Restaurant & Café Magazine | May 2021

May 2021 Vol 14 Issue 05

$10.95

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editor’snote

Tania Walters Publisher tania@reviewmags.com

THERE has been much discussion around the decision to deliver free lunches into selected schools.

The programme was expanded in response to COVID-19 and aimed to cushion students living in households with families stressed by job and income losses due to the pandemic.

First launched in 2019 to deliver free lunches to students from Year 1 to 8, the programme doesn’t seem like an obvious topic for our magazine. However, it presents opportunities for the foodservice sector by creating opportunities for extra revenue. After all, if anyone knows about the impact of COVID-19 on financial stress, it’s the hospitality and foodservice sectors.

In the 2021 Budget, the Government extended funding

for the Healthy School Lunches programme, investing a further $526.9 million. This expansion opens up opportunities for food, packaging, and equipment suppliers. Also, catering companies and local cafés and eateries may offer schools in their area the right solutions to their lunch programme needs.

The benefits of the programme go well beyond the classroom. Fiftyone percent of respondents in a nationwide survey from November 2020 revealed that they were more discerning since COVID -19 about where they spend their money.

Consumers particularly want to spend with brands that are community conscious, and the healthy lunches programme taps into this and allows local businesses to reach out to the community around them.

Expanding the programme is also expected to support job creation and economic recovery from the pandemic, with an estimated 2,000 jobs created by the end of this year.

In this issue, we look at the ins and outs of Ka Ora, Ka Ako. How schools are choosing to implement the programme, and where the opportunities lie to be a part of the tender process for next year.

tania@reviewmags.com

contents

May 2021

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38

4 News

24 20 Minutes with . . .

7 Market Insights

26 Column

30 Who's Who

Fine Foods

8 Healthy Lunches

28 Meet the Chef

38 Grape to Glass

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Chairman: Peter Mitchell Publisher: Tania Walters General Manager: Kieran Mitchell Group Managing Editor: Sarah Mitchell Editor: Caitlan Mitchell Editorial Associate: Sophie Procter Advertising: Caroline Boe Senior Designer: Raymund Sarmiento Graphic Designer: Debby Wei

ISSN 2422-9601 (Print) ISSN 2744-5968 (Online) RESTAURANT & CAFÉ: Retail 6, Heards Building, 2 Ruskin Street, Parnell, Auckland 1050 PO Box 37140, Parnell, Auckland E: edit@reviewmags.com Tel (09) 304 0142 Fax (09) 377 2794 This magazine is published monthly under license. Please direct all enquiries and correspondence to Review Publishing Co Ltd. This magazine is a platform for the industry and may include content that expresses views and opinions by contributing writers. Content is attributed to the author, and these opinions and the view/s are those of the author/s. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company. The opinions and material published in this edition are not necessarily those of the publishers unless expressly stated. All material appearing in the magazine, website and social media platforms is copyright and may only be reproduced with the written consent of the publisher. Copyright 2021

INTRODUCING GILMOURS

Gold Medal Wines Banrock Station Moscato 2019

Da Luca Prosecco DOC

Botter Prosecco DOC Rosé Millesimato 2020

Matías Ricitelli ‘Hey Malbec!’

Mendoza Malbec 2018

Paloma Viñas Viejas VDT Castilla Tempranillo 2019

Notte Rossa Salento Puglia IGP Negroamaro 2019

Botter Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie IGT Organic 2020

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Barossa Riesling 2017

Arrogant Frog Chapel Hill ‘Ribet Red’ ‘The Parson’ Cabernet Grenache Shiraz Sauvignon Merlot Mourvedre 2019 IGP Pays d’Oc 2019

Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Viognier 2020

Piccini Cosi Organic Chianti DOCG 2019

Manz Wine Cantina Santa Maria Dona Fatima la Palma ‘Aragosta’ Lisboa Jampal Vermentino di 2019 Sardegna DOC 2020

La Primer Bodeguita Mendoza Malbec Reserva 2019

St Hallett Faith Shiraz 2019

Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Sud de France Rosé 2020

De Bortoli Woodfired Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

De Bortoli Woodfired Shiraz 2018

Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Shiraz Viognier

You can read about all the Gilmours Top 20 Gold medal wines online at Gilmours.co.nz/wine-competition

Gilmours is your one stop Foodservice shop Become a member today and enjoy wholesale prices*. Sign up at gilmours.co.nz

North Shore | Mt Roskill | Manukau | Hamilton | Tauranga | Central | Wellington *For full terms and conditions on who can become a member visit gilmours.co.nz

news

Aotearoa’s First Digital Wallet App Click to read

Spain to See the Return of the World Cheese Awards Click to read

A Cuppa Art for a Good Cause Click to read

Say Cheese! The Great NZ Toastie Takeover Kicks Up a Gear Click to read

'Meat the Need Celebrates First Anniversary' Click to read Hobbiton Celebrates a Million Litres of Brew Click to read

Leading Wellington Restaurants Join Winetopia 2021 Click to read 4

restaurantandcafé.co.nz

A Changing of the Guard for Celebrated Auckland Restaurant Click to read

news

Regional Economies See Sluggish Start to the Year

Need Cheese? These are the NZ Champions for 2021 Click to read

Click to read

'McDonald's Investigates Accusations of Bonded Labour' Click to read

Skills Shortage Addressed

by Career Expo Click to read

'Meat the Need' Celebrates First Anniversary Click to read

McDonald's Partners With The White House Click to read

Glass for Good Click to read

Express Yourself Sponsor Announcement Click to read May 2021

5

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO OWN POPULAR FEATHERSTON BAKERY Are you a baker working in the industry who would like to take the leap to own your own business? Perhaps you’d like to get away from the big smoke for a calmer life found in Wairarapa?

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he events of last year have inspired many Kiwis to make a change, to re-evaluate what’s important and where they need to be to make the most of life. Here is an exciting opportunity to do just that with an artisan sourdough bakery in Featherston up for sale.

This is the opportunity to purchase a “from scratch” artisan bakery specialising in handmade sourdough and long-ferment breads.

The business also makes French pastries, brioche, and handmade gourmet pies. The business holds a unique market niche with customers coming from Wellington to buy these delicious products.

Kiwis are more interested in artisan goodies than ever before.

The global pandemic revitalised consumers’ love for ‘made from scratch’ and ‘home-made style’, choosing to by these products for both their nostalgic appeal and natural qualities. The business was started in 2015 with the aim of helping to build the profile of Featherston as a foodie destination. Busy weekends at the bakery are boosted with synergy from the fresh produce market outside the shop on Saturdays and an artisan cheese shop 100m away.

The ideal buyer would be committed to carrying on the business in the same style that has been successful for the last 6 years.

The shop has an open-plan workspace so customers can see the products being made in a traditional European style, this is particularly on-trend with consumers wanting to support local businesses that are transparent, as well as customers who want a ‘food experience’ when they go shopping, and those wanting to connect with the brands and businesses they engage with.

The business currently employs 4 part-time staff totalling 88 hours. The business has the potential for growth as it is situated on the NZ Cycle Trail in the heart of the Wairarapa’s rapidly growing wine tourism industry. The region is also experiencing an unprecedented increase in residential desirability due to being situated on SH2 and the Wairarapa rail link to Wellington.

The shop has the added bonus of having the only car parking area in the strip of shops and the Featherston railway station is a 5-minute walk away.

THIS OPPORTUNITY WOULD SUIT: • husband and wife team • someone currently working in the baking industry who would like to own their own business • someone who wants to get out of the big city and live in a friendly country town • someone motivated, a hard worker who wants to grow a business that has a lot of potential All the equipment is in great working order, it has a long term lease, net profit equals the big city bakeries and its realistically priced. Covid hasn’t made any impact on sales.

Call Kay on 027 2102 476 or email profoundpropertynz@gmail.com 6

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DEMAND IS UP AND BUSINESS SALES ARE BOUNCING BACK

market insights

ABC. Business Sales’ recent Market Intelligence Report has highlighted that the business sales market is experiencing a significant gap between supply and demand which has accelerated in the last six months. The excess demand and reduced supply characteristics of the current market have resulted in elevated prices for businesses in all industries apart from hospitality and tourism.

However, post April-20 enquiry levels accelerated to exceed the previous year, and this is driven by three key demand factors at play: • Returning expats • Newly unemployed looking to business ownership to replicate lost income • Low interest rates making business ownership a more attractive investment

While COVID-19’s negative impact on purchaser enquiry levels is clear, under Level 4 lockdown in April-20, there was a significant drop-off when uncertainty was at its highest.

The COVID bounce back occurred from July 2020 onwards when business sales volumes started exceeding the volume for the same period last year with a cumulative growth rate of 24% which confirmed a V-shape recovery for the industry.

ABC Business Sales volumes for 12 months to March 2021 are up 2%. This is the result of a very strong market where the majority of

businesses listed for sale are being sold.

The last six months of confirmed sales are 36% up (235 vs 172) for the same period last year, with many businesses being sold at above asking price and getting offers within the first 10 days of the marketing campaign. For the twelve months to March 2021, ABC sold 380 businesses vs 371 for the same period last year.

The average price for Hospitality businesses ($0-$5m) has seen an 8% decrease for the 12 months to March 2021. It has been well documented the adverse effects COVID-19 has caused this industry and the data presented backs up those thoughts.

ABC expects Hospitality prices to increase in the next 6-12 months as COVID-19 becomes less of an influence on the industry.

Our famous Gourmet Beef Patties have been a hit around the globe for over 20 years - now it’s time for the next generation - the brand new Homestyle Beef Burger Patty.

• Succulent New Zealand beef • Rounder for better bun fit • Thinner for faster cook time • Rustic handmade look • Part-cooked and individually frozen • 22 patties per sleeve, 3 sleeves per carton.

To order now contact your distributor or Angel Bay rep, or go to: www.angelbay.co.nz May 2021

7

healthylunches

FEEDING KIWI KIDS AND THE FOODSERVICE SECTOR

In 2019, the Government announced a two-year initiative to explore delivering a free and healthy daily school lunch to Year 1–8 (primary and intermediate aged) students in schools with high levels of disadvantage.

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esearch indicates that reducing food insecurity for children and young people improves health and wellbeing; supports child development and learning; improves learners’ levels of concentration, behaviour and school achievement; reduces financial hardship amongst families and whānau; and addresses barriers to children’s participation in education and promotes attendance at school.

Around 10,000 learners in 42 schools across Bay of Plenty/Waiariki and Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti were

I approached Sistema with the idea, and they decided this was a wonderful thing that they would support nationwide. We wanted to use sustainable options.

Dr Angela Sharples 8

restaurantandcafé.co.nz

the first to get a free school lunch in Term 1 2020. Over 3,000 students in 18 schools and kura across Otago and Southland joined Ka Ora, Ka Ako in Terms 2 and 3. Another 51 schools in Bay of Plenty/Waiariki and Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti began delivering lunches in Term 4 2020.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ka Ora, Ka Ako has been expanded to reach around 215,000 students by the end of 2021, including secondary students. By the end of 2021, 963 schools and kura will receive lunches for around 25

percent of students.

Expanding the programme is also expected to support job creation and economic recovery from the pandemic. Some 942 jobs have already been generated and it is estimated that around 2,000 jobs will be created by the end of 2021.

