for whether the end result is the sort of apple he likes to eat?

"Oh yes, yes of course."