Cherry nice: How a summer job grew into a thriving family business

During that time, she began working as a fruit picker on a local cherry farm and fell in love.

"I still remember the first time I tried Tasmanian cherries," Ms Hung said.

"There's really nothing quite like them.

"Tassie cherries have thin stems and small seeds, with delicate flesh, rich flavor, and high sweetness."

When East Tamar Cherries at Mount Direction went up for sale two years ago, Ms Hung jumped at the opportunity - and Aunita Cherries was born.

The family business, which was named by taking the Au from Australia, Ni from Ms Hung's first name, and Ta from Tasmania, has quickly developed a following both locally and internationally.

"Tasmania is a world-certified fruit fly-free zone. Only Tasmanian cherries in Australia can be exported to Taiwan," she said.

"And Tasmanian cherries are pretty popular in most Asian countries, and with Taiwan being my home country, I want to give the best Tasmanian cherries to Taiwan."

Ms Hung said the past two cherry seasons have been a steep learning curve.

"Going from accounting to cherry farming was a big change, so I've had to learn a lot on the job," she said.

"No one in my family has experience in the cherry industry or agriculture, so we have had to learn everything from how to grow cherries to how to prune them and how to maintain the orchard.

"It's a lot of fun, but the heavy rainfall has been challenging this past cherry season."

When exposed to rain for prolonged periods, cherries burst open, stunting their growth and causing cosmetic damage. If left, these splits provide the perfect breeding ground for mold.

Ms. Hung said cherries that are ripe when the skin bursts are quickly picked and sold as second-grade fruit, while unripened and moldy cherries are simply thrown out.

"We've lost a bit from the heavy rains during this cherry season," she said.

"But overall, it has been a long season, as the weather has been warm since November. So the quality of the fruit has been good.

"And I try my best to spray as little chemical as I can."

The cherry farm also offers an experience unique to the North - Pick Your Own.

"We have many people who want to try picking their own cherries - it's a lot of fun!" Ms Hung said.

"When people come here and say they want to pick their own cherries, we will give them a small introduction because there is some skill to picking the perfect cherry.

"It's also quite popular for people to post on social media when they do it, which can be fun."

For more information about Aunita Cherries, check out their Instagram page or visit the farm at 2280 East Tamar Highway, Mount Direction.