External suppliers are selected through a tender process via the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS) platform. Schools and kura choose from a panel of approved suppliers that have met minimum standards of food hygiene, waste management and food preparation.

There are a range of supplier models depending on what works best for each school, for example a single supplier, a mix of suppliers, or one larger supplier provides lunches to a group of schools and kura.

Murupara Area School was one of the first schools in the country to implement the Free and Healthy School Lunches Programme. In addition to supporting their learners, the board of trustees saw the initiative as a way of also supporting their local community.

“We wanted to provide employment for our community here so that we maximise the opportunity for everyone, not just the children,” explained Murupara principal Dr Angela Sharples.

So rather than contracting a commercial company, Manawa Munchies was established to deliver the service, providing direct employment for three people in the community. The school took part in food safety training, which included how to work with the Food Control Plan for the School Lunches Programme, developed by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

The school entered into a positive relationship with Whakatane District Council to use one of their facilities close to the school because the school didn’t have anywhere to prepare the food. Sistema also came on board to support the initiative, donating reusable ‘Bento Lunch Boxes’ to the programme. The lunchboxes have individual compartments that cut out the need for single use plastic waste.

“I approached Sistema with the idea, and they decided this was a wonderful thing that they would

support nationwide. We wanted to use sustainable options,” said Sharples.

There are multiple opportunities for suppliers, distributors, packaging companies and catering businesses to become a part of the ‘Ka Ora, Ka Ako’ programme. Considering COVID’s impact on the hospitality and foodservice industries, it also presents an opportunity for businesses to pivot their offering and bring in extra revenue.

For example, thirteen school lunch suppliers are currently operating in South Auckland, according to Ministry of Education’s deputy secretary for sector enablement Katrina Casey, and the ministry was open to expanding that number to ensure schools have flexibility and local choice.

For two of those providers, Kainui Brunch Shack’s Rachel King and FED’s Becky Erwood, the scheme came at an opportune time, as they had both launched start-ups a year or two earlier that provided lunches and dinners through a subscription-style service.

The programme hasn’t been without its teething problems. It was revealed that the Government is not counting the number of uneaten school lunches, with thousands of lunches left uneaten each week. In Hamilton, Kaivolution, a food rescue organisation, estimated there can be up to 1500 lunches left over from city

schools each day from the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme.

ACT’s David Seymour said it was “irresponsible” the Ministry of Education did not record the number of uneaten lunches. He questioned whether the Government had overestimated the need, or whether the quality of the food was low.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said he was not concerned by the

leftover lunches, however, noting that schools either gave spare lunches to kids to take home or sent them to local foodbanks, so the programme wasn’t wasteful.

Questions surrounding waste management and whether a ‘onesize-fits-all’ approach is the best way to go are yet to be answered. Can suppliers, distributors and schools work together to facilitate the

programme in a sustainable way? And is more government support needed to undertake this?

We talked to the Ministry of Education to answer some of the questions being asked by those wanting to get involved in the programme, as well as some of the schools and suppliers already involved about how the programme is going so far.

Gilmours is your one stop shop for all your Educatering needs nationwide From Prepared Produce, Dry Goods, Chilled & Frozen to Sustainable Packaging, choose Gilmours for your Educatering needs to deliver lunch in schools.

SUPPORT

NZ

North Shore | Mt Roskill | Manukau | Hamilton | Tauranga | Central | Wellington

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0800 270 414

May 2021

9

healthylunches

FAQs We spoke to Katrina Casey, Deputy Secretary - Sector Enablement and Support at the Ministry of Education to unravel some of the frequently asked questions regarding Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy Lunches in Schools programme, including how suppliers are chosen, costs involved, and how to deal with waste.

Let’s start with the relationship between schools and suppliers, does the school/ kura get to pick a supplier from the tender list or is one appointed to them?

“Schools and kura select from a panel of approved suppliers that meet minimum standards of food hygiene, waste management and food preparation.

As part of the open tender process, the Ministry wants to ensure that selected suppliers: • have the capability and capacity to deliver to a large number of students.

• meet all Food Act 2014 requirements and have had a good food safety track record.

• understand the Ministry of Health nutritional requirements.

• understand the local, regional and community aspects of their area of interest.

• consider sustainable solutions to minimise waste.”

So, does this mean a school/kura can use a supplier that isn’t on the tender list and can a school change supplier if they want to?

“Suppliers must be approved by the Ministry and meet our requirements as above. If a school has identified a local supplier they want to use, we will invite that supplier to participate in [either an open or closed] tender process, where we will evaluate their capability to be a supplier under the programme.

All suppliers are currently contracted until the end of the year. Schools would not change suppliers unless there was a performance issue.”

Can you tell us a little bit about how menus and meals are designed?

“The Ministry approves submitted menus as part of the tender process to ensure that suppliers have the capability to design lunches that fit the Ministry of Health’s nutrition guidelines.

Schools and kura have the operational day-to-day relationship with their supplier so they can make decisions about food that is right for their students.

This includes providing feedback on uptake and working with their supplier to adapt menus.

Suppliers may also change menus to take advantage of seasonal produce and avoid menu fatigue.

Any menu changes need to be approved by the Ministry’s nutritionist to ensure they meet Ministry of Health’s guidelines on food and drink in schools.”

Not all schools are outsourcing their lunches, how are schools who are making lunches internally guided on how to facilitate this?

“The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which is the organisation managing the verification for Ka Ora, Ka Ako, is visiting schools to check kitchens and to make sure they are complying with their Food Control Plan. The Food Control Plan has been developed with MPI specifically for schools who are making their own lunches as part of Ka Ora, Ka Ako.”

Is there funding to provide kitchen equipment if the school needs it?

“Schools taking part in the school lunches programme can apply for limited funding to purchase smaller items and appliances needed to support providing lunches, such as a fridge, oven or dishwasher, food storage containers, serving utensils, cutlery, and crockery.”

Can you give us a breakdown of the costs involved and how much of this is covered by the programme?

“The cost to prepare lunches is included in the maximum ‘per child, per day’ cost of $5 for Years 1-8 students, and $7 for students in Years 9+ to

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reflect the larger portions required for older students.

This amount covers food, labour (including paying the Living Wage which is an hourly rate of at least $22.10 per hour), margins, and overheads relating to producing lunches. It does not include GST. There is no additional funding to cover administrative costs, but we have worked to minimise any time a school may spend managing the day-today operation of school lunches with suppliers providing this as much as possible.

We intend that the level of funding that we are providing is sufficient to ensure that schools will not have to rely on volunteers. However, community involvement can be an important aspect of school life. Schools understand best how much whānau and others may want to contribute to the lunch programme.

Any volunteers involved in preparing lunches must comply with Food Act 2014 and be aware of allergies and allergens. (see page 3 of the Healthy School Lunches Food Control Plan). The usual safety checks for school volunteers also apply.”

Waste management is an integral part of the programme – for schools who are providing lunches internally, is there waste management support offered to them?

“Schools providing their own lunches are encouraged to move towards a zero-waste policy.

The Ministry of Education guidelines require schools to reduce food wastage through menu planning, stock management, and use of leftovers if it can be done safely.

Schools need a plan to deal with food wastage, e.g. composting, and are encouraged to minimise packaging and reduce the use of plastic food wrap and single use cutlery and tableware. Suppliers are also asked to consider solutions to minimise waste as part of the tender process.”

Are the correct recycling and composting systems in place to enable a school or supplier to have a sustainable lunch programme?

“The programme encourages the use of reusable and environmentally friendly packaging, including the use of compostable packaging. Composting systems are not part of the programme although we are working at a regional level to support composting.”

Can you give us some tips for suppliers wanting to go through the tender process next year?

Suppliers are encouraged to register on the Government Electronic Tendering System (GETS) and read the User Guides and Frequently Asked Questions sections of GETS.

The programme is currently being evaluated, what will the evaluation of the programme be looking at and when will we know the results of this evaluation?

“Selected schools and kura in three regions – Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti, Bay of Plenty/Waiariki and Otago/Southland – are taking part in an evaluation of the programme so that any future decisions are evidence-based. The evaluation commenced with the start of the implementation in Term 1 2020.

The evaluation looks at whether the programme has made a significant difference to food security, wellbeing, and attendance at school. Evaluation will include collecting information from students, school leaders and suppliers. A decision on releasing the evaluation will be made in due course once the report has been finalised.”

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healthylunches

AIM HIGH, STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE: How Manurewa High School Provides 2000 Meals to Hungry Students Manurewa High School has been fortunate to be included in the Ministry of Education School Lunch Programme for 2021. The Board of Trustees opted to make the lunches ‘in house’ as the school currently has a commercial kitchen where its year 12 and year 13 students are trained in Hospitality and Catering.

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hese students help with the programme along with nine new staff members and three teacher / chefs. The classroom has been transformed into a food preparation room, with the commercial kitchen being upgraded with four new commercial ovens.

“We assembled a team of three, me – brought in as a consultant to assist in the start-up of the lunch programme, Sara Blackburn – one of our Hospitality and Catering Teachers to guide our Year 13 hospitality students and Borin Kim – a Food Technology Teacher turned Head Chef for the programme,” explained Board of Trustees Chair, Stephen Smith.

With the assistance of Julie Lockie, School Business Manager, it took a combined effort to convert the school’s previous teaching space into a prep kitchen and prepare the production kitchen for the two thousand meals it would need to produce daily.

“Every one of us brought something different to the lunch programme and through a collaborative approach, menus were written, suppliers sourced and eventually, food prepared. It has been a very eventful journey and a great learning process for everyone involved, we have successfully provided healthy, nutritious meals to our students daily, which we will continue to do with our school vision of “Piki Atu Ki Te Rangi” - Aim High, Strive for Excellence.”

When the idea of the lunch programme was proposed to the school, Principal Pete Jones and Stephen Smith approached the board members with the possibility of making lunches in-house, creating a variety of opportunities. A significant opportunity was the school’s ability to provide its Year 13 hospitality students with real work experience in a commercial-style kitchen. Creating a team has created the opportunity to design the meals and control the food cost to ensure a high-quality meal is maintained throughout the year.

The school has a commercial kitchen on site along with a newly converted prep kitchen used for its hospitality students.

“After considerable consultation with suppliers and teaching staff, we invested in two RATIONAL combi ovens, a third oven currently on order, two Vario CookingCentres, two blast chillers, Cambro hot boxes, along with a mountain of small equipment

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needed to produce the two thousand meals a day.”

Manurewa High School uses several suppliers to create its meals, from off-the-shelf to bespoke products made to the school’s specifications that meet the nutritional requirements set by the Ministry of Education. There major kitchen equipment was supplied by Burns & Ferrall.

“Through my thirty-two years in inflight catering, I have built a great rapport with many suppliers who have come on board and assisted the school in implementing our school lunch programme,” noted Smith. Through a collaborative approach with catering staff and students, the school designs its menus and meal ideas per term.

“We also survey our students once a term for their feedback. We have branched out to social media to further connect with our students on both Facebook @ManurewaHighSchool and Instagram @mhs_ lunches, for anyone who wishes to follow our journey.

We post up our weekly menu for students to see and we receive feedback on the meals through messages on our social media posts.”

Each day at Manurewa High School, in an assigned time, referred to as Kaitiaki, two students are appointed from each class to pick up the required lunches from the canteen and return to class to share out the food in time for lunch.

All packaging is compostable, sourcing from environmentally conscious companies that have worked in partnership with the lunch programme, ensuring the food is sustainably packaged. Manurewa High is working in close partnership with Ecoware and Allen Paper.

“We reached out to Allen Paper to design our own food wraps as a way to support the whanaungatanga between our school and lunches.”

Waste management is an important aspect of the school lunch programme, the Ministry of Education recommends both schools and suppliers use recyclable and compostable packaging and minimise waste where possible. Manurewa works with Green Gorilla to ensure all food and packaging waste is commercially composted.

“Once meal service has been completed, we offer excess meals to students who wish to have another meal and any leftover after that fact is returned to the production kitchen. At the end of the production

day, any leftovers are donated to various areas such as school-based families that are in need via our Youth Workers and locally to community outreach groups such as Waka for Caring and Manurewa Marae.

All wastage is recorded by the school to show every effort is made to keep wastage and excess meals at a minimum.”

Smith’s advice to potential suppliers wishing to get involved in Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme is to get out there to schools and see how what you can do for and with them to provide the best for New Zealand’s tamariki.

“As Principal of Manurewa High School, the development and execution of the school lunch programme that Steve and his team have achieved is amazing and beyond our expectations,” expressed Pete Jones.

“The team make and feed a school of 2170 students with healthy nutritious kai every day of the school week. We are in the great position to be able to say that no student will ever be hungry when they are at school. This helps put students in a great space to engage with their learning and not be worrying about being hungry, resulting in increased student focus in the classroom.” The lunch programme has enabled the school to employ eight people from within the community who have quickly became part of Manurewa’s kura community.

“Each and every member of the team is appreciated for their mahi, input and embracing the programme ethos as it evolves,” continued Jones.

“We have received such positive feedback and messages of thanks from our parent community.

I am so proud of the success of our school lunch programme – the team have achieved so much in the five months of operation and I see even better things to come from the detailed planning for the remainder of the year.”

Hellen Seuula, Manurewa High School Head Girl expressed that the free lunch programme has been a blessing. The healthy lunches mean that she doesn’t have to worry about missing her recommended 5+ a day fruit and vegetables.

“The free lunches have fed hungry kids like me,” said Seuula. “It has helped me focus more on school and reduce my stomach from rumbling.”

Another positive note for Seuula is the green Gorilla bins that have been provided around the kura. “Because our lunches are provided in Ecoware packaging, it helps educate our students about how to compost properly, to be sustainable and to be environmentally aware. Thank you to our Free Lunch Team!”

Beitor Li, Manurewa High School Head Boy noted that the programme would not be possible without the team and the hospitality and catering students.

“Our students have given extremely positive feedback to maintain the delectable flavours as well as the nutritional values that each meal rotation provides,” he said.

“This aspect integrates incredibly with our school culture as it is based on wellbeing and helps the team understand what flavours stand out in our school body. It reinforces the concept of ‘full stomachs, healthy mind’. Overall, it is such a privilege to have a special Free Lunch Programme at our school that is freshly made daily.”

https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/healthy-food-and-drink-guidance-schools https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/overall-strategies-and-policies/wellbeing-in-education/free-and-healthy-school-lunches/ https://assets.heartfoundation.org.nz/documents/food-industry/food-reformulation/heart-foundation-reformulation-targets-2021.pdf

healthylunches

A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP TO MAKE SURE NO KID GOES HUNGRY Eat My Lunch is on a mission

to ensure no child is hungry at school. “Buy One, Give One” is the idea behind the social enterprise based in Auckland that was founded in 2015. For every lunch or catered option bought by a corporate customer, a school lunch goes to a Kiwi kid who would otherwise go without.

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ince its launch, Eat My Lunch has given more than 1,600,000 school lunches to kids in need. As of Term 1 2021, Eat My Lunch is also a preferred supplier for the Government’s Ka Ora, Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme, providing more than 16,500 lunches every school day, in addition to their Give programme schools.

Finding the right foodservice partner to facilitate the needs of hungry children is a vital part of the operation. Eat My Lunch has partnered with Gilmours as a preferred supplier, Gilmours supply around 75 percent of the ingredient requirements for the school lunches that Eat My Lunch provides through the Government programme.

“Having a one stop shop supplier who takes care of the bulk of the products we require, massively improves efficiencies and streamlines our internal processes,” noted Kim Smith, Marketing

KEEPING KIWI KIDS FED. Since 2019 FED., a prepared meal business founded in 2018, has been delivering hot lunches to local schools near to its commercial kitchen in Albany.

FED.

makes nutritious, freshly prepared meals and delivers them to Kiwi homes in the North Island. It began a school meal lunch service to a selection of Auckland based schools in 2019.

“When the Ka Ora, Ka Ako (the healthy school lunches programme)

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& Communications Manager, Eat My Lunch.

When it comes to creating meals with nutritional benefits, Eat My Lunch are directed by the Ministry of Health’s Nutritional Guidelines for all the food items they create and supply through the Government programme.

“We have an in-house Menu Developer, and a number of chefs and food specialists who contribute to the menu creation,” continued Smith.

“Our supply team works with Gilmours to ensure we have the correct ingredients, and the latest information to constantly improve our menu offering, sourcing fresh and local ingredients as much as possible.

“Gilmours are great to work with because of the variety of products and substitutes available through their range, and the price and delivery efficiencies this provides through our ongoing partnership to help us do what we do best – feed Kiwi kids.”

contract came up, we saw this is a great opportunity to extend the reach of our existing work with schools,” explained FED. co-founder, Becky Erwood.

“We applied under the groups model and were awarded nine schools in Mangere. We currently deliver approximately 3200 lunches each day.”

FED. works closely with each school, gaining feedback on lunches, ensuring meals are not wasted and helping with education resources to help the children on their journey to good nutrition.

Menus are developed in accordance with the MoE nutrition guidelines, and all the group suppliers

are working on a menu transition which, over time, will see the menus evolve.

“This is a significant and important project to be a part of and we are honored to be invited on the journey.

With so many New Zealand children living with food insecurity, we wholeheartedly support the mission to ensure students are sufficiently nourished during the school day,” continued Erwood.

“Working with our kura has been incredibly rewarding. We’re hearing some great stories of kids with more energy for activity and learning as a result of eating our lunches and at the end of the day, that is what it’s all about.”

May 2021

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healthylunches

EAT SMART LAUNCHED NATIONWIDE Libelle Group have been serving hungry learners healthy food in New Zealand schools since 2004. Since then, it has been their on-going mission to improve what they offer kids at school to eat at morning tea and lunch time, actively pioneering change in this area.

I

n 2018, in a collaboration with local DHB (Nelson, Marlborough) and the Heart Foundation, Libelle launched the first trial of its Eat Smart menu, a range of nutritionally balanced combos designed for school kids and teenagers. Eat Smart was then launched nationwide across about 60 school canteens.

“We also researched the impact of providing free lunches to an entire school over the course of 2019, providing – at our cost – free lunch to every student at Taita College in the Hutt Valley that year. The results were undeniably positive,” explained Libelle CEO, Johannes Tietza.

When the Prime Minister announced the pilot programme for Healthy Lunches in Schools in late

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2019, Libelle proposed the Eat Smart menu as the most practical solution and the price point benchmark for the programme. “We had been doing this stuff for over a decade and were experts at it. The menu/style of meals became somewhat of a standard once the Programme launched at the beginning of 2020.”

When it comes to designing meals that will be devoured by young people, Libelle works with schools through educational workshops that the company facilitates - FEAST (Food and Economics Active Student Team), to research what its customers are thinking, what they want, and how they feel. There is then a conversation around nutrition and buying right/ pricing.

Menu items that come out of those workshops then get reviewed, tested, and trialled by Libelle’s menu team, before potentially being served on one day over the 4-week rolling menu cycle (a different meal every day over 20 days) to 30,000 hungry learners across the country.

Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme isn’t the only school lunch solution that Libelle provides. Its other services are Champion Tuckshops – the food retail (and original core business) of Libelle, Lunch Orders, an online ordering technology which enables parents to order lunch for their kids online – either to click-and-collect or to be delivered to the school.

TXTmyLUNCH is also an online platform – a coupon system that puts the choice of what they want into the student’s hands and allows purchasers to also gift a lunch, and Food Service Boarding is Libelle’s halls of residence service arm, where they provide a full, in-house food and beverage service to school boarding facilities.

Polling or surveying its clients and customers is a process embedded in Libelle’s service model and something they do regularly. The favourites among the children include Butter Chicken Wrap, Lasagne, Crispy Chicken Roll, Chicken Katsu Salad, and Pulled Pork Noodle Bowl, to name a few.

Of course, it can be difficult to keep everybody happy, while keeping meals within the nutritional guidelines set up by the Ministry of Education.

“It can be difficult to match the guidelines with embedded opinion we get from some parents and teachers, but this is a temporary thing, as the young kids in particular, are embracing the positive change and are willing to try,” noted Tietza.

To maintain a sustainable practise, all Libelle’s packaging and utensils are compostable and/or recyclable.

The work alongside local commercial composters and community garden groups across the country. Libelle uses a range of ingredient suppliers and distributors to ensure uninterrupted supply to every kitchen around Aotearoa.

It means a great deal to Libelle to know that they are providing healthy lunches for Kiwi kids.

“We are proud to be in this position and take our ethical responsibility very seriously. As a trusted and experienced provider to the programme of 30,000 lunches daily, every one of our people understand the last meal leaving the kitchen in Kaitaia must be as great as the first one leaving the kitchen in Levin,” expressed Tietza.

“First results are starting to come back to us, with principals of participating schools reporting significant improvement in learning behaviour and classroom mood.

This is feedback I also got from the Principal at Taita College during our self-funded 2019 trial year – She recently noted that Level 1 and 3 for that year were the best in the school’s history. A coincidence? I don’t think so.”

BAKER BOYS SCHOOL LUNCH SOLUTIONS

For over 25 years, Baker Boys have been crafting delicious baked treats for the people. Based in Christchurch, we are a family business with passion and pride in supplying quality fresh and frozen baked goods wholesale to supermarkets and food distributors. Using state- of-the-art equipment, we create a wide range of products that include, biscuits, savouries and pre-portioned cakes and slices. We are delighted to now offer the following products specifically designed for the School Lunch Programme. This is a wonderful range of truly delicious treats, with a few hidden healthy tweaks added to help fuel all those growing minds.

The range includes a number of options, packed with fruit, vegetables and grains:

BISCUITS

SLICES

CAKES

SAVOURIES

• Anzac, Apricot & Oat, Oaty

• Oaty Apricot, Oaty

• Banana, Carrot, Choc

• Potato Top Savouries,

Sultana, Sultana & Vanilla

Mixed Berry, Oat Seed

Beet, Hummingbird

Vege Quiche, Cheese &

• 20 biscuits per pack, 15

• 5 slabs per carton, 50

• 4 cakes per carton – 60

Corn Muffins

packs per carton

pieces per slab

pieces per cake

Each of these options provides ease and convenience of bulk packs of product in pre- portioned pieces, all while fitting within the baked goods category guidelines of the Ministry of Health’s Healthy Food & Drink guidance for schools. We know that baked treats are an indulgence, but we still make them as good for

• 50 pieces per carton

you as they can be. We use only high-quality ingredients from approved suppliers, and use added fruit, vegetables and grains to boost the nutrition content. We are certified to high international standards, ensuring only the safest food ends up in the lunches of the next generation.

Contact your local Food Service Provider or a Baker Boys sales rep for more information.

P: 0800 225 372 or +64 3 381 7563 | E: admin@bakerboys.co.nz | W: www.bakerboys.co.nz May 2021

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A GUIDE TO AMBER AND GREEN

Children’s tastes vary. It can be challenging to provide healthy food that children want to eat and getting children to enjoy new foods can take time.

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he Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme Healthy Food and Drink Guidance identifies the healthy options for foods and drinks in schools.

It classifies foods and drinks as green, amber and red. As a minimum

standard, no red items should be included in school lunches. Red items are high in fats, salt, and sugar with no nutritional value. They are often highly processed and eating lots of these contributes towards poor health.

Lunches should be made up of amber

and green items. As suppliers transition towards offering healthier menu options, the proportion of green to amber items should increase and the frequency of amber items per week should decrease.

The Ministry of Education has provided examples of the ‘red’ items to avoid and possible alternatives, such as swapping out sausage rolls for portions of lean meat or meatballs made from lean mince. Suppliers around the country are coming to the call, creating easy school lunch solutions that nicely fit into the nutrition guidelines.

Hellers has developed an easy and ready to eat school lunch meat range.

Farmland foods also have shaved and sliced roast beef and corned silverside to help fill little tummies and, as we head into winter, Watties has a soup solution, perfecting for warming students on a cold day.

Other Considerations

• Include some vegetables within every meal.

• If including baked items, check

portion size recommendations as these vary across items.

• A dried fruit portion, including bliss balls, should be ≤30g (eg, if a bliss ball is 20g, no-more than one per serve).

• Slices, including muesli slices, should be ≤ 80g; a packaged muesli bar is ≥3.5HSR.

Support and Assistance

• The Ministry is working to develop a supportive framework for suppliers to ensure that all learners receive a quality nutritious lunch.

This will include: • Discussions (via Zoom or Skype) with Ministry of Health or local health worker at the start of the contract to explore your menu options.

• Advice and feedback from a Ministry in-house nutritionist to review any new great menu ideas • A six-month work plan to provide a pathway to nutrition.

For more information, visit www. education.govt.nz

wattiesfoodservice.co.nz

Ready to serve FROM A 3kg pouch ➡ ➡ ➡

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Add a weekly soup offering to your menu Aim for a variety of vegetables each day to support healthy diet Wattie’s Soup to Go pouches contain 45%+ vegetables

restaurantandcafé.co.nz

FEEDING KIWI KIDS WITH FARMLAND FOODS

There’s nothing better than seeing Kiwi kids getting a nourishing meal that will help them to thrive and learn in life.

F

armland Foods’ Shaved and Sliced Roast Beef along with its Sliced Corned Silverside has been part of helping fill these tummies with the latest Healthy Lunches in Schools programme that has been rolled out across the country.

Farmlands are always glad to be part of helping New Zealand children to be able to learn, whether at school or at home.

Founded by the Davis family, Farmland Foods employs 120 local staff based on the family farm in Bulls, Rangitikei.

Still managed by generations of passionate family members and a loyal and skilled team

committed to quality and innovation they take great pride in selecting the best quality meats and preparing them ready for your enjoyment.

From our humble beginnings in 1964 to where we are now and going forward as a business, our mission is bringing family together through our passion for food.

After 57 years in business, we’re proud to remain family-owned and with the fourth generation recently joining the company, we remain as passionate as ever about bringing quality smallgoods to the New Zealand public.

Visit www.farmlandfoods.nz

May 2021

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healthylunches

BACK TO SCHOOL SOLUTIONS WITH HELLERS Hellers have developed an easy and ready to eat school lunch meat range. The Healthy Sandwich Solutions meet and exceed the Ministry of Education’s three and a half star requirements.

T

he range consists of all the popular meat choices that kids love and enjoy - Chicken, Ham, Roast Beef and Corned Beef. All these varieties are shaped to fit sandwiches perfectly.

These products are: • 1.5kg gas flushed tray • recyclable

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• easy peel • chilled

This allows each slice to be pulled out simply from the pack. Every slice meets the 40g minimum requirement for portion control so you can manage the cost to produce each sandwich.

All products are:

• made in New Zealand • gluten free

• a trusted Kiwi brand • MSG free

Not only are they ideal for feeding our next generation, but they would be suitable for Aged Care, DHBs and the Defence Force.

This Healthy Sandwich Solution is sure to be a hit for any industry and is available for purchase now from a distributor near you. Thank heavens for Hellers.

Visit www.hellers.co.nz

GETTING SCHOOLED ON SUSTAINABILITY – How to Cater to a Circular Economy Schools around New Zealand are championing the circular economy created by contract caterers providing nutritious lunches to students in Biopak compostable containers, supported by compost collection services.

T

his year New Zealand caterer, Deejays, have changed their policy to only work with schools that have signed up to the BioPak Compost Service, thereby reducing their collective waste to landfill.

Deejays has been locally owned and operated since 1992 providing canteen, catering, and food solutions into educational environments.

Deejays is proud to employ local staff who know the community where they work and have strong connections to the school and students. As a trusted food supplier, the catering company contributes positively to the communities in which it operates and has established collaborative relationships with schools and local suppliers.

Deejays are proactive in sustainability initiatives and understand that waste management is a key component in reducing the carbon footprint of a business. That is why Deejays decided to package all its meals in compostable and carbon neutral packaging.

BioPak products are conceived, designed, and manufactured in alignment with the principles of

a circular economy. BioPak products are certified carbon neutral and, after use, can be either recycled or commercially composted. Its production facilities are certified to meet environmental standards, and the company has recently become a certified B-Corporation.

“By choosing BioPak packaging we have offset 32,311kg of carbon and avoided the production of 3,645kg of plastic in just a few months. The schools we work have all really embraced composting, collectively we have diverted tonnes of food scraps and compostable packaging from landfill to make compost instead,” expressed Deejays Managing Director, Stefan Crooks.

Businesses using BioPak packaging can sign up to Compost Connect which diverts all food and BioPak packaging waste from landfill. Backed by the government and building on the BioPak Compost Service, this non-profit initiative is independent and brand-agnostic with the vision to extend composting throughout New Zealand. It’s the co-mingled, onebin, circular economy solution that New Zealand needs right now.

All BioPak’s compostable packaging has been certified to biodegrade within 120 days in a commercial compost environment – resulting in nutrient-rich soil. Compost Connect has partnered with commercial compost facilities and waste collection services all around Australia and New Zealand, to provide the missing link to customers in the area.

In Auckland, Deejays and BioPak have partnered with waste management service, Reclaim.

Established in 1975 as Paper Reclaim, the business rebranded as Reclaim in 2012 to reflect its broad range of services and important position in the recycling market. Reclaim’s goal is to extend its tailored services to all businesses so they can achieve their waste reduction and sustainability goals.

“Reclaim is proud to be associated with BioPak and Deejays as their preferred waste and recycling provider collecting food waste from Auckland Schools,” noted Loren Walker from Reclaim.

Reclaim provides the collection of food and compostable material and ensures all food waste is taken to an appropriate composting facility and turned into nutrient-rich compost. As the experts in waste diversion Reclaim have identified further opportunities to improve current waste and recycling procedures from bin placement and improved signage to more robust staff education and reporting.

“We believe that under an appropriate structure we can work with Auckland schools to maximise these opportunities.”

Through its partnerships with BioPak and Reclaim, Deejays work closely alongside schools to make the Ka Ora, Ka Ako |Healthy School Lunches Programme an eco-friendly and sustainable endeavour.

May 2021

21

healthylunches

SCHOOL LUNCHES TRANSFORM FOODSERVICE BUSINESS MODEL

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Two Auckland foodservice businesses have built resilience into their business models and boosted revenue by teaming up with online school lunch service, ezlunch.

The unconventional partnership has allowed both businesses, a sushi shop and a cafe, to weather the impact of 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, coming back even more strongly to exceed previous sales.

These businesses are two of the 90 foodservice businesses working with ezlunch across the country – and the company is looking to bring more suppliers on board in 2021.

E

zlunch offers schools across the country a wide variety of healthy hot and cold school lunches and after school snacks by matching each school up with local cafés or food suppliers.

Parents order online before 9am for meals to be delivered directly to the school before 12pm. Bob Han at Go Deli café explained that most orders come in between 8am and 8.30am, with parents ordering on their mobiles just before school drop off.

Located in Mairangi Bay on Auckland’s North Shore, Go Deli was the first supplier to sign up with ezlunch ten years ago. Now Bob and his team deliver lunches to 52 schools, making between 1200 - 1500 meals every morning and sending them off on seven delivery routes.

“We haven’t sent out a late delivery yet,” said Bob. Since working with ezlunch, turnover has increased by 600 percent, Bob has taken on ten members of staff and built a new kitchen for Go Deli Catering run by Maggie Foldi. The catering business is 90 percent dedicated to filling ezlunch orders.

“We work closely with the Heart Foundation to get the Heart Foundation

accreditation, which means that our menus are assessed each year.

This is really important to schools.

We also use 100 percent recyclable packaging.”

Additional delivery and packaging costs mean that ezlunch sales have lower margins when compared with walk-in sales in the café, but the revenue is more stable and there’s less food wastage - and ezlunch proved to be a lifeline during last year’s lockdowns.

“Business dropped off when schools were closed but as soon as the children went back, orders picked up immediately and went on to exceed previous sales,” said Bob. “We were surprised, but it shows that parents prioritise their children when it comes to spending.”

Greg Taylor noticed the same uptick in ezlunch sales post-lockdown at his Whangaparoa sushi business with a massive 50 percent increase in sales. Greg set up Sushi4U with his wife in 2013 as a conventional walkin shop. He started a regular delivery once a week to one local school in 2016 but it was all analogue.

“We collected a box with the orders, counted the coins and made sure everything added up – it was very laborious and there was lots of room for error,” said Greg. When ezlunch took on the school in 2016, they approached Sushi4U to become a supplier five days a week, supported by an online ordering system and helpdesk team. “We

were a little apprehensive about the 9am cut off and 12pm delivery but we were proved wrong,” said Greg.

Sushi4U now supplies 11 schools, and the business is 99 percent ezlunch. In February 2019 Greg made the decision to close the shop to walk-in business and focus on catering. “It’s really busy, high paced work to get lunches out to our schools but we’re now earning more during in the 40-week school year than in the 51-weeks we previously worked. It’s an early start but we’re finished by 12.30pm.”

Monday is a slower day for lunch orders so that allows time for ordering and background work like putting up themed menus for Easter, Halloween or Christmas or promoting any specials on the ezlunch system.

“It’s really easy to use and gives us the flexibility to limit sales of certain items or mark items as sold out if necessary. The system also allows us to limit orders if they’re coming in too quickly.

That helps us make sure we meet delivery deadlines – and we’ve only had to do that two or three times in six years. Ezlunch great to work with. If there’s a problem, the helpdesk staff are always friendly, they really promote our business. It’s a great arrangement for us.”

If you’re interested in talking to ezlunch about becoming an ezlunch supplier, call 09 869 5200 May 2021

23

20 minutes with . . .

EMMA JENKINS

Master of Wine, lead judge Gilmours International Wine Competition

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Emma Jenkins, Master of Wine, and lead judge for the Gilmours International Wine Awards is based in Taupo and spends her time writing about wine for a variety of wine publications, as well as doing a mixture of consultancy, judging and education work.

She also helps Master of Wine candidates with their Research Papers.

J

enkins completed a BSc (Hons) in Anatomy and Structural Biology at the University of Otago in 1999 and got a holiday job in an amazing wine shop, intending to work for a short while before going back to postgrad university studies.

“But I got hooked on wine instead and ended up completing a Diploma in Winemaking and Viticulture at EIT in Hawke’s Bay, before undertaking my Master of Wine, which I passed in 2011,” she explained.

“There’s been no grand plan, I’ve just been very fortunate to work with some great people and keep having interesting jobs come my way. “ It was the science of wine that attracted Jenkins towards viticulture, she was fascinated by how variables could combine in such infinite ways to create different results.

“It was great to get a practical understanding of how everything fitted together and why. That said, while technically I know how to make wine, I’ve never actually made any myself and I suspect you probably wouldn’t

want to drink anything I did!”

Jenkins pursued a Master of Wine as it was the perfect extension of her previous study, both at EIT and at Otago University. It made her consider everything about wine, from production to business and marketing sides, the cultural and historical aspects, plus she learned the skill of tasting in a very structured, focused manner to then write a logical argument for why a wine is what it is.

“There are so many fascinating aspects to wine, and Master of Wine study (and being a Master of Wine) gives you a great excuse to always keep learning.”

It is the discipline and the structured style of the Master of Wine approach to analysing wine that shapes what kind of judge Jenkins is. She also has extensive experience in tasting and understanding wines from all over the globe (not just New Zealand) which helps with context and perspective.

“I also really love wine and I’m very curious about its many different expressions, so I hope that comes

through in my judging too.”

Gilmours launched their inaugural International Wine Competition to recognise quality, affordable international wines in New Zealand.

The competition was developed to educate foodservice members on international wines and assist in planning their wine lists.

Emma Jenkins was joined by judges Sam Kim (Wine Orbit), Simon Nunns (Consulting Winemaker), and Chief Steward Jo Gear.

The competition also offered wineries an opportunity to take part in the only business-to-business international wine competition in New Zealand. But, with New Zealand producing so many great wines right here, why is it important for people to experience international wine?

“I think you just miss out on so much if you don’t broaden your wine horizons,” noted Jenkins.

“It’s an amazing way to travel the world from your own country (very handy at the moment!). You get a glimpse into another culture and their cuisine and history; it also helps

you gain a better perspective on New Zealand’s wines.”

Gilmours agreed, expressing that it is great for its members and their customers to have a broader knowledge and understanding of the wine that is available to them outside of New Zealand.

Many wineries that produce in the ‘Old World’ have been making wine for centuries and bring elegant wines at affordable prices. Giving the consumer the choice to either pick themselves or be guided by their server to experience new grape varieties or regions is key to excellent service.

Jenkins’ favourite part of being a wine judge is twofold – on a practical level, she explained that judging is incredibly valuable for keeping one’s palette sharp and used to tasting a wide range of wines. It also gives a good snapshot across varieties, regions, countries, and vintages.

“I also enjoy the social aspect in terms of catching up with fellow judges and hearing what’s happening in their wineries and regions. I learn a lot at shows, which is handy for my writing.”

For the Gilmours International Wine Competition, Jenkins had fun judging a range of international wines and enjoyed whittling down the couple of hundred entries to just the Top 20.

“We spent a lot of time considering not only the intrinsic quality but also finding wines that were deliciously drinkable and that we thought people would have fun exploring as perhaps something new to them.”

Gilmours expressed that the level of skill and professionalism the competition judges possessed in being able to identify and describe notes and properties in the wines was impressive.

“We are very much looking forward to helping educate and guide our Gilmours members with this knowledge.”

The Top 20 Gold Medal Wines from the Gilmours International Wine Compeition can be found at www. gilmours.co.nz or in any of the seven Cash ‘n Carry stores throughout the North Island.

May 2021

25

column HOW CAN WE ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES?

SKILLED STAFF SHORTAGES AT CRISIS POINT

Five years ago, we pondered the question, “is it harder than ever to recruit hospitality employees who meet the skill requirements to fill management roles in your business”? Back then our growing recruitment issues were being exacerbated by the needs of our burgeoning industry, which was experiencing a high period of growth (stalled only recently by the presence of a global pandemic). At that time, it seemed unlikely that our staff shortages could get worse, however fast forward five years and we find ourselves at what can only be described as crisis level.

D

By Marisa Bidois, CEO, NZ Restaurant Association marisa@restaurantnz.co.nz or 0800 737 827

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espite the challenges of trading under COVID-19 conditions, the hospitality industry has found it extremely challenging to recruit for skilled staff, particularly as businesses again needed to increase their teams in the 4th quarter of 2020 for the busy Summer season.

These recruitment challenges remain as we approach the middle of 2021 and it is widely being discussed as the most critical factor affecting the industry now.

Our staffing shortages are often putting untenable pressure on the business’ other employees, and the owners, to fill in where there are gaps in the staffing structure. It means the venue cannot always operate to full capacity when they need to and service levels become more difficult to maintain when staff are stretched, further affecting the customer experience, and again causing stress for staff and owners.

Often there is a need to reduce operating hours, and in more and more cases, businesses are closing, either temporarily, or permanently, due to the lack of staff. Business closures for this reason is not a position we have found ourselves

facing before and this highlights the extreme nature of our shortages.

Just over a third of the industry have recruited for senior roles within their businesses over the past two months. Of those operators who are looking for senior employees, 92 percent say they have found it either Difficult, or Extremely Difficult to recruit for these roles. This means they have had to advertise repeatedly to find suitable candidates, and in some cases have still not been able to fill the roles.

In addition, 53 per cent of operators have also been recruiting for ‘mid-level’ positions within their businesses, with a similar degree of difficulty in filling the roles identified.

Even recruiting for entry level staff is still challenging under the current environment, with almost three quarters of recruiting operators citing that it is Difficult, or Extremely Difficult to fill junior positions.

The obvious change between now and five years ago is our reduced pool of international workers working in the industry. We’ve been hard pressed to convince the government that many of those senior migrant workers are considered critical workers for our industry, but the reality is that without them hospitality is suffering significantly.

While borders have been closed access to these skilled international workers has essentially been turned off, however the Government has indicated that even as borders begin to reopen immigration policy will likely mean that they will still be largely inaccessible.

As we start our recovery, we want to be able to maximise every opportunity available to us and these international workers form an essential, beneficial, element of our workforce, when we can’t find suitable New Zealanders for the roles.

It is likely that government immigration policy is going to hinder our growth in our short term. However, our skill shortages are a legacy issue, and we need to be focused on long term solutions so that we are in a different place in five years’ time.

One of the solutions to managing our industry’s skill shortage issues is to retain those already in the industry and train them up to fill those skilled positions.

Our industry has notoriously high staff turnover and when employees leave a job, they don’t always stay within hospitality. Employees with management potential should be identified and nurtured and given the skills they need to become great managers, rather than getting thrown into a role they are not yet ready for because of a vacancy shortfall within the business.

While it may fulfil your shortterm requirements, an employee who becomes disillusioned due to a lack of knowledge and support will potentially leave the industry completely and this is a flow we need to stem.

The Association’s Springboard training - launched early 2021offers a mechanism to address retention. Different tiers of training from short, entry-level courses to certifications, leadership training and up to NZQA Level Four modules are available and we work with members to upskill and train employees so businesses can retain staff and keep them employed; encouraging career development.

Of course, as an industry it is essential that we have a flow of new entrants as well. We need to be extolling the benefits of a career in hospitality, which are wide and varied, so we can continue to encourage more to join the industry and the Restaurant Association sees this as one of our key responsibilities.

Our HospoStart programme, in collaboration with MSD, trains unemployed New Zealanders in the basics of hospitality, provides work experiences and work placement.

The programme is expanding into new regions in 2021, addressing regional needs that introduce muchneeded new employees into the local hospitality workforce.

To help create our long-term changes, we also have a roadmap guiding us towards the industry’s revival and to a stronger more resilient industry. We are engaging with key industry stakeholders, including industry operators, business organisations, training providers, Unions, regional tourism organisations and more, as well as a wider stakeholder network that includes Ministers and government departments.

We need the support of others but most importantly the government if we want to build a hospitality sector that is truly fit for the future.

HASSEL-FREE FIT-OUTS WITH F.E.DERAL HOSPITALITY EQUIPMENT Food Equipment Distributors (F.E.D) is the importer of a very large, exclusive, and professional range of food equipment, catering, kitchen equipment, refrigeration, furniture, tableware, and cookware enabling them to offer customers unsurpassed value and quality with a history of over forty-five years serving the commercial catering, baking and food industries.

F.E.D. is an Australian and New Zealand company with offices, showrooms, and warehouses in New South Wales (NSW supports the ACT), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), supporting Tasmania (TAS) and the Northern Territory (NT), Victoria

(VIC), Western Australia (WA) and in New Zealand, Auckland for supply of commercial food equipment.

Recently, F.E.D supplied kitchen equipment, including cook top, dishwasher, and steamer to a newly opened dumpling shop on Auckland’s K’ Rd called Bun and Bao. Rainie Hebrides, NZ Country Manager for F.E.D is also the Co-Founder of We Don’t Have Elephants, an Auckland-based company specialising in commercial interior design and fit-out, building consent and council licensing applications, company branding, and project management. This gives businesses heading to F.E.D for equipment needs an added breadth of information around design and build.

“We are a one-stop-shop for knowledge and a hassle-free experience,” noted Hebrides, who has years of experience in commercial design. Bun and Bao’s mission was to transform the humble dumpling from an Asian street snack into a new dining sensation.

The unique challenges Bun and Bao faced included a short timeline for completion, along with a shortage of supplies around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, F.E.D were fully stocked and were able to install the equipment within two days.

“I have known Rainie Hebrides for over five years as both a designer and equipment supplier. As a designer she manages an excellent team of experienced and skilled designers who, from the first meeting knew what I wanted for my restaurant.

During the process of the design, Rainie kept me in the loop with all facets of the design and was always available to answer questions patiently,” commented Brian Wong, owner of Bun and Bao. “Throughout both the tender and fit-out Rainie visited the site at least once per week to make sure the fit-out was following the design and to liaise with the main and sub-contractors. This helped immensely in making sure that we got to open our doors to trade in the quickest time possible. Since the restaurant

FULL COMMERCIAL KITCHEN SETUP Starting from $20,000

opened, the after-sale service on the equipment is always done with a smile on her face and she deals with any issues in a quick and efficient manner.”

Hebrides noted that customers are more focused on having an experience when dining out, with openplan kitchens and designs that show off the kitchen, particularly on trend.

With customer care a high priority, during the height of the COVID pandemic, F.E.D reviewed their pricing structure and maintained their stock levels to ensure clients had access to affordable equipment.

“Seeing our clients being successful at what they do best and being able to support that is the most rewarding part of what we do,” concluded Hebrides.

For more information about how F.E.D can help facilitate your kitchen needs, visit www.fedproducts. co.nz

30 min

restaurant or cafe set-up consultation

Your free consultation includes: • Consent Requirement (Hospitality) • Kitchen Layout Plan Consultation • Equipment Planning • Service Checklist

* Terms & Conditions Apply Contact Us Today! sales@fedproducts.co.nz 0800-081-847

Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

146 Neilson Street, Onehunga 1643, Auckland, New Zealand

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meet the chef

Daniel Lee

Head Chef, Norris & Bell, TAURANGA Korean American Daniel Lee, head chef at Tauranga’s Norris & Bell, grew up in San Diego, California before moving to New Zealand eight years ago.

At first, he came to simply experience Aotearoa, but ended up staying and becoming a Kiwi.

L

ee grew up in a hospitality background with his father a chef and mother a restaurant manager back in San Diego. Lee expressed that he fell in love with eating “day one of my life” and has spent the last 13 years in the industry.

“I started by helping my father in his kitchen, but never wanted to be a chef because I saw my Dad working long hours,” explained Lee. “I started my first official job when I was a waiter at the Grand Hyatt in San Diego. A couple of weeks later the kitchen team were short staffed for a massive outdoor catering event, I got pulled into the kitchen to help on the hot-line and ended up loving the action and heat from the kitchen.”

Lee was also attracted to what food does to people, how it brings people together and he is motivated by the fact that there is always something new to learn as a chef.

“I’m constantly thinking of something new, or how to reinvent classic things my way, it’s a neverending job! And as crazy as it sounds, I do really love being in the action during service, to stress out, work under pressure with my team and

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then finish the day with a beer or a wine.”

Colin Norris and George Bell founded the aptly named Norris & Bell on The Strand around 1915 when only about 4,000 people called Tauranga home. Today, Norris & Bell represents exquisite care and attention, the steak and oyster restaurant draws on the rich history of its building and rich flavours to deliver a unique and nostalgiainspired dining experience.

Reinvented by restaurant developers Billy Emeny and Mohinder Sawroop, the restaurant has been influential in developing The Strand and Tauranga region.

Opening to the public in March 2021, Norris & Bell’s menu is designed with intriguing smells and tastes that draw out memories from a time past. Wood-fired prawns with the scent of a beach bonfire, charred pork with apple and apricot chutney reminiscent of Christmas day and fruit pie, and oysters with the foam, bubble, and salt of a day in the ocean waves.

Reflecting Norris & Bell’s ethos, Lee is always trying to work with what mother nature provides, changing the

menu every two-three months to work with seasonal ingredients.

“I work with different techniques, methods, and cuisines to get the best out of the ingredients I work with.

I go based on Italian a lot of time.

Simplicity and the seasonal flavours of Italian cuisine I have experienced myself gives me the inspirations all the time for how to use and work with seasonal ingredients.”

On top of the typical challenges that the COVID pandemic brought, including pivoting Norris & Bell’s offerings towards takeaway meals and

at-home meal kits, Lee admitted that his biggest challenge was the mental health of his staff.

“It was so difficult to communicate and work over Zoom with my staff, even just to chat about how they were doing so would give a little menu creation task or lockdown dinner challenge so they could focus on something else.”

For Lee, it is his staff that make his job so rewarding, he loves developing their skills and getting them better than they were the day before.

“This just gives me so much

satisfaction, seeing these young chefs growing together with me, inspired about food, loving what they are doing and getting satisfaction out of what they do in the kitchen.”

Eventually, Lee would like to open a restaurant similar to ‘Everybody Eats’ (a social endeavour that helps feed those with food insecurity once a week).

“I’ve volunteered with my kitchen team before and love what Everybody Eats does, but just thought ‘what if we can do this for everybody every day?’ Like I said, I love the way food

brings people together and everyone deserves this.”

When he’s not in the kitchen, Lee’s favourite thing to do is go spearfishing, where he can be alone and think of nothing else but the water and finding dinner ingredients from the ocean. His advice to young chefs is to not give up, even when you’ve done something wrong.

“Learn from your mistakes and carry on. Make today better than yesterday, confidence follows.”

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HELPING THE INDUSTRY ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

We are very lucky in New Zealand, with new waves of the COVID-19 virus stalling the re-opening efforts of countries around the world, here in Aotearoa we have been able to mostly return to normal, including being able to come face-to-face at important trade events – an experience that can’t quite be replicated in the virtual world.

O

ne of the greatest advantages of exhibiting at a trade show is that it allows you to meet and connect with prospective customers in person instead of communicating with them over the phone. On the phone, you’re just another voice – in person, you become someone that they know, recognise, and want to connect with.

Fine Food New Zealand is the must-attend trade event for 2021. It’s where we will unite as an industry, share knowledge, discover new ideas and the latest trends from over 200 exhibitors, learn from the experts, create new business contacts, network and so much more.

The landscape of our industry has changed drastically since the last edition of Fine Food New Zealand, and this vital trade event

has evolved and grown to reflect the current environment and issues.

Pivotal to the event, are the SilverChef Seminar Series, where industry experts will discuss key topics. You can expect to find essential information on how to diversify and future-proof your business, lower food kitchen costs, get your products into Countdown, aid wellness in the workplace and more. Attendees can expect a packed schedule full of content to help their businesses get back on track.

With a shortage in skills, Fine Food New Zealand is hosting hands-on workshops in conjunction with the NZ Chefs Association. Chefs of all levels will be able to attend sessions to increase their repertoire of knowledge in bakery, butchery, and seafood.

For the first time, Fine Food New

Zealand will introduce Vitasoy Plant Base. With the growing popularity of responsible food choices, Vitasoy Plant Base focuses on vegan options, fresh produce, meat alternatives and plenty more. It’s the ideal forum to taste and explore new products.

Other features include:

• New Product Showcase: The Fine Food New Zealand New Product Showcase is designed to recognise real innovation by companies in the food, beverage, packaging, equipment, and other relevant sectors. Discover the latest advancements in food, packaging, equipment and more.

• Best Cellar: The Best Cellar is a trade liquor area at Fine Food New Zealand dedicated to wine, beer, spirits, craft drinks and associated

suppliers. It will combine some of the best local and international brands exhibiting in one place along with the newly introduced Interactive Bar Feature.

• Artisan Alley: Handmade, smallbatch, traditional, and super-highquality goods all gathered in one place.

• With the support of Goodman Fielder, Fine Food New Zealand’s Café Hub is a must visit, showcasing premium café products to new and existing operators.

• Networking Lounge: Connect, do business, and grab a beverage and a bite to eat at the central hub.

• Gilmours Your One Stop Shop: Gilmours is your one stop Foodservice shop providing you with food galore to beverages and more.

Visit their stand over the three days for interactive chef demonstrations and food sampling, showcasing how they can help your business with easy food solutions.

Fine Food New Zealand takes place at ASB Showgrounds on 13 – 15 June 2021. Attendance is free for all who register before midnight 12 June.

Registrations after this date will incur a $25 gate fee.

For more information or to register your interest, visit www.finefoodnz.co.nz

FOOD. IT’S yOUR BUSINESS. Reinvigorate your passion.

Receive expert knowledge.

Reconnect with the industry.

Recover your business.

New Zealand’s leading foodservice, hospitality and food retail trade event - Fine Food New Zealand is set to be the most critical industry event in 2021.

Enter the code RESTAURANTCAFE for free entry 30

restaurantandcafé.co.nz

13 – 15 June 2021 ASB SHOWGROUNDS AUCKLAND NZ finefoodnz.co.nz

ALSCO

ALPRO

The Alpro ‘Professional’ range has been crafted for espresso and is available in soy, coconut, almond and oat. It is easy to froth and can be steamed to provide a shiny, thick micro foam that is perfect for latte’ art. The flavours have been developed to compliment the coffee and never to dominate the coffee experience.

The Alpro range is 100% plant based and is dairy, gluten and wheat free and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Visit us at stand A24. For more information, visit www.realfoods.co.nz

Hygienic, Smart, Simple…

There is no compromise with workplace hygiene in the food preparation industry.

Alsco helps you maintain superb levels of hygiene by supplying industrially washed and perfectly sanitary linen, wipes and catering workwear delivered to your business. We also offer floor mats, washroom and first aid services to support the hygiene and safety requirements of restaurant and catering industry across New Zealand.

• Linen – Tablecloths, Overlays, Napkins, Tea Towels, Cotton Striped Wipes and HAACP wipes • Uniforms – Chefs (Jackets and Trousers – all styles), Wait staff, Aprons. Can be customised to your brand • Floorcare – Entrance and Welcome Mats, Anti- Fatigue, Wet Area Mats • First Aid – First Aid kits (food grade), Eyewash stations, Portable Defibrillators • Washroom – Hygiene, Hand care, Hand Drying, Odour control, Deep cleaning Whether you’re in Hospitality, Catering, Restaurants or Bars, Alsco can help.

We have been supporting the industry for over 100 years and have mastered our product range to fit the needs of New Zealand businesses. You’ll get what you need, keeping your business and people clean and professional.

Visit us at B28. Contact our Customer Services & Support Team for more information and to arrange a Client Manager to visit; 0800 4 ALSCO (25726), feedback@alsco.co.nz, www.alsco.co.nz

BARKER’S PROFESSIONAL

ANGEL FOOD

Dairy-free is one of the hottest food trends around the world, and Angel Food’s delicious products make delicious dairy-free and vegan meals easy! Updating your customers’ old favourites is a snap with Angel Food’s dairy-free (and gluten- free) alternatives. Try our cheese sauce mix for macaroni cheese, our cheddar in toasted sandwiches, our mozzarella on pizza, our feta in salads, and our parmesan on top of everything savoury! Proudly made in New Zealand.

Visit us at Stand V18. For more information contact us on info@angelfood.co.nz, phone 09 3764623 www.angelfood.co.nz

Barker’s Professional is your local Food Service and Bakery partner to help create inspiring solutions for professional kitchens and bakeries.

Barker’s promise is to add flavour, flair, and ease to our customers' businesses by understanding their needs in this dynamic market.

We focus on delivering innovation, inspiration, consistent quality, underpinned by strong relationships. We are a proud New Zealand business 50 years young with a rich heritage and strong values.

Our success lies in the success of our customers.

Come and see us at stands B41 and L14 to see how we can help you with your food and drink solutions.

For more information contact shelley.king@barkers.co.nz or visit www.barkersprofessional.nz

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BAXTER’S ORIGINAL

‘Get on the Sauce’ with the Baxter’s Original range of awardwinning flavoursome sauces! The BBQ, Teriyaki and hot sauces are all 100% gluten free and made in New Zealand with all-natural ingredients. We have the manufacturing and distribution capacity to meet any order and wholesale to retail and bulk catering units for the food service sector. From ‘Sweet and Smoky’ BBQ sauce a mild delicious family favourite and best seller, through to the spicier ‘Dragons Breath’ BBQ sauce which earned World Champion Status at the 2017 World Hot Sauce Awards in the USA. Baxter’s Original delivers that extra zest to your favourite food!

Come and ‘Get on th Sauce’ with us at stand K08. Contact Berrin: +64 21 474 402 or email saucy@baxtersoriginal.co.nz www.baxtersoriginal.co.nz

BE NOURISHED

Be Nourished started just over 10 years ago and the focus was and still is on good gut health. Be Nourished Organic products are loaded with beneficial live cultures to nourish you from the inside out. A tablespoon of our delicious Kraut or Kimchi is the perfect complement to any meal.

We will be showcasing Be Nourished Kimchi and a selection of quality flavoured Sauerkrauts. Matched with Farmland Foods premium quality smallgoods, including bacon, ham, cooked meats, and speciality goods.

Come and meet Brenda and Steve at stand L21.

For more information, visit www.benourished.nz

BENNETTO NATURAL FOODS CO. Bennetto Natural Foods Co is an exclusive ‘all dark’ chocolate producing company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Their range of delicious products are entirely certified - organic, Fairtrade, gluten-free and vegan. All cocoa is sourced from small family-owned cooperatives in South America. Bennetto chocolate is carbon neutral and business operations Climate positive accredited.

• Fairtrade Certified • Organic Certified • Vegan Certified • Gluten-Free Certified • Free of refined white sugar (we use organic raw cane sugar) • No preservatives or artificial additives Come and meet the Bennetto team at Stand K40.

For more information, visit www.bennetto.co.nz

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BURNS & FERRALL

Established in 1948, Burns & Ferrall are The Innovative Heart of Hospitality and supply world leading brands to clubs, restaurants, bars, hotels and institutions across New Zealand and the Pacific.

Joining forces with E.CF Asia Pacific in 2019, your one-stopshop for project design, kitchenware and equipment now offers a hugely expanded inventory plus New Zealand’s largest hospitality showroom.

Visit us at stand D4

EMERALD FOODS Emerald Foods are a New Zealand owned and operated Ice Cream Company who represent well-known brands such as Killinchy Gold, Chateau, Movenpick and New Zealand Natural.

Their premium Killinchy Gold brand will be the focus of the Fine Food NZ show for 2021 with many flavours of ice cream and sorbet available to try. All products are available Nationally from Bidfood Foodservice.

For any enquiries contact Jason Bough on 0275-864-228 or see us at Stand J29 for a taste of premium NZ ice cream.

Visit www.icecream.co.nz

EUROTEC LTD

The demand for efficient, high quality and most importantly time-saving food safety equipment is increasing. Temperature control in the food industry is as crucial to product quality as it is to the fulfilment of hygiene requirements and the maintenance of ambient conditions when shipping or storing foodstuffs.

At Fine Food New Zealand 2021, Eurotec Ltd will be showcasing the Testo range of HACCP Certified Food Safety instruments, ranging from simple probe thermometers to complete data logging systems that provide the accurate measuring results needed for compliance with the relevant regulations.

Testo are market leaders in thermometers, pH testers, data loggers and oil testers for food safety that can be used across a variety of applications including restaurants and catering, food production, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, confectionery, logistics, food auditing and more.

Testo has been in business for a milestone 64 years. This longevity in the industry is a testament to the success and quality of Testo and their products. Eurotec are proud to be the distributor of Testo products here in New Zealand for over 30 years, providing high quality food safety equipment to the food sector.

Find Eurotec and Testo products at Stand E46.

Eurotec Ltd 09 579 1990, sales@eurotec.co.nz, www.eurotec.co.nz www.testo.nz (Testo NZ online store)

FARMLAND FOODS LTD

Farmland Foods started in a family butcher shop over 50 years ago and now, three generations later, it is one of New Zealand’s leading smallgoods producers. Still passionately family run in Bulls in the Rangitikei district.

Farmland Foods employs over 100 local staff and has invested in stateof-the-art manufacturing and equipment to produce quality meats. From humble beginnings to today and beyond, Farmland Foods has always been committed to quality and innovation.

Proudly New Zealand owned with many years of passion for quality meats and superior service.

We will be showcasing Farmland Foods premium quality smallgoods, including bacon, ham, cooked meats and speciality goods matched with quality Be Nourished Kimchi and a selection of quality flavoured Sauerkrauts.

Come and see Brenda and Steve at stand L21 and for more information visit www.farmlandfoods.nz

HOWLER HOTDOGS When it comes to fun finger food you can’t beat a hotdog!

Howler Hotdogs has a range of mini and regular sized hotdogs that caters for your customers dietary needs whether they’re a regular carnivore, flexitarian, vegan or gluten free.

We look forward to seeing you at Fine Food to sample these so you can see our commitment to having like for like products. If you’re looking for an attention grabber, you might like to check out our foot long Hound Dogs while you’re there.

Come and meet us at stand M22. For more information, contact Jo Williamson topdog@howlerhotdogs.co.nz, 021 226 6469 May 2021

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GLORY GLOBAL As a global leader in cash technology solutions, we provide the retail, food and beverage, financial, cash centre and gaming industries with confidence that their cash is protected and always working to help build a stronger business.

Our cash automation solutions help businesses in more than 100 countries optimise the handling, movement, and management of cash.

While we span the globe, we personally engage with every New Zealand customer to address their unique challenges and goals — enhancing staff efficiency, reducing operating costs and enhancing the customer experience.

We offer peace of mind. We enable transformation. We empower people.

We do all this by releasing companies from the burden of cash management, putting cash to work, helping customers enhance the value that their staff and facilities add to their business.

We are Glory. We secure the future. Visit us at stand E48.

For more information, please email us on sales@nz.glory-global.com

NEUDORF BLACK

Neudorf Black captures flavour and goodness with its all-natural range of gourmet black garlic condiments that are ready to use.

Black Garlic with no additives. Prized for its distinctive flavour as well as its nutrients, 100% Black Garlic Puree is ready-to-use. Neudorf Black use only New Zealand garlic and make premium Black Garlic Puree, Black Garlic Essence and more. Taste and see it for yourself.

Come and meet us at stand N7.

You can also contact Teena & Noël Jelsma on sales@neudorfblack.co.nz, Ph. 021 0806 0150. www.neudorfblack.co.nz

PACIFIC TRADE INVEST

MONIN AND TABASCO

We will offer you a world of flavour with products from two iconic brands on showcase at this year’s Fine Food Show.

MONIN will be featuring its newest addition - the Le Mixeur de MONIN range. The sweet, juicy Strawberry Daiquiri will add another dimension to your cocktails, lemonades, iced teas, and smoothies. We will also have our 80+ flavours on show. Come and talk to our Beverage Innovation Manager on site to get new ideas and explore all possibilities!

TABASCO will be featuring its well-received new addition - Sriracha, a preservative free hot sauce made from sweet chilis chillies, Thai spices and signature Tabasco aged red peppers. We will have tasting on site to showcase how you can use Tabasco sauce to enrich and enhance your dishes.

Come and visit us at stand J3 in Artisan Alley, we look forward to welcoming you. See you there!

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For more than thirty years Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) NZ has represented the best products the Pacific Islands have to offer. PTI NZ works with a wide variety of niche products from organic spices to giant freshwater prawns to exotic fruit pulp. In addition, they also cater to the New Zealand market for island root crops such as taro.

Nishi Foods is one of Tonga’s largest exporters supplying top quality frozen taro, cassava, and breadfruit. A must try is their breadfruit flour which, thanks to its high nutritional value and gluten free status is a great wheat flour alternative. They will also be sampling their freshly pressed moringa powder which has medicinal properties and contains many healthy nutrients such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Operating out of Auckland, Ashon Ventures is a competitive distribution company in New Zealand with a wide network of suppliers. In recent years they have diversified into food product development, such as their well-known brand Taste of India which uses fresh Fijian spices. This year at the Fine Food Show they will also be sampling Soltuna – the freshest and tastiest canned tuna you will ever taste, direct from the beautiful Solomon Islands. ‘’Let food be thy medicine’’ is the mantra of Fine Foods Ltd. The Ni-Vanuatu company practice what they preach by only using natural products and seeking out plants and foods that enhance the energy, verve, health and wellbeing of those who eat them and, importantly have the capacity to heal them. Based in Port Vila they produce their signature ‘’Supa’MAN Fries’’ made from cassava and which is a popular potato alternative.

Pacific Trade Invest NZ will be at Stand S4.

Connect with them on Facebook @pacifictradeinvestnz, Instagram @pti_nz or email info@pacifictradeinvest.co.nz

SAFE FOOD PRO REMEDY

When Sarah and Emmet Condon started Remedy, they wanted to do something good, shake things up and make it right. They knew that healthy could also be tasty and easy. While they’ve moved on from the kitchen bench where they started, Remedy is still made the old-school way: in small batches, long-aged brewed for 30 days.

When kombucha is fermented naturally and kept raw, unpasteurised, and unfiltered, like they do at Remedy, it contains healthy, living, good bacteria, or live cultures. Every bottle of Remedy Kombucha contains literally billions of these microorganisms.

The result is the tastiest and healthiest kombucha going around: it contains no sugar, naturally, and is chock-full of all the right stuff: live cultures, organic acids, and antioxidants.

Visit Remedy at stand J18. For more information visit www.remedydrinks.com

Safe Food Pro is excited to be back at the Auckland Fine Food Show. We launched Safe Food Pro at the 2018 Fine Food Show and have since grown our business to over 1200 customers across New Zealand and Australia. Safe Food Pro is being used across a wide range of food business both large and small, including: Restaurants, Cafes, Caterers, Takeaways, Butchers, Bakers, Aged care, Bars & Pubs, Clubs, Education, Manufacturers, Convenience Stores & Supermarkets. Safe Food Pro is perfect for small single site businesses through to multi-site and group businesses.

Not only are we New Zealand’s most popular Food Safety App, but we also offer automated wireless temperature monitoring and Bluetooth digital thermometer integration. At the show we will be giving live demos of our software and temperature monitoring solutions. Food safety and compliance has never been more important and safe Food Pro makes food safety management easy.

Easy to set-up and easy for your staff to use. Not only will your verifications be fast and efficient you will also get real-time visibility of food safety across your business.

Come and see us at stand J32 and let our team show you how we can make your compliance easy. www.safefoodpro.co.nz

SERVICE FOODS

SEARCHFIELD

We are back on our usual stand for Fine Food this year. We will have the full range of Menumaster product on show and operating.

Come and see us with your speed cooking requirements. We will also have our range of JTech table and staff paging options.

Thinking of Drive-Thru to speed up your service? We will have our range of HME wireless systems. We are also planning to have a cool new All-In-One-Kiosk solution and some other cool new tech if we can get it here in time!

Check us out on stand G38. For more information visit www. searchfield.co.nz

Service Foods’ customers aim to be the best, but they can only be the best at what they do if we aim to be the best at what we do too. Delivering food is just the first part; we also must deliver quality, innovation, sustainability, and differentiation while we’re at it. So, that’s what we aim to do, and that’s why we’re known as the company behind every great chef.

As one of New Zealand’s largest, privately, family-owned, and operated foodservice businesses, we specialise in the procurement and distribution of premium quality food products.

We directly import more than 4000 products and supplement this with 8000+ locally produced products. Our wide range consists of everything from fresh produce to sustainably caught seafood; premium spices to specialist meat cuts, which come to you directly from one of our 11 branches across the country.

We’ll be at the Fine Food Show in 2021 showcasing a range of our products and giving you a chance to meet our Auckland team. Stop by to say hello at stand T1, try a changing selection of tempting goodies, and don’t forget to pick up a Service Foods show bag on your way in too.

For more information, contact info@servicefoods.co.nz or visit www.servicefoods.co.nz May 2021

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SHEPHERD FILTERS The Shepherd Filters solution is revolutionary within the Kitchen Exhaust & Ventilation market by making it smarter, cleaner, safer, and environmentally friendly. Shepherd Filters are helping small, medium, and large cafés, restaurant operations, theme parks, hotels & resorts, and fast-food chains all over the world to save money and reduce their fire risk with an easy-to-use system. As opposed to metal kitchen grease filters that only stop 20-40% of grease vapours from entering the hood, Shepherd Filters capture up to 98% of airborne grease right at the filter! This reduces the grease build-up that enters the plenum, ductwork, fans, and roofs dramatically and therefore minimises the risk of catastrophic fires. Quick, easy to install, and disposed of in seconds, changing Shepherd Filters is a welcome alternative to degreasing filters.

With grease build-up heavily-reduced between cleans, instant savings are made to: • Labour/contractor costs associated with metal grease filters and exhaust systems • Reduced frequency and complexity of kitchen duct cleans • A reduction in water usage and harsh chemicals to maintain a clean kitchen exhaust system; • Cleaner rooftop fans, HVAC, and other extraction equipment, resulting in efficient operation, less maintenance, and energy savings Shepherd Filters are proudly made from 100% wool, a renewable resource, the filter media is carbon-neutral and will break down in landfills.

• HACCP approved • Won “Product of the Year” at the AIRAH Awards 2019 • Won “Service and Maintenance Initiative of the Year award” at H&V News UK 2018 • Won “Best New Hospitality Product” at Fine Foods Australia 2017 Visit Shepherd Filters at Stand E38. For more information, contact Jeremy Kronk, info@shepherdfilters.co.nz, 0800 425 449, or visit www.shepherdfilters.co.nz

THE FRESH GROWER

Check out our range of leafy green salads and speciality vegetables and explore how they might enhance your offerings to your customers.

Ranging from baby broccoli stems to Asian vegetables and niche lines such as Japanese silky sweet turnips and caulilini. All grown locally in Pukekohe and shipped nationwide.

Come and meet The Fresh Grower at Stand K39. For more information, visit www.thefreshgrower.co.nz

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UNITED FOOD CO

United Fisheries is located in Christchurch and has grown since 1974 from modest beginnings to become one of the top ten seafood companies in New Zealand.

We produce top quality products from our purpose built, temperature-controlled export factory supplying throughout New Zealand and exporting around the globe. These processing facilities are equal to any in its class in the world incorporating the latest technology to meet the ever-increasing international standards and conditions for many years to come.

United Fisheries is very passionate about their products and has created highly regarded market brands to service both the retail and foodservice sectors with Sea Cuisine, United Fish Co & United Food Co delivering quality fresh, frozen, and gourmet value added seafood product.

Come and visit us at stand L32. For more information, visit www.unitedfisheries.co.nz

UNOX

We will be showcasing the latest technology for combi ovens, SPEED.Pro™ and for the first time ever in New Zealand “The Hot Fridge” - EVEREO® in conjunction with the patented MULTI. Day hot vacuum system. UNOX have developed a range of ovens to suit almost every application. Starting from a three tray programable convection oven to a 40 tray combination oven and every-thing in between. The UNOX MIND.Maps™ technology ensures high standard cooking results with maximum return on investment. Our ovens have 30% less components than those of our competitors, meaning they are both easy to use and maintain.

As a Chef or Business Owner you focus on uncompromised quality, innovative choices, measurable efficiency, and reliability.

For you, this means maximum performance, ease of use and savings. For UNOX, it is Inventive Simplification.

This is a must-see opportunity, be sure to visit us at stand C16 to experience the latest in innovative technology and to meet the team of passionate people who will continue to help those who challenge themselves every day.

For more information, contact info@unox.co.nz, 0273 400 404, or visit www.unox.com/en_nz/

VITASOY CAFÉ FOR BARISTAS

Vitasoy Café for Baristas range is made exclusively for the trade and has been specifically formulated to complement your barista skills and deliver the perfect plant-based coffee every time. At Vitasoy, we make our plant milk using only the best ingredients, through a process we’ve refined to be as simple as possible. We believe in supporting local Aussie farmers, proudly manufacturing our Café for Baristas products in regional Victoria, Australia.

The range features Soy, Almond and our newest member of the range, Oat milk. Our original plant milk for coffee is crafted using the humble soybean.

Vitasoy Café for Baristas Soy has been specially formulated to complement your barista skills and deliver the perfect soy coffee every time.

Vitasoy Café for Baristas oat milk has been specially formulated to deliver a perfect plant-based coffee. Made from 100% Australian grown whole oats, it has a mild and balanced flavour that lets the beans speak for themselves.

Pop down to our stand C34 for an exclusive taste of our newly formulated, creamy, and delicious Almond Milk before it’s officially launched to trade!

Visit www.vitasoycafe.com.au

WELL & TRULY ARTISAN PANTRY

WILD CHEF

Come and meet us at Stand Q5, and for more information contact Sue or Matt Loder, 022 1932 902 or email sales@wellandtruly.nz or visit www.wellandtruly.nz

Visit the Wild Chef team on Stand L39 in Hall 2 (right next to the Networking Lounge) or visit www.wildchef.co.nz if you cannot be there.

We are a humble, Kiwi family-owned company located in the beautiful setting of rural Cambridge, New Zealand. Everything we produce, we do with well-ness in mind, just whole nutritious food how nature intended, simply made special. No cutting corners, no fillers, no artificial stuff.

Gourmet,100% certified gluten-free always!

Why the name Well & Truly? It’s about who we are. An awareness of what we contribute and the legacy we leave behind. It’s about supporting others through this business to enable well-ness. From the products we make to the everyday encounters we have; it’s about being truthful to ourselves and others. We are real, authentic, and always a work in progress. It’s about the honesty of what we create, and how we as contributors treat our planet and the people who cross our path. It’s our compass, I guess.

WILD CHEF is a New Zealand Gourmet Food Manufacturer, producing Chef Quality meal components, canape bases and sticks that are minimally processed. We are continually creating innovative Kiwi products that are quick and cost-effective menu solutions. Products that are consistent quality & saves on prep-time but also ticking the dietary boxes. These include variations of Rosti, Polenta Chips, Hash Browns & Sticks, Falafels, Potato Gratin and Veggie Patties allowing Chefs to use these bases around their creativity & budgets. Meet the owners of Wild Chef, Jeremy and Jennifer Lang, alongside their fabulous Wild Chef team to share some new ideas and inspiration around the Wild Chef product range. Plus, taste our NEW Hash Sticks and Parmesan Hash Sticks part of our “Stick Family” concept!

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grape to glass

With a career predominantly based between Martinborough and Central Otago, Oliver ‘Olly’ Masters, winemaker at Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago has been around wine since he was a teenager.

H OLIVER ‘OLLY’ MASTERS Winemaker, Misha’s Vineyard, Central Otago

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is father, who taught Biology and Chemistry was a keen wine club participant, plus friends and family were also in the industry, so wine was always around.

“Winemaking was a part of my initial Biotechnology degree studies at Massey University and has always been one of the fun parts of life,” noted Masters.

Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for the New Zealand wine industry, Masters’ footballing aspirations suffered from his lack of ability.

Instead, his first job in the wine industry, after graduating from wine studies at Lincoln University in 1989, was when he and a friend top-grafted rootstock in the merlot block of an Ata Rangi Vineyard.

“It was a scary first job but thankfully successful.

As with this and what followed, it was the people I met that often determined the paths I subsequently walked.”

For the following 15 years, Masters was mostly based in Martinborough with many years making wine at Ata Rangi. He then established a wine consulting company in 2005 and subsequently was approached by Misha and Andy Wilkinson to be involved in their new venture, Misha’s Vineyard, in Central Otago.

“The opportunity to make Pinot Noir (and aromatic whites) in the Central Otago region on such a spectacular site was irresistible. This year marks the 15th vintage at Misha’s Vineyard, and I’ve been at the helm for winemaking from the outset.”

Misha’s Vineyard grew from a passion for wine with the first vines planted in 2004. It started producing wine in 2007 with the first commercial release in 2008. Now Misha’s has 26 hectares of vineyard on a 57-hectare estate with more to be planted. Misha’s Vineyard now export to 14 countries and have been named one of the country’s Top 20 Wine Producers.

“Misha and Andy established the vineyard with a ‘no compromise’ philosophy and that flows

through to the way we approach the viticulture, winemaking and how the brand is marketed. The idea is to get it right the first time and not to take shortcuts!”

Misha’s Vineyard is sustainably farmed and certified as a member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ). The brand is also sustainably certified across the winery and the bottling line – so all aspects of wine production.

They work closely with the adjacent high-country

sheep station and usually have some 700 merino sheep doing the ‘winter mowing’ on the vineyard.

“Our vineyard crew hand-tend and hand harvest the 65,000 vines on our single estate vineyard so we have minimal use of machinery. Our composting program utilises the grape marc after winemaking to ensure resources are used wisely.

Careful stewardship of the land is an absolute priority for us. Also maintaining a viable business is also obviously a key part of that circle of sustainability.”

Wine and vineyards are about balance, according to Masters.

“You want the vineyard to be healthy and still looking like that in 10+ years’ time, just as the wines should be. Consistency of style lets the vintage and vineyard site be the loudest voice.

Winemaking is done with native yeasts for the Pinot Noir fermentation and a portion of natural/ wild fermentation is used across the range of aromatic white wines to give wines of great texture and ageability,” he said.

“I love being in the vineyard. I think that our physical surroundings shape us and all that we do, especially when we let it happen. Central Otago wine will always have a purity and edginess that reflects the landscape and climate.”

Being invited to judge at various wine shows across Australia and New Zealand over his career has been a privilege, explained Masters, and an aspect of the industry that he has always enjoyed, seeing it as a large part of his ongoing education.

Masters’ advice to those just beginning their journey in the world of wine is to go to as many wine tastings as possible.

“The more you taste, the better you understand and appreciate all the aspects of making great wine.”

Masters said he has witnessed a flowering of a young industry in this country over the last 30 years that has been amazing. Continuing to share wines and knowledge with the rest of the world will only help progress the Kiwi wine journey and while vine age is one thing New Zealand often lacks, this quality driver is something only time will resolve.

Blending and finishing wines is the fun, final part for Masters, but ultimately, it’s seeing the joy he can bring to people who interact with his product that is the most special, and he wishes to simply keep making good wines from older vines.

“It’s been a privilege to be involved in the wine industry and meet many of the special people who have helped shape it.”

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Partners in the road to recovery

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