SupermarketNews Magazine | February 2023

ATTENTION GROCERY SUPPLIERS

The Food and Grocery Council is an industry association for grocery suppliers providing members networking, events, industry information and strong advocacy. Contact us for information on the benefits of membership: raewyn.bleakley@fgc.org.nz

• Networking • Industry Updates

• Conference and Events

• Education and Training

• Advocacy and Law Reform

SEE YOU AT THE EXPO

opportunities. So it's an excellent time to consider some key aspects expos provide for the sector.

SOME KEY BENEFITS:

Networking Opportunities:

and retailers with valuable market intelligence, informing them about industry trends and the competition. Sales and Lead Generation: Exhibitions can provide brand owners with a direct sales opportunity to generate leads for future sales.

Tania Walters | Publisher

March is all about the Foodstuffs exhibition at Claudelands. As New Zealand's largest B2B food show, it's easy to see why this event is a must-attend on the grocery industry calendar.

Exhibitions are a valuable tool for grocery manufacturers to showcase their products and reach potential customers, partners, and collaborators. They also allow retailers to gain valuable updates on consumer and product trends. By exhibiting, manufacturers demonstrate their products' unique features and benefits and establish their brand presence in the market. By attending, buyers, operators, and retailers can consolidate relationships with suppliers, learn about new products and discuss

Exhibitions bring together industry professionals from across the sector, allowing suppliers to connect and network with key buyers. This can lead to new business opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations.

Direct Interactions with Customers:

Exhibitions allow manufacturers to interact with customers and receive product feedback directly. This can help manufacturers understand customer preferences and make improvements or adjustments to product profiles and brand appeal.

Showcasing Products:

Exhibitions provide a platform for manufacturers to showcase their products and highlight their unique selling points. Helping manufacturers differentiate themselves from competitors and increase brand recognition.

Market Research: Exhibitions provide suppliers

Exhibitions are a valuable tool for both suppliers and retail partners. Brand owners want to increase brand recognition, generate leads, and connect with key industry players, while operators are looking for trends, consumer insights and NPD.

It's a win-win for both retailers and suppliers. These networking opportunities and valuable insights into categories and trends should not be undervalued.

We look forward to catching up with you at this year's event. n

www.fgc.org.nz

The NEW ZEALAND BEVERAGE COUNCIL is an industry association whose members cover all aspects of the non-alcoholic beverage market both in New Zealand and the export markets.

tania@reviewmags.com

The Council members are spread throughout New Zealand and come together annually for a conference that covers industry issues and is addressed by international speakers. The organisation monitors product quality, sets standards for the industry and runs national competitions and awards.

PUBLISHER Tania Walters

GENERAL MANAGER Kieran Mitchell

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Sarah Mitchell

EDITOR Caitlan Mitchell

CONTENT MANAGERS/ SALES Felicity-Anne Flack, Caroline Boe, Bailey Nickel

EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE Sabrina Snoad

SENIOR DESIGNER Raymund Sarmiento

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Debby Wei

Product Description

• Designed to be conveniently stored in the freezer and easily defrosted.

• Vacuum sealed packaging to maintain product quality and flavour integrity.

• Quick to cook from packet to plate in under 5 minutes.

• Excellent high protein, low fat addition to any meal.

• Available in Garlic or Sweet Chilli flavour marinade options.

Exclusive to Foodstuffs

BRAVING THE STORM

The extreme weather that hit the country late last month has been exacerbated this month by the force of the arrival of cyclone Gabrielle. Flooding, power outages, landslides, uprooted trees, and destruction have torn through the upper North Island. Communities that had barely started the cleanup from the floods are being hit again just two weeks later. As Gabrielle heads south, for only the third time in New Zealand's history, a National State of Emergency has been declared.

An integral part of the support to communities is the Mayoral Relief Fund. For Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, the Mayoral Relief Fund has been the vehicle for respite.

“The use of such a fund is a well-worn path from other emergencies, and it allows discretion and flexibility due to the changing nature of what is needed each day,” said Simon Bridges, Auckland Business Council.

“I hope that support won't be needed for long. The main challenges are damages from the weather, timeframes to get insurance - and sometimes, a lack of insurance - and loss of income.

“Businesses with substantial damage will find it hard to land tradespeople to repair premises -it will all take time,” said Bridges.

“The country needs the affected Auckland and North Island businesses back on their feet as soon as possible; however, this must be a team effort where everyone steps up and plays their part.”

This effort doesn't just fall on the government's shoulders. Insurance companies and our banks must also lead.

“It's been great to see strong policies around assistance from some banks. Our SMEs will need this wrap-around support,” said Bridges.

Raewyn Bleakley, Chief Executive New Zealand Food & Grocery Council, reminds us that the interdependencies within our industry are very clear when something like this happens.

“We've also been reminded of the importance of leadership and effective, timely communications,” said Bleakley.

The weather events wreaked havoc in many ways. Tragically, lives have been lost, and homes, businesses, and amenities damaged.

“The emotional impact of such events can't be underestimated. I've heard stories of suppliers helping retailers, retailers offering support to competitors, and people really digging in to help.

“It's been heartening to see our industry pull together so well, and that's a testament to the type of people who make up the food and grocery sector,” said Bleakley.

Undoubtedly, many businesses will have learned

lessons from initiating their business continuity plans.

Bleakley added that the assaults on infrastructure and property in our long, skinny country seem relentless, and the bounds of what we should be prepared for keep shifting.

“This is what living with climate change means, and if we learn nothing else, surely it must be the value of being prepared, working together, and making sure we're all doing everything we can to slow it,” she said.

After the devastating weekend of floods, only one Countdown store remained closed in Auckland. The Mairangi Bay store experienced extensive flood damage. The team at Countdown worked hard to ensure minimal impact on its supply chain. They also donated $100,000 for on-ground assistance, $15,000 in gift cards to local charities and $25,000 worth of pantry staples to KiwiHarvest.

“The recovery efforts from the floods and the cyclone will stretch over many weeks and months. Our teams will continue to stand together with our customers to support impacted communities, as well as provide further support to our charity partners to help those most in need to recover,” said Spencer Sonn, Countdown's Managing Director.

“As Cyclone Gabrielle moves down the country, we want to reassure everyone our supply chain and stores are in good shape and the preparation work we did last week is standing us in good stead,” said Chris Quin, Foodstuffs North Island CEO.

“Safety is our number one priority. As the weather looks set to ramp up, our teams are busy keeping our locally owned and operated stores across the North Island stocked with products for their communities. Delivery trucks all got to their destinations ahead of the storm, and we have enough product on hand,” said Quin.

The flooding impacted fourteen Foodstuffs North Island stores, and three stores had to remain closed due to severe flood damage. The cooperative donated over $100,000 worth of goods to community partners to support those affected.

New World Newmarket reopened on January 31st, as the team was determined to get things running as quickly as possible. The new store had

only been open for four months. PAK'nSAVE Wairau Road was flooded with knee-deep water and reopened its doors a week later, on February 4th. New World Fresh Collective Alberton had to announce its closure for the foreseeable future due to extensive damage to its building.

Both major supermarket chains implemented supply chain measures that ensured all regions were fully stocked and ready for the event.

Warnings that the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle would be much more severe than the floods meant consumers rushed to stock up, with supermarket shelves across the country looking reminiscent of COVID-19 lockdowns as Kiwis prepared to stay home.

The damage from the cyclone continues as it moves down the country, and as the full impact unfolds, some Countdown and Foodstuffs locations have had to close. n

COST INCREASES FROM GROCERY SUPPLIERS TO SUPERMARKETS INCREASE 10.0 PERCENT IN JANUARY

By Infometrics

Cost increases from grocery suppliers to supermarkets have plateaued but remain at record levels after a considerable string of rapid rises in 2022. The Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index (GSCI) shows a 10 percent pa rise in January 2023, a slight slowdown on the 10.6 percent pa recorded in December 2022. Supplier costs still rose in January from December, but with a softer month-to-month increase seeing the annual rate of growth ease a touch from December 2022.

Although it seems like there is potential for supplier cost increases to have plateaued, we’re not certain about the change in trend yet. The usual summer cost change moratorium was in place until the end of January, and so it’s still unclear if supplier cost pressures are stabilising,” said Infometrics Principal Economist and Chief Executive Brad Olsen. Moratoriums are used by many companies and industries to minimise system changes and protect trading for customers over the holiday period.

The Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index (GSCI) measures the change in the cost of grocery goods charged by suppliers to the Foodstuffs North Island and South Island cooperatives. The Index utilises detailed Foodstuffs NZ data across over 60,000 products Foodstuffs buys to stock in store, making it the largest dataset of its type in New Zealand, to give a real time view on supplier cost changes.

Every month, the Index tracks what it costs supermarkets to buy the goods to put on the shelf. Previous analysis shows that supplier costs are the major component of supermarket prices, representing two-thirds of the on-shelf price.

Broader economic developments highlight the persistence of inflation, with input cost increases still putting further pressure on suppliers. Although

shipping costs and fuel prices have moderated, providing some relief, international food prices haven’t started to drop and have instead plateaued.

“Supplier costs remain higher than a year ago across all departments. Produce costs have risen considerably in the last year, up by 22 percent pa in January 2023. Recent bad weather across the country is expected to reduce production and yields of some food items which, combined with sustained inflationary pressures, will keep supplier costs high,” said Olsen.

“Global food prices rose marginally in January

2023 but remain broadly static in recent months.” The World Bank commodity price index showed that food prices rose 0.4 percent in January from the month before, keeping international food prices two percent above the same time last year.

“The government’s subsidy of Road User Charges (RUCs) has been important to prevent even more transport-related cost pressures flowing into grocery supplier costs. The recent announcement of an extension to the RUC subsidy will continue to reduce otherwise higher cost pressures.” said Olsen.

Jerry Prendergast UNITED FRESH PRESIDENT

The release of the January 2023 Food Price Index showing a 16 percent increase in the cost of fruit and vegetables around New Zealand, compared with January 2022, is unsurprising for the horticulture industry.

FOOD PRICE INDEX FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO BATTLE MARKET FORCES AND TOUGH WEATHER CONDITIONS

By United Fresh

United Fresh President, Jerry Prendergast, said the raft of challenges facing the country’s growers mean consumers should be prepared for continued disruption to fresh produce pricing and availability.

“Cyclone conditions in the North Island are delivering more rain to growers already struggling with washed-out crops. Some of our Pukekohe growers were reporting losses of up to 30 percent from January’s adverse weather. Every flood event can equate to weeks of lost production as well as disruption to key logistics such as transport and seasonal work like kiwifruit thinning.”

“Costs are at an all-time high for the whole industry as we face increases in the price of fuel, fertiliser, and labour. The wet weather systems have put more pressure on a supply chain that was already struggling,” he said. Despite this challenging environment, Prendergast notes that shoppers can still expect plenty of fresh produce in stores throughout the country.

“Kiwi growers and suppliers are notoriously resilient. There’s staff working up and down the country right now to get these essential foods to supermarkets and retailers.

“What we need is for consumers to be flexible with their meal planning, look for the affordable seasonal offerings and be prepared to try different varieties of produce if their family favourite is low in supply. Fresh fruit and vegetables in season still offer good value when compared to many other popular supermarket choices.”

“As an example, February and March are a great time to try some of the summerfruit coming from Central Otago. Our South Island growers have had exceptional weather this year and the fruit has arrived in time to replace melon crops that will be affected by the rain.”

PAK’nSAVE INVERCARGILL

Tanya Dobson & Bryan Dobson STORE

OWNERS

Owned and operated by Bryan Dobson and his wife Anne, PAK’nSAVE Invercargill looks better than ever after its threeyear upgrade.

Grocery runs in Dobson’s veins, as growing up in Alexandra, his parents operated a roadside stall selling fruit and vegetables. He attended Dunstan High School and decided to jump straight into grocery.

Because of his parent’s stall, Dobson knew the importance of customer service at a very young age. As he got older, this translated into a want to work in a customer-driven environment to ensure he provided the best for his local community.

His first venture into Foodstuffs was a partnership with his brother-in-law at the Green Island Milk Bar. From there, he took on the challenge of running a 24-hour service station in Dunedin - which was when he met his wife, who was working as the Deputy Registrar in the Dunedin High Court. Bryan and Anne were married not long after and decided to take on the opportunity that was PAK’nSAVE Invercargill in 1992.

Invercargill was PAK’nSAVE’s first location on the South Island. Its initial owners struggled to operate as the brand was not yet recognised in grocery. When Bryan and Anne saw it was for sale, they knew their work was cut out for them.

The couple’s hard work paid off, as the store is thriving 31 years later.

“It is the people of Southland, the fantastic team we have on board here, and the great suppliers that we get the opportunity to work

alongside that have kept Bryan’s passion alive,” said Tanya Dobson, daughter of Bryan and Anne and PAK’nSAVE Invercargill’s Operations Manager.

The store’s recent upgrade included wider aisles, more natural light, electronic ticketing, a customer lift, a cafe, parking availability indicators, renewed plant and equipment across all departments, online shopping capabilities and

SHOP’nGo is a great time-saving opportunity that allows customers to scan their own goods to avoid queues and pack as they go. The customers have been loving it; on average, 16 percent of the store’s transactions use the technology.

The overall upgrade was about providing a better experience for customers and PAK’nSAVE team members. The store is less congested and

SHOP’nGo technology.

Our Customers went along the Journey with us and faced challenges throughout this change as we went along. They have embraced this change with absolute positivity and are enjoying the experience we are now able to provide them.

ambient. Staff members are also making the most of the indoor-outdoor flow in the new staff room, which has a view of the Otepuni gardens.

“Our customers went along the journey with us and faced challenges throughout this change as we went along. They have embraced this change with absolute positivity and are enjoying the experience we are now able to provide them.”

Like many supermarkets, rising living costs and inflation are affecting customer spending. Still, PAK’nSAVE Invercargill has noticed an increase in customers transitioning from competitors due to its low prices and in-store excellence.

Another challenge the store has faced recently is theft. The management team is working closely with the Police to stop those taking advantage of the store, while still delivering a valuable experience for day-to-day customers.

On a more positive note, for anyone entering the industry, the Dobson family recommends taking all opportunities, asking for help and working as a team. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but some of it was - each day, you get a step closer to where you want to be in every challenge in life.

To finish, the family wanted to thank Foodstuffs:

“We would like to thank Foodstuffs for supporting us mentally, physically, and financially over the last 31 years. It is an honour to be part of the cooperative which provides so much support to us all.” n

THE FOODSTUFFS EXPO

On March 8–9, 2023, New Zealand’s largest business-to-business show, the Foodstuffs Expo, will be back at the Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton. The Claudelands Events Centre will become home to hundreds of supermarket suppliers showing the latest innovations with everything from supermarket equipment through to delicious deli delicacies.

The 2021 Foodstuffs Expo saw over 300 exhibitors and 5,000 attendees. After 15 years, its return to Hamilton injected around $5.3 million into the local economy and provided over 100 jobs. The 2023 expo is expected to be bigger and better.

The Foodstuffs Expo is a highlight in the supplier calendar as it provides a terrific opportunity for the buyers, suppliers, and their products to come together in one location and stay updated on product developments, recent breakthroughs and innovations.

It’s an opportunity for operators and their teams to taste, test, and learn more about the fresh and cutting-edge products and services and to discover what’s happening across the cooperatives. It presents store representatives with a macro view of upcoming products for their local stores and innovative ways of presenting and promoting those products to their customers.

Supporting the themes of innovation and insights, the recently launched Foodstuffs Precision Media team will feature at the Expo for the first time this year. The team are excited to be at Claudelands to meet with marketing and brand leaders directly to showcase new and improved brand activation opportunities coming this year, share results of early pilot campaigns, and update on best practices seen overseas. By partnering closely with brands, Precision Media makes accessing target customers through Foodstuffs’ media network easier, more personal, and more effective. Precision Media’s presence at Expo enables brands to get a deeper understanding of the insights and tools available to them to shape customer-led media plans, as well as the opportunity to forge relationships with the expert media planning team.

The invitation-only expo provides suppliers a chance to interact with members of Foodstuffs first-hand and present their products. Faceto-face interaction enables direct enquiries to be presented in a capacity regarding not just the product itself but also the manufacturing, supply, and delivery process. Buyers get the chance to express their unique needs and constraints, as well as explore new alternatives and opportunities. In exchange, suppliers can expand their business connections while also getting insightful opinions on how they can further improve their offering.

As local co-operatives, it’s important for Foodstuffs to work alongside businesses that reflect on their own values and support their commitment to excellence. Foodstuffs is committed to doing their best to stay ahead of the trends and deliver what customers want and need and the Foodstuffs Expo provides a platform where they can meet with fellow suppliers, share ideas, and celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. n

THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPOS

A global report found that 95 percent of trade show exhibitors prefer in-person to virtual events, and 65 percent said that attending in-person trade shows was an invaluable part of their marketing strategy. Pre-Covid, analysts predicted online events would be the way of the future, and while they weren’t wrong during a global pandemic, it would seem nothing can beat face-to-face interactions. Expos provide a list of valuable tools for businesses to use.

AWARENESS: Attendees and exhibitors are all going to be likeminded people or have an interest in the industry somehow. Whether competition or customers, making the industry know your brand and your business is always a good thing.

NETWORKING: Being present and raising awareness is one thing, but forming connections by putting names to faces and building relationships cements your place in the industry.

RESEARCH: They give you

direct access to the market, what is oversaturated, what it is missing, trends and the direction of the industry. As you network, you will also find people are willing to share experiences and expertise, so make sure to learn from them.

SALES LEADS: Being right in front of a customer or business buyer is more likely to lead to sales. They are able to ask questions, and you can pitch directly to them. Always follow up with potential leads after an event. n

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TOP TIPS FOR EXHIBITING AT AN EXPO

1. Set objectives, so you know what you want your team to achieve.

2. Plan your stand and make it as eye-catching as possible; you want potential customers to remember and talk about you.

3. Brief all staff at your stand so there is clear communication with customers, and everyone is on message.

4. Know the map; expos can get overwhelming, so know where your stand is and where the stands of other businesses you want to network with are.

5. Follow up on all your leads after the expo as soon as you can.

STEAMING HOT INSPIRATION: MAMA SAN BRINGS AUTHENTIC STEAMED BUNS TO NZ SUPERMARKETS

Originally specialising in Japanese cuisine, mama san is proud to present its new range of frozen Steamed Buns - inspired by the mouthwatering flavours and hustle & bustle of street food markets found across Japan and China. The range offers restaurant-quality Asian comfort food from the convenience of home with quick and easy cooking instructions - just microwave them in one minute.

The generously sized buns provide the perfect filling-to-bun ratio while packing a punch of flavour, making them the ideal snack on-the-go or a meal the whole family can enjoy. Made right here in New Zealand, consumers can look forward to three mouthwatering variants.

BBQ PORK - The Original: BBQ pork is the original steamed bun filling, so it had to be in the line-up. Enjoy the juicy BBQ flavours and big pieces of tender pork.

PORK & VEGE - Chinese

Stir-Fry: A truly unique flavour combination and their take on the Chinese Pork & Capsicum

Stir-Fry dish features a depth of flavour and complexity thanks to the wide variety of vegetables used - carrots, capsicum, spring onions and auricularia mushrooms.

VEGAN-FRIENDLY TOFU & VEGE: Similar to their take on Chinese Pork & Capsicum

Stir-Fry, but filled with delicious tofu and carrots, capsicum, spring onions and auricularia mushrooms instead of meat - and you definitely don’t need to be

vegan to enjoy them.

“Mama san is founded on the core principles of making homemade Asian cuisine accessible to everyone. Our promise - no compromise on quality ingredients or flavour,” said Mark Whiteman, Retail Division Manager.

mama san Steamed Buns will be rolling out this year in leading supermarkets nationwide. For more information or to become a stockist, contact Tokyo Food Retail Manager, Mark Whiteman at info@tokyofood.co.nz n

supplierspotlight

INSPIRING NEW TASTES

Providing customers with the food solutions they’re looking for, Newly Weds Foods (NWFAP) is a joint venture between New Food Coatings LLC and George Weston Foods Asia Pac.

They specialise in Japanese Style Bread Crumbs plus a complete range of marinades, seasonings, batters, breadcrumbs, biscuit crumb and specialised coating systems to suit every possible application, accompanied by an extensive range of functional ingredients for processed meat products.

Generally recognised worldwide as the premium coating system, their Japanese Style Bread Crumbs are widely used and endorsed by celebrity chefs. The unique process results in long and delicate slivers of breadcrumb, giving a ‘melt in the mouth texture’.

Their extensive food range also includes a delicious mix of wet and dry sauces plus dressings both sweet and savoury. The company is very well known and established within most major food manufacturers and QSRs both within New Zealand and internationally.

NWFAP is also well-established in NZ and a proud supplier to the Foodstuffs group via Pak n Save, New World, Gilmour’s, Trent’s wholesalers and Four Square. They currently supply via multiple channels; directly through grocery, through the back of house into service deli, butchery, seafood and even bakery both directly and indirectly through the processors like Tegel, ANZCO, Ingham’s, Neat Meat, Sealord, Fonterra, George Western Foods, First Light, Nestle, Heinz to name a few.

They are globally integrated…and locally focused. The New Zealand business is well supported by the NWF family of 32 facilities around the world, including seven innovation hubs located in the USA, UK, Thailand and Australia with dedicated Chefs and technical/ regulatory support.

They share global insights into trends in the retail, food service, and QSR channels. From plant-based diets to meat and seafood to supply chain future challenges, NWFAP is dedicated to supporting local customers.

The NWF NZ facility offers solutions

for gluten-free, blending (i.e. batters, gravy, powder stocks, cake mixes, bread additives, doughnut batters), curing (marinades dry and wet), dry sauce and glazes, wet sauce (i.e. chilli sauces, BBQ sauce, garlic aioli), dressings (i.e. mayonnaise, tartare, ranch), Japanese Panko crumb and TLC breadcrumb. It operates within the highest standards with the BRC “AA” certification.

For any enquiries, please reach out to their National Sales team at NZSales@newlywedsfoods.co.nz n

Driven by innovation, creativity and quality ingredients, the skilled culinary team at Newly Weds Foods has their pulse on the latest food trends throughout the world.

MEASURING EGGS PER GRAM OF GOODNESS

Better Eggs is a fourth-generation egg producer based in Putaruru, and they believe it won’t be too long before the market is in balance.

“Like other commodities, eggs are subject to traditional demand and supply forces. Right now, summer is the highest point of demand across the year and there are lower supply levels due to the exit of caged birds,” said Better Eggs.

Then you have to factor in the unsustainably low base price created due to a significant oversupply between 2020 and 2021, when the number of laying hens peaked at 4.2 million. The country currently sits at 3.4 million when, in Better Eggs’ view, the optimal

A WORLD RUNNING ON… SHORTAGES

The word shortage is becoming all too familiar in local and international headlines. Eggs, potatoes, carbon dioxide and kiwifruit, are at the top of the local list as industries grapple with legislation changes, extreme weather events, plant closures and staff shortages. But the global supply chain is still struggling with Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, Europe’s energy crisis and an international labour shortage that is producing global foodinsecurity worries.

number is around 3.8 million.

“Today’s discussions are more around the certainty of supply. When looking at price, people are comparing it to a low base given the low prices when the market was in significant surplus before the current shortage. Per grams of goodness, eggs remain an affordable choice.”

Supply expansion is a long process - getting land, and resource consent takes time. Better Eggs has been putting additional birds on for the last two years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

One of Better Eggs’ most recent expansions was its Forest Free Range project. Hens spend their days exploring a forest of manuka, oak, pine, redwood and

other native trees before retreating to a dry barn to rest and lay.

This innovative method has only been met with positive feedback - visitors to the forest are always positively overwhelmed by what they see.

Given the shortage, it's not just Better Eggs’ that are in high demand; it is all eggs; colony, cage-free, barn, and free-range. As the market settles, the business still expects the Heyden Farms free-range and Henergy SPCA-certified cage-free barn eggs to be popular.

Regardless, Better Eggs will continue to innovate, navigate market changes, and provide consumers with quality eggs. n

Australia is in the middle of an extreme potato shortage, floods, and prolonged wet weather that has damaged crops and seen prices increase by 25 percent. Pasta and chicken shortages are on the way, and with the price of animal feed and hay at the highest it has ever been, a number of other animal products look to be short later in 2023.

The USA experienced a number of shortages in 2022: carbon dioxide, mustard, chickpeas, peaches, tomatoes, avocados and sugar. Progressing into 2023, beef, lettuce, oranges, cooking oil, butter, corn and eggs are all on the shortage list due to weather events, crop failures and diseases.

In the summer of 2021, heatwaves and droughts caused wheat shortages across North America. Shortages then increased as the war in Ukraine progressed and look to continue affecting wheat, soybean and corn prices throughout 2023.

Champagne takes around three years to mature, and the most recent harvest from France is expected to fall

over 60 million bottles short. Covid saw a 30 percent sales decrease, but as demand picks back up, crops have not.

The world's largest producer of sriracha sauce experienced a tomato shortage and halted production of the Huy Fond Foods condiment. Indonesia is still struggling with its national cooking oil shortage that started in 2022. Both China and Pakistan are experiencing national food shortages. The list goes on and on.

Shortages are a natural part of supply and demand changes. However, the increasing number of shortages could lead to a bigger problem. During the pandemic, global food insecurity increased by 200 million, bringing the total number to 349 million people. Within this, 900,000 people worldwide are experiencing famine-like food conditions. While champagne or sriracha sauce aren’t exactly staple food or drinks, if the markets fall even further behind and more shortages continue, it could lead to a much more serious issue. n

When you measure per gram of goodness and compare it to other commodity items right now, eggs remain an affordable choice. Compared to $3.80 for a hash brown, $6 for a cup of coffee, or $1.30 for 100 grams of butter, a freerange egg for between 60 and 80 cents is excellent value.

Same Eggs Better Pack

Our new Free Range packs are hitting the shelves later this year and Heyden Farms Free Range eggs will have a brand-new home as Better Eggs.

GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN UPDATE

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been monitoring global supply chains since June 2020 and has released its industry report.

Sea Freight - global prices have continued to stabilise, with the average price for shipping a 40-foot container across significant shipping lanes dropping by 57 percent. Pre-Covid prices sat around US$1,515. New Zealand may be slow to benefit from reduced shipping costs as the country is at the end of global supply chains and faces a weak dollar and high wage costs. Delivery times have improved, Transpacific Eastbound travel has decreased from 86 days to 69 days, and Far East Westbound travel has reduced from 96 days to 74 days. Pre-covid travel times sat under 60 days. South Korea, France and Kenya have all been affected by employee strikes in the industry. The global sea freight capacity also looks to increase as there is 7.1 million twenty-foot equivalent containers on order.

Air Freight - New Zealand’s air connectivity has grown substantially in the last few months. American Airlines, Air Canada and Virgin Australia have all extended travel lines between countries. Each Air Canada flight from Auckland to Vancouver carries 29-36 tonnes of cargo alone. Passenger flight operation has realigned with peak season; in December, 2,092 flights operated and offered exporters additional cargo capacity. More cargo-only flights have been operating. Air New Zealand operated two extra cargo-only flights to deliver 500 tonnes of cherries and 350 tonnes of seafood to Shanghai and Taipei for the Lunar New Year. However, high prices and labour shortages continue to disrupt the aviation industry.

Supply Chain Resilience - In December, the first in-person negotiation for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity took place in Australia. Negotiation continued through February and will see resilience in the supply chain. Canada has expressed interest in joining

the initiative and has pledged CAD$240.6 million as an investment in the Indo-Pacific region.

REGIONAL UPDATES

Asia - Relaxed Covid measures mean quarantine is no longer necessary, and imported goods need not be tested for Covid-19 traces. Air freight capacity continues to increase, and two cargo-only services have resumed weekly operations from Auckland to Shanghai.

Americas - In October, low water levels in the Mississippi River caused freight congestion and $20 million in economic losses. The USA also passed legislation under the Railway Labour Act in December that prevented 115,000 rail workers from striking, as 30 percent of domestic cargo relies on its operation.

Australia - In November, TS Lines launched a new shipping service between Brisbane and New Zealand. The Government has appointed a task force to establish a fleet of Australian-flagged

maritime vessels that will be privately owned and commercially operated - but also available to the Government in emergencies.

Europe - Pay deals have been accepted by Unions for workers at the Ports of Liverpool and Felixstowe in the UK that hope to avoid export disruptions. Germany has introduced a new law to protect the environment and human rights in supply chains, that requires companies with over 3,000 employees to introduce risk management and public reporting. These requirements will be extended to companies with more than 1,000 workers in 2024. The European Bank for Construction and Development has announced it will contribute US$840 million to upgrade Poland’s deep water port in Gdansk, making it one of Europe's top ten most significant ports. Work is due to be completed in 2025.

Middle East - Saudi Arabia has launched a Global Supply Chain Resilience initiative that will see US$2.6 billion made available to turn the nation into a global logistics hub. n

INZTORE IS CHANGING THE SALES & MERCHANDISING GAME

Have you stopped to compare the cost of commissionbased sales and merchandising versus shared sales, and merchandising reps working local? You might be surprised at the savings!

Inztore’s vision is to make sales, merchandising and sampling more sustainable and more responsive for Reps, Brands and Retailers. It makes no sense that reps spend their day in cars being managed by multiple admin teams.

Inztore is not about changing the brand agency relationship, in fact, quite the opposite. Inztore is a team of sales, merchandising and sampling reps shared by brands, agencies and retailers who work local. Shared reps working local reduces overheads by more than 50 percent while delivering a more responsive, flexible service, empowered by the Inztore FMCG online platform.

Towards the end of 2022 they identified that the

cost for brands and agencies to service rural stores is huge. To solve this problem, they are working with Foodstuffs South Island to create the “Sustainable Merchandising Initiative.” This involves using the Inztore online platform and existing New World staff who work in their local stores to fulfil the merchandising requirements of the brands who sign up for the service.

The number one comment made by rural supermarkets is they are not getting the support from the brands they stock. What a great opportunity to offer merchandising support when asking for new listings in these stores.

The second question they get asked is when are they going to offer sales service. Supermarkets are

moving toward central office buying, so the cost of a full-time sales team is hard to justify. A sales team on commission is also difficult to measure, especially when a significant proportion of the sales are generated by brand-funded promotions.

Inztore is now introducing sales as a service and staying true to their innovative nature by creating an eco system of FMCG sales people. Located across New Zealand, their sales experts can be scheduled for a fixed time and fee and be shared by all brands. A sales report will be generated and everything will be transparent through the Inztore platform.

To find out more, contact Co-Founder Kelsey Maclean at kelsey@inztore.com or 0273305018. n

CHICKEN THE OLD SCHOOL WAY

Beard Brothers’ delicious chicken sausages and patties are currently making their way from the factory to supermarket shelves nationwide. They are made with pure ingredients, quality seasonings, and natural casings. Using heritage recipes and traditional methods, they're made how they should be, the oldschool way.

These goodies are a BBQ staple and are a hit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are also perfect for a chicken salad! For a banger that packs a punch, you can't go past these beauties! Available at select supermarkets nationwide.

Head to beardbrothers.co.nz to discover more of the Beard Brother delights.

MAXIGESIC COLD & FLU HOT DRINK

MAXIGESIC Cold & Flu Hot Drink is an exciting new addition to Grocery shelves; a unique formulation combining the power of paracetamol and ibuprofen for fast, effective double-action relief of winter ills and chills.

Developed in New Zealand, the MAXIGESIC Cold & Flu Hot Drink is a world-first innovation that was successfully launched in Australian pharmacies last year and in 2023 is coming to New Zealand supermarkets. Throughout 2022 the Cold & Flu category experienced exceptional growth, and with germs still abundant in the community, you’ll want to be able to offer customers the soothing hot relief of MAXIGESIC Hot Drink when they need it most.

As the only cold & flu hot drink that combines paracetamol and ibuprofen, MAXIGESIC Hot Drink relieves pain, reduces inflammation and fights fever. It provides relief from common symptoms such as headache, sore throat, body aches and pains, and fever, and also provides temporary relief from pain associated with toothache, dental procedures, backache, period pain, muscular pain, arthritis, rheumatic pain and tennis elbow.

Double down and see your category sales heat up in 2023 with the complete MAXIGESIC range. For more information, visit aftpharm.com

Do not use if you have a stomach ulcer. Always read the label. Use only as directed. Incorrect use can be harmful. If symptoms persist consult your healthcare professional. AFT Pharmaceuticals, Auckland.

Patent No. 552181. TAPS PP9806

HALO TOP TAKES ON BAKING MIXES

Halo Top is serving in the baking aisle with its new line of dessert mixes. The Light Cake Mix Single Serve Cups and Fudge Brownie and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Baking Mixes serve as light sweet fixes. Like all other Halo Top products, the mixes have classic flavours with fewer calories. For more information, visit halotop.co.nz

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has announced the Del Monte Zero Pineapple launch, the first carbon-neutral certified pineapple for the North American and European markets. SCS, a global leader in environmental certification, has determined that the reabsorption by Fresh Del Monte-owned forests negates the pineapple’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The company’s carbon neutral programme was curated to include conservation and reforestation that sequesters CO2 in situ. This nature-based solution is also known as insetting. The company has a forest on over 8,000 hectares, with five million trees to neutralise emissions. It is also investing in upgrading its transportation fleet to more sustainable vehicles.

For more information, visit freshdelmonte.com

GET READY TO GOGO

Introducing Tegel Free Range GoGo Chicken Sticks – the new ready-to-eat power snack! Made with 100 percent free-range chicken breast, each pack contains three individually wrapped sticks to tear apart and take on the go. Each GoGo Chicken stick contains 12 grams of protein and less than one gram of unsaturated fat, making it perfect for the school lunchbox, the gym, lunch on the run, or afternoon snack.

For more information, visit tegel.co.nz

CRACK A COLD ONE FOR THE FORESTS

Introducing the new range of cans from Zeden Cider. Available in apple, berry and feijoa flavours.

Zeden cider is a super dry, crisp style of cider that has much less sugar than most ciders available in New Zealand.

Try the new cans and can crack a cold one to help protect New Zealand’s wild spaces, as 10 percent of profits are donated to Forest & Bird New Zealand.

Available in your DC. Contact sales@zedencider.co.nz for orders.

DELICIOUS DARK MYLK

The Dark Mylk range is the newest addition to Solomons Gold range of chocolates. Made from 45 percent cacao, the bars are wonderfully rich in taste whilst being smooth and creamy. It comes in four different flavours; Original, Berry, Caramel & Orange. Ethically sourced beans from the pristine Solomon Islands, the bars are changing the lives of growers.

“It's what we don’t put in our chocolate that makes us special.”

Vegan-certified, organic, gluten-free, nut & Soy free and ethically sourced, these chocolate bars are made in New Zealand. For more information, visit solomonsgold.co.nz

FIRST COMPOSTABLE FOOD TRAYS

DualPakECO is a coated paperboard food tray. This tray is coated with a food safe contact, compostable biopolymer coating, that provides excellent barrier properties against liquids, aromas and oils. The coating is made for paper and paperboard products.

DualPakECO is one of the first Australian made 100 percent certified compostable paperboard food tray, which is both ovenable and microwavable. DualPakECO is a registered trademark of Confoil Pty Ltd and has been created in partnership with BASF, world leaders in the development of fully certified compostable biopolymer coatings. The tray sizes currently replicate the existing Dualpak range, so will work on existing lid sealing machines.

DualPakECO trays are certified according to the Australian standard AS4736-2006 and food contact approved according to international requirements. They can be used for ready-to-eat meals like lasagne, curries and stir-fries available as cold or frozen in supermarkets as well as for catering and take-away from restaurants. To order, contact James Romhany at jamesr@confoil.co.nz or call 027 497 4340.

SOURDOUGH SAVES BREAKFAST

Gluten Freedom has always been about pushing the boundaries that little bit further to create a range of breads that give people the complete freedom to enjoy food occasions. The two newest products are no exception.

Splendid Sourdough English Muffins are the quintessential breakfast pleasure. Delicious fresh from the toaster with lashings of your favourite toppings. Everything Sourdough Bagels are for the people who believe more-is-more. Crafted with poppy, sesame, garlic, onion, hemp hearts and sea salt. Toast ‘em up and enjoy with anything and everything!

Vegan friendly and free from gluten, dairy and soy but you would never know it and that’s the point. Flocking good bread that focuses on what you can eat, not what you can’t.

For more information, or to become a stockist, please contact info@venerdi.co.nz

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MARS NZ’S NEW GENERAL MANAGER

Mars New Zealand has appointed Emily Dowling to the role of General Manager, as Pete Simmons departs after 16 years with the company.

Pete Simmons spent five years as Mars New Zealand General Manager, during which time he led a programme to refocus the business on growth priorities, partner with customers across the different channels, establish digital commerce in the business, and develop a strong talent offer - all whilst navigating Covid. Simmons was a proud Mars employee, a passionate believer in its culture and leaves behind an impressive legacy. He supported Emily with a smooth transition and departed the business on January 30th.

In the position, Dowling will oversee the growth and development of the Mars Petcare, Mars Snacking and Mars Food portfolios. This includes customer favourites of Whiskas, M&M’s, and Masterfoods while also driving the company’s purpose: a better world starts with how we do business today.

“Emily’s blend of commercial

creativity and purpose-driven leadership will put her in great stead in New Zealand. She has an exceptional record in partnering with customers for growth and driving the distinctiveness of our brands, and I look forward to seeing her impact on the New Zealand market,” said Deri Watkins, Europe Regional President of Mars Petcare.

Dowling has over 18 years of experience in FMCG, working across Australia and Europe. She joins the New Zealand team from Mars Petcare Australia, where she has served as Marketing Director since 2018. During her tenure, she led the launch of Temptations, developed Mars Australia’s first direct-to consumer online store for the Advance brand and engineered the first consumer promotion for The Lion’s Share fundraising initiative. In 2021 she was recognised as one of the top 50 Chief Marketing Officers in Australia.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Mars New Zealand. The team here has always had

an outsized impact on Mars’ business globally, particularly on the creative side with truly ground-breaking campaigns like My Hooman, our pet adoption platform. They’ve also demonstrated

best-in-class agility in managing supply chain challenges in recent years, and I’m committed to driving that consistency for our retail partners and consumers,” said Dowling. n

Edible Masterpieces

VISIT US AT THE FOODSTUFFS EXPO

STAND 603, HALL 6

8TH – 9TH MARCH, CLAUDELANDS, HAMILTON

Revitalize your health with wholesome, natural, quality foods

Nutritional foods, delicious recipes and a healthy lifestyle – indulge more with Real Foods Ltd

MEASURING EQUALITY: BLOOMBERG’S 2023 INDEX

Over 600 companies worldwide participated in the Gender Reporting Framework for the index; of those named in the final index, 17 percent were from the AsiaPacific region.

The average GEI score was 73 percent. It recorded women in eight percent of CEO positions, 24 percent in executive positions, 30 percent in senior management, 38 percent in middle management and 50 percent in entry-level roles.

Around 73 percent of companies disclosed their gender pay gap, 60 percent publicly disclosed gender-based difference statistics, and 70 percent conducted an equal pay audit. Over 90 percent of all companies offered work-from-home and flexible work hours, mental health support and paid bereavement leave. Over 86 percent also had unconscious bias training available to all employees.

Bloomberg has announced the 484 companies included in its 2023 Gender-Equality Index (GEI). The index allows companies to track their progress in gender inclusion and how diversity policies shape performance.

“The overarching drive towards equality is evident with the continual increase of global participation from companies. The Bloomberg GenderEquality Index remains an important resource for companies to identify any gaps and provides actionable steps to further reshape the future of work,”

said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg.

GEI participants are socred against five pillars: leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand. Questions on race and sexual orientation, gender identity and ethnicity are also surveyed.

Companies of note participating in the GEI include Westpac, Kraft Heinz Co, Loblaw Cos Ltd, Heineken, CocaCola Europacific Partners PLC, Colgate Palmolive Co and British American Tobacco.

“This year, GEI members’ disclosure for exploratory questions averaged at 92 percent, demonstrating collective interest in extending beyond gender inclusion metrics. The GEI continues to identify areas of impact for companies, helping to facilitate meaningful change that will ultimately contribute to more innovation, creativity, and higher performance,” said Patricia Torres, Global Head of Sustainable Finance Solutions at Bloomberg.

The average index score for companies in the Asia Pacific region was 67 percent, with a 95 percent disclosure rate and 56 percent data excellence rates. n

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HOLISTIC HEALTH INTERTWINING WITH FMCG

Customers are becoming increasingly aware of holistic health measures, including mental wellness, sleep quality, enhanced focus, good cognitive performance and decreased stress levels. Covid-19 drove awareness for this market with younger consumers, who seek natural ingredients with additional health benefits due to the strong safety profile.

The brain health supplements market was valued at US$7.68 billion in 2021 and has a projected CAGR of 8.3 percent until 2030. On a larger scale, the functional foods market was valued at US$280.7 billion in 2021 and has a similar CAGR of 8.5 percent until 2030. Around 30 percent of consumers are prepared to pay more for functional ingredients that boost physical health, and 25 percent are prepared to pay a premium for products that meet their individual needs.

It is important to remember that not all functional foods are created equal. As some consumers start to look for FMCG to add benefits to their holistic health, there is also the risk of food being considered medicine. There needs to be transparency in the functional claims, backed up by strong research and development.

FUNCTIONAL VS HOLISTIC

Functionality is defined as having a specific purpose or use, while holistic means interconnected characteristics contributing to something more significant. It is more about prevention and maintaining personal health rather than sudden reactions to illness. In terms of food and FMCG, functional food products and supplements are being used by consumers to contribute to their overall holistic health.

INGREDIENTS

There is an impressive list of natural ingredients that can be used for holistic health. St John’s Wort, Saffron, Curcumin and probiotics are good for use against low mood. Ashwagandha, Holy Basil, Lavender, Rhodiola rosea, Saffron, Echinacea and Kava are commonly used for stress and anxiety. Valerian, Magnesium, Saffron, Chamomille,

Lavender, Ashwagandha and Passionflower can be used to assist with sleeping. Carotenoids (plant and algae pigments known for their orange and red colouring) are growing increasingly popular for their use against eye disorders, cancer and diabetes.

Vitamins and minerals that are popular in the industry are Omega-3 fatty acids, Magnesium,

B Vitamins, Zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Folate, Iron, SAMe Theanine, Ginkgo biloba, Bacopa monnieri, Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Salvia (Sage), Curcumin, Gotu Kola and Vitamin E (tocotrienols).

LOCAL MARKET

In New Zealand, around half of natural health product companies are small medium enterprises. However, the industry still traded $642 million worth of products in 2020, a number that has continued to grow. Trends within the local functional food market include pasta with added nutrients, juices higher in vitamins, snack bars filled with collagens and immuneboosting yoghurt.

This category growth is something supermarkets are already seeing.

“We’ve seen lots of added fibre foods, tummy tonics and added probiotic yogurts and fermented foods being really popular recently, and this is something we’ll continue to see across 2023 as Kiwis try to look after themselves from the inside out,” said Chris Day, Foodstuffs Head of Customer Insights and Intelligence.

Across the ditch, in a very similar market, Australia is seeing growth in functional beverages, snacks, high-fibre products, Kombuchas, nootropics and weight-loss products. Fermented drinks are expected to show the most category growth, and probiotic and prebiotic grocery sales are increasing 50 percent each year. n

supplierspotlight

INTER-FRIDGE

Inter-Fridge is a leading supplier of refrigeration equipment and solutions for the supermarket industry. With over 40 years of experience in the field, they have a trusted focus on customers and product efficiency.

Their product range includes display fridges, multi-deck fridges, island freezers, serve-overs and walk-in cold rooms. These products are designed to meet the specific needs of the supermarket industry, ensuring maximum efficiency and longevity.

Inter-Fridge also provides a range of support to customers, including consultation, installation, and ongoing maintenance, ensuring customers receive the best possible support throughout the lifetime of their refrigeration equipment.

Inter-Fridge is committed to sustainability and is always looking for ways to improve products and processes. They operate in line with the latest regulations and standards.

Inter-Fridge can be found at 1/930 Great South Road, Penrose, Auckland. Contact James on 027 606 2222 (james@interfridge.co.nz) or Dave on 027 756 8011 (david.bateman@interfridge.co.nz). Visit interfridge.co.nz

EXCEPTIONAL FMCG WITH DASFOODS LTD

Dasfoods Ltd is one of New Zealand’s leading food industry suppliers. The family-owned and operated business is based in Auckland and led by Managing Director Dean McPhee.

Integrity, reliability and honesty are all integrated into its exceptional business practices. Only providing excellent service, Dasfoods continue to raise the bar for FMCG products in New Zealand and the South Pacific markets. Its rich portfolio includes food, personal care, gift sets and household items that are provided at the best possible prices.

While Dasfoods was established in 2013, McPhee has been in the industry since 1996. His wealth of experience and enthusiasm sees him as a proud member of the food chain.

As well as outsourcing internationally recognised FMCG products, Dasfoods supplies and owns an exclusive range of its own brands. Some of these high-profile brands include Phoenix Noodles, New York Cocktail Infusion Mixers, Iddy Biddy Food Snacks and Mediscan Nitrile gloves. For more information, visit dasfoods.co.nz

DENHEATH DESSERTS

Denheath Desserts Born in Pleasant Point proudly made in Timaru since 2001 Market leaders in New Zealand’s frozen desserts section, supporting local business & ingredients since 1999. Family owned family run kiwi business with legacy custardy goodness to share. Currently available in selected Foodstuffs supermarkets, Countdowns, Fresh Choice, Cafés and now in Costco NZ and Australia. For more information, visit www.denheath.co.nz or email office@denheath.co.nz

BEST THING FOR AND SINCE SLICED BREAD

The innovative growers at T&G Fresh have launched a new tomato that will bring an end to soggy sandwiches. The Beekist® Sandwich Tomato is unlike any other. With a darker, intense red colour and a solid meaty centre, it contains less juice than your typical tomato.

“Kiwis love tomatoes in their sandwiches, it’s the leading tomato occasion in New Zealand, so we’re excited to bring these vine-ripened, flavoursome tomatoes to consumers. Beekist® Sandwich Tomatoes have up to 40 percent more slices and less water than standard round tomatoes, making them perfect as a topping for any bread base,” said Ben Smith, Head Grower at T&G Fresh.

Scarred by the soggy atrocities placed in lunchboxes of yesteryear, tomato fans can rejoice. For the best taste and quality, be sure to keep these tomatoes cool and dry but do not chill - refrigeration scares away fructose and flavour! For more information, visit tandg.global

HOWLER PARTY PACK

The #1 selling hotdog in the country, Howler Hotdog Mini Munchers, is now available in a convenient 1kg Party Pack to cater for bulk buy customers.

This timeless snack continues to outstrip category growth. Get the party started!

Contact SurgeSMC on 0800 949 333 or Jo at Howler Hotdogs

021 226 6469. To order, contact 0800 725 666.

PURE OIL’S GOOD OIL

Pure Oil New Zealand produces high-grade cold-pressed oil sourced from New Zealand-grown, GE-free rapeseed and sunflower crops that are pressed at their Rolleston crush plant.

The Good Oil is extracted using the gentle cold-press method, which retains the natural flavour, aroma and seed nutrients. The premium oil has a delicate, mildly nutty taste. It contains highly stable monounsaturated fats with natural freshness and quality that provide heat stability and a high smoke point.

Pure Oil NZ has full oversight of the growing and oil production process. The utmost care is taken throughout the whole supply chain. Their qualified agronomists assist local farmers throughout the crop’s life cycle. They also underpin their oil processing with a high product quality standard, sustainability and traceability programme.

The Good Oil is available at major supermarkets in New Zealand. Contact them at info@thegoodoil.nz, on 027 703 9572 or visit thegoodoil.nz

HOT SMOKED RANGE

Introducing the 100g Hot Smoked Salmon Portion size in Classic, Double Manuka, and Mixed Pepper & Spices. Consumer research has shown the way that salmon is being consumed has evolved. Previously consumers have purchased Regal King salmon for a meal, whereas now it is being purchased for special occasions or as a treat. The research has also indicated that frequent Regal consumers live in households of one to two people, so with a 50g serving suggestion for each person, it’s perfect for two. Allowing consumers to have the freshest salmon experience every time, with no food wastage. Regal Salmon is proud to introduce its new and improved packaging, which is 100 percent recyclable. Along with the new pack size and recyclable packaging comes a new name. The consumer research found that the majority of consumers in the category preferred the term 'Hot Smoked' to ‘Wood Roasted’, so Regal is renaming their product.

To order, contact 0800 725 666.

OTAL BAKING INDUSTRIES

TOTAL BAKING INDUSTRIES

Total Baking Industries are your bakery equipment specialists. With over 55 years of hands-on bakery and equipment experience, Jason, and Michael are able to provide you with the advice and equipment to get more profit out of your bakery.

Their strategic collaboration with Vanrooy, allows New Zealand customers to access their global experience of supplying in-store bakeries.

Total Baking Industries partners with European suppliers such as Salva, Escher, Tekno, Vitella, Fortuna, Erika Record and Merand.

Service, Reliability, and quality are at the forefront of everything they do. When you are looking for Ovens and Proofers, Mixers, Pastry Sheeters, Dough dividers and Moulders and Cake solutions

Think Total Baking Industries – Your premiere Bakery equipment partners. Visit them at Stand #501 at the Foodstuffs Expo, or check out their website totalbaking.co.nz

supplierspotlight

specific brands. Consumers will be leaning towards brands that match their personal life outlooks.

EMOTIONAL WELLNESS: Uncertain living conditions will make emotional well-being a top priority. Consumers will seek natural and sustainable solutions to combat anxiety and interrupted sleep levels.

TRENDS FOR 2023

The top ten trends that will shape consumer attitudes and behaviour in 2023 have been released by FMCG Gurus. A theme across the trends is spending maximum value for money while not compromising on personal needs.

Recessionary shopping habits: With rising living costs worldwide, 72 percent of global consumers are concerned. Juggling day-to-day finances and a dropping economy will see consumers cutting

down on non-essentials, demonstrating less brand loyalty and a greater willingness to shop around.

KINDNESS: Greater emphasis on kindness, compassion and liberalism as consumers want to break away from negative stereotypes associated with

TAKING CONTROL: Feeling in control is vital for consumers in times of uncertainty. It is pivotal to feel informed and in charge of the products and ingredients they purchase. Business transparency will help settle consumers.

INNOVATION: Consumers are becoming more interested in the supply chain, in particular, looking at new farming methods such as biodynamic, regenerative and vertical farming. These innovations see reduced waste and resource regeneration.

SUSTAINABILITY: Protecting the planet is becoming an essential brand characteristic. Consumers are beginning to expect industries to mirror personal perspectives towards sustainability. Reduced carbon footprints are one of the main ways consumers look at sustainability right now.

TECHNOLUTION: Scientific advances that boost health reactions in day-to-day products are in high demand. Products that are scaled to specific needs and labelled clean and green make consumers feel informed.

BALANCE: Emphasis will be placed on the authenticity behind sustainability claims, local production, country of origin, quality ingredients, trusted brand name and product freshness. Consumers seek transparency from the products they are purchasing.

TASTE TEMPTATIONS: Consumers are seeking challenges to sensory perceptions and affordable indulgences. The flavours and textures of tomorrow will be used for small moments of escapism as consumers reduce their spending on big-ticket items outside the supermarket.

PREVENTION OVER CURE: Immune health, digestive health, heart health, mental well-being and cognitive health are the critical areas consumers look to address across 2023. They want to consume products that will prevent health issues, so they eat today and are ready for tomorrow - working as guardians over their bodies instead of reactive measures. n

QUICK FIRE PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Promotional

Milk chocolate with a special edition label. Sheeran supplied a selfie that featured on the blocks and generously collaborated with Whittaker’s on five prize packs that were auctioned off on Trade Me, with all proceeds going towards Auckland flood relief.

“All of the funds raised through our Ed Block auctions will go to the Mission, who will distribute funding, in association with Foundation North –Hapai Pūtua Oranga, to other, trusted local community organisations also delivering on-the-ground support to help those in greatest need across the city in the aftermath of the flooding,” said Tamra Lindsay, Whittaker’s Brand Manager.

TOP THREE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP ALERT TO PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

1. Cost-effectiveness: Quick promotional opportunities often require less time and resources to execute than more traditional marketing strategies. This can make them an affordable way for businesses to increase their reach without sacrificing budget.

An example earlier this month was the quick thinking from Whittaker’s marketing team that saw them create the ‘Ed Block’ in response

to musician Ed Sheeran’s comments about locally made chocolate on Instagram.

The ‘Ed Block’ is Whittaker’s classic Five Roll Refined Creamy

“At the Mission, we’re incredibly humbled to have the support of Whittaker’s and Ed. With so many community organisations helping in the aftermath of the flooding, the Mission is taking this fundraising opportunity to support those organisations too so that together we can help as many people as possible,” said Helen Robinson, Mission CEO. n

2. Faster results: With quick promotional opportunities, businesses can see results much faster than with other marketing tactics. This allows companies to adjust their strategy quickly, if necessary, and respond to changes in the market in real time.

3. Increased customer engagement: Quick promotional opportunities often offer unique and exciting experiences that can help to engage customers and build stronger relationships with them. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and long-term success. n

opportunities that happen quickly can often be a major benefit for brands - taking advantage of sudden changes in the market, or consumer behaviour provides a way to increase brand awareness, reach new customers, and boost sales.

equipment&services

ROBOTS THAT CAN: THE AUTOMATED CLEANER

PUDU Robotics, a world-leading technology enterprise, has launched its latest innovation, an Intelligent Commercial Cleaning Robot. Called the Pudu CC1, the Robot mops, scrubs, sweeps and vacuums.

The Robot is efficient, produces high-quality cleaning, and can be managed easily from an app. Human labour can be used more effectively elsewhere, and the Robot eliminates the worry of employee injury or absence. Its technology is effective for businesses in several industries, such as food and beverage, public transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, education, retail and large office buildings.

The versatile cleaning solution suits various floor types, including natural stone, terrazzo, marble, tiles, epoxy resin, sandstone, artificial stone flooring and low pile carpet. Making it perfect for supermarkets or other retail floors.

It can fit into every corner with its side and edge cleaning brush, has five hours of continuous scrubbing, and automatic refilling and drainage.

If the battery is low and a task has not been completed, the bot will

automatically charge itself, remember task progress and resume its post after fully re-charing.

The bot also has automatic localisation and navigation, with sensors for every angle and can work in conjunction with other Pudu cleaning bots.

Not only will it lessen the pressure on staff cleaning, but if you have a

robot on the go while customers are in store, they might want to visit just to see it in action. Or, if you prefer, leave the robot on overnight while the store is empty and open the doors the following day to a fresh and clean retail space.

Check out the Robot in action on the GRobotics website or find out more by emailing raman@grobotics.co.nz n

EFFICIENT RECYCLING SOLUTIONS

A vertical cardboard baler reduces the volume of cardboard and plastics by up to 95 percent.

When it comes to managing and disposing of recyclable cardboard and plastic wastes, businesses with high volumes often struggle with high collection and disposal costs. The most common type of waste that FMCG companies produce is cardboard - a low weight high volume recyclable material that takes up significant space.

Operating sustainably can be a big challenge for food and grocery supplier partners, especially when you have high volumes of cardboard waste. Good news here is that compressing cardboard into ‘high density’ bales, can reduce the volume of the material up to ten times. Often, plastic and cardboard recycling is managed together. In Pioneer Group’s experience, it is very useful and beneficial to discuss cardboard and plastic waste management solutions together.

Without a baler, your employees will constantly have to cut up and flatten boxes and plastic materials manually. Filling and housing external cages is labour intensive, takes up hours and valuable floor space, costing your business time and money. Even with the fastest employees, your business will never be able to cut down cardboard and plastic waste as efficiently as a baler machine. Balers frequently pay for themselves in a short amount of time because of the huge cost savings made on time and labour. For customers with large volumes, waste reduction at that level is significant and makes a big difference. Rebates from your recycler of choice play a huge factor as far as return on investment is concerned.

MACFAB LH300 BALER –HIGH DENSITY*

This medium sized baler has a low height of under two meters, perfect where space is limited. The

Compaction Cylinders are built into the sides of the chamber walls of the LH300, which means it is a plug and play machine with low setup times. The LH300 has a compaction force of 20 tonnes and can bale various materials, including cardboard boxes and plastic film. *subject to area and recycler

FEATURES:

• High Density* 300KG Bales that fit on a standard pallet.

• PLC control panel with a bale full light.

• Low height baler is perfect where space is limited.

• Easy safe bale eject features with plastic strapping.

• Tie off bale with doors open.

Pioneer Group is a family-owned and operated business with more than 60 years of experience in the industry. They manufacture and supply reliable, energy efficient, top quality New Zealand made and imported machinery for the recycling and waste management industry. More information on the company can be found at www.pioneergroup.co.nz n

MACFAB PB300 Baler

THE VALUE OF NETWORKING

By Raewyn Bleakley, Chief Executive, NZ Food & Grocery Council

ur members will have missed the opportunity to get together at expos in recent years, so it’s great to be together again, showcasing products, seeing what innovations and trends are emerging and, perhaps most importantly, catching up in person with industry colleagues.

During my first few months as Chief Executive, I’ve been out and about meeting members and attending all of FGC’s expert Working Groups.

The food and grocery sector is a highly regulated environment and so it attracts significant attentionfrom legislators, interest groups, and the media. It’s been very valuable to hear directly and frankly

from members on the issues they’re facing and how FGC can help. There is no shortage of these, and with many changes on the agenda, businesses need a strong voice and practical support as they navigate the grocery industry competition regulation and the code of conduct, along with the many pending requirements in the packaging space. We are also expecting activity in the area of Fair Pay Agreements, while there will be the ongoing impacts from the long road to recovery, our major city and northern areas are facing after the recent floods and other weather events.

“OFGC has extensive experience and expertise in advocacy, including legal analysis, close contact with ministers and officials, making submissions and appearing at select committee hearings, and navigating government bureaucracy. We work daily with government agencies, including the Ministry for Primary Industries, Food Standards Australia NZ, NZ Trade and Enterprise, the Environmental Protection Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Ministry of Health on issues affecting the sector and our members.

I’m looking forward to building on what we already do to make sure we’re there to support members to be the best they can be.”

The NZ Food and Grocery Council represents the suppliers to the supermarkets and companies that support supplier activities, and we know the value our members get from networking at industry Events.

equipment&services

THE CHILLING LACK OF CO2

The gas produced at Kapuni is used across domestic, commercial and industrial industries. It is a key ingredient in the production of beer and fizzy drinks. In the form of dry ice, it is a crucial component in the transportation of chilled goods and food packaging. It is also used in hospitals.

“It was necessary to shut the plant to enable the issue to be clearly defined and to complete any resulting rectification work. The safe operation of the plant is our priority. Unfortunately, that meant the plant was temporarily closed while we worked through engineering solutions,” said Mark Macfarlane, Todd Energy Chief Executive.

The production of liquid carbon dioxide resumed in early February.

However, the return to normal operations will resume in three stages. The first stage saw the plant operating under strict procedures and at 30 percent capacity. The plant will then undergo a routine shutdown from late February to mid-March for a scheduled inspection. Following this, the plant is expected to run at 50 percent capacity from the end of April and return to 100 percent by the end of 2023.

Industries were warned of a shortage since July last year, as a number of other countries are facing shortages due to isolated supply. For example, suppliers in the Jackson Dome area in the USA encountered a natural contamination issue in 2022 that affected a large portion of the market.

In the case of an extended shortage, industries that needed CO2 for critical uses would be prioritised. n

New Zealand was facing a stark shortage of carbon dioxide following the closure of the Todd Energy Kapuni plant in December. The site in Taranaki was the country’s only local producer of food-grade carbon dioxide after the Marsden Point refinery shut down in early 2022. Kapuni closed due to a safety issue.

equipment&services

Drone delivery and unmanned cars were once considered a novelty. However, the number of supermarkets and grocery delivery providers around the globe that are making the most of unmanned technology is increasing as it proves to add efficiency to the supply chain.

Tesco, Kroger, Walmart and Amazon

ince the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns, autonomous last-mile delivery technology has been gaining momentum in retail as it can fight the spread of airborne diseases, cut down traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and take the customer experience to the next level,” said Kiran Raj, Practice Head of Disruptive Tech at GlobalData.are some of the big grocery retailers already utilising drone grocery delivery in the UK and the USA. Closer to home, Coles in Australia spearheaded the movement with deliveries in the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. The supermarket partnered with Wing to get the programme off the group. Coles staff pack and process orders, while Wing staff load and manage the drones. Similarly, unmanned delivery vehicles are starting to hit the roads. Turkish company Delivers.ai has

developed the Nono delivery robotself-driving AI carts that travel at six kilometres an hour and are equipped with eight cameras and pre-mapped sensors. Estonian company Clevon has produced an electric road vehicle called the CLEVON 1. The robot courier can drive for 80 kilometres and hold up to 100 kilograms of cargo. Gogo Network is another last-mile delivery solutions company with driverless cars, carts and other small vehicles. Gogo Network partnered with Carrefour Supermarket in France to facilitate Europe’s first

autonomous grocery delivery.

In North America, companies such as Nuro, Argo AI, Waymo, AutoX and Gatik provide driverless grocery delivery solutions.

The autonomous last-mile delivery market has an impressive CAGR of 27.8 percent and is expected to be valued at US$47.69 billion by 2026. North America continues to be the main area for market growth, followed closely by Western Europe. The practical delivery solutions are no longer a gimmick. n

SIMPLIFYING EQUIPMENT POOLING SUSTAINABLITIY

Founded in 1942, Loscam is the partner of choice for leading retail, food, beverage and grocery manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand. Today, Loscam manages more than 150 million pallet movements each year. Loscam has continued to offer a vairety of products to compliment its pallet pool, including plastic pallets, IBCs, Gpaks, foldable bins and much more.

AUCKLAND

AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY IS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE

“S

GROCERIES ON A TIME CRUNCH

USA, companies such as Instacart, Shipt and DoorDash dominate the market while competing with supermarkets that provide their own impressive delivery options.

Dark store regulations are something else the industry has to worry about.

Dark stores are traditional retail sites that have been transformed into small warehouses and distribution hubs. They are popular with grocery delivery platforms as they do not allow on-site sales and provide convenient fulfilment locations for drivers. They often have frosted windows and a blank street presence.

The market is also not a very forgiving one. In the summer of 2021, 11 significant and independent grocery delivery companies were operating across Europe. This number has since dropped to four. Uber Eats and Deliveroo remain some of the most popular companies outside of

North America. However, globally, Uber Eats has been tackling poor working conditions, expensive fees, and poor service reviews of late. While Deliveroo voluntarily ceased operations in Australia and the end of 2022 and recently announced a nine percent job cut in the UK due to decreased demand. In the

France, Spain and the Netherlands have all cracked down on dark stores in major cities as they are disturbing communities. They are replacing independent grocery stores, and councils are concerned this will drain the life from local shopping centres. Paris currently has around 80 dark stores, causing citizens to complain about the noise and disruption from the constant stream of delivery

scooters.

New Zealand hasn’t had a major player in the market other than Uber Eats. Organisations such as Menu Log, Deliver Easy, Dine In, Easy Eats, Gimme and Takey all provide platforms for takeaways, but not really grocery. Supermarkets offer express deliveries and one-hour time frames, but no rapid grocery. However, there is one local startup already changing the market dynamic. Teddy launched in Queenstown at the end of 2022 and has already expanded to Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

“The Aussies and Brits set an example some time ago, and as consumers and operators, we've been held back by a couple of very accomplished players. To be honest, you'd probably do the same, given half the chance. However, the new mood sees the big guys genuinely engaging with people like us to help with product supply, so our timing couldn't be more perfect,” said Chaz Savage, Teddy's Co-Founder. n

Rapid grocery delivery is a very unique and evolving market - consumers are after convenience in a world of instant gratification but, at the same time, are growing wary of rising grocery costs.

GETTING EXCITED ABOUT CONFECTIONERY

Despite consumers becoming more health conscious, the confectionery market is growing and continues to provide one of the food industry’s highest turnovers. Historically, during a cost of living crisis, customers treat themselves in the sweets aisle for a ‘pick me up’ when spending less outside the supermarket.

The European market is one of the largest and most dynamic in the industry, with over 12,000 companies producing 14.7 million tones of confectionery each year. It manufactures half of the global annual cocoa crop as chocolate remains a customer favourite. The USA, however, is the largest confectionery producer, with an expected US$288.1 billion turnover for 2023.

In general, women eat more sweets, with an average of 34 percent consuming sweet (or savoury) snacks daily, compared to 23 percent of men. Since the pandemic, a quarter of the general population has been consuming more confectionery than pre-covid.

Healthy confectionery is also growing in popularity, with demands for organic, raw, natural, sugar-free and on-the-go sweet snacks. n

A SWEET FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING

The market for zero-waste packaging is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.8 percent between 2022 and 2032. At the end of 2022, the market had an estimated value of US$984.9 million and is expected to reach US$2.289 billion by 2032. The increase is due to implementation of more governmental measures that protect the environment and consumers seeking eco-friendly products.

Between 2015 and 2012, the market had a much smaller CAGR of 5.8 percent, meaning the last ten years have seen a significant change in the perceptions of packaging. Several well-known confectionery brands have announced their change to more sustainable packaging over the last year to keep up with conscious consumers.

Nestlé Oceania announced its world-first trial of KitKat paper packaging in Australia. The trial is set for Coles supermarkets across Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

“We’re proud to be the first country globally to trial KitKat in paper packaging as an important step towards reducing our use of virgin plastic. With all packaging

innovations, our priority is to ensure we deliver the same delicious KitKat with creamy chocolate and crisp wafer,” said Chris O’Donnell, Nestlé Oceania General Manager of Confectionery and Snacks.

Similarly, Mars New Zealand announced paper-based wrappers for Mars, Snickers and Milky Way bars in the local market. The paper packaging will be available in 2024 and can be recycled in traditional kerbside recycling bins.

“Mars has a responsibility to reduce our environmental footprint right across our business, including packaging. The launch of this new paper-based packaging is a significant step for us towards our local and global packaging targets,” said Peter Simmons, Ex-General Manager of Mars New Zealand. n

Superseed Crackers

The original delicious and crispy slow-baked ‘seed only’ crackers. Made in New Zealand with real ingredients, they are gluten-free and keto. There are three delicious flavours: Garlic & Rosemary, Macadamia Nut and Lemon & Poppyseed. Made by Creative Cooking Ltd. For more information, visit superseedcrackers.co.nz

Probiotic Protein Bars

With 10g of plant-based protein and over one billion CFU of BC30 shelf-stable probiotics per bar, consumers can enjoy snacking that’s better for them and better for the planet. Made in New Zealand and wrapped in soft plastic recyclable packaging. The bars are available in three flavours; Chocolate Almond, Coffee Crunch and Orange Cacao. For more information, visit chantalorganics.co.nz

ynut Coconut Candied Macadamias

ynut is on a mission to serve all nut lovers with freshly addictive nut snacks. We source locally grown, spray-free macadamia nuts from Auckland. Every pack is handcrafted with an emphasis on top quality. Simple and pure, just like the smile that follows every bite. For more information, visit ynut.co.nz

Coconut Milk Chocolate

This vegan coconut milk chocolate is hand-crafted with a love for all things that nourish bodies in the best way possible. Sweetened only with coconut sugar, it not only tastes delicious but can also support our bodies to function optimally. Made with organic cacao sustainably sourced from the Solomon Islands, pure cacao has been used for thousands of years to help open hearts and be more present in the body. With the added benefits of functional mushrooms, which can have the ability to support the nervous system, calm the mind and even boost immunity.

For more information, visit halfbakedcateