Truffles were introduced to New Zealand by Dr Ian Hall and his team at Crop & Food Research in the late 1980s. The first Perigord black truffles to be produced in the southern hemisphere were harvested at Alan Hall's Gisborne truffiere in July 1993.

There are now over 100 truffieres planted around New Zealand and truffles have been produced in many regions. Canterbury, where Limestone Hills is located, has more productive truffieres than any other region.

Annual truffle production is increasing, but growers still have difficulty in satisfying the demand for truffles from local restaurants, lodges and hotels. Recent large plantings should increase crops and enable export of truffles to international markets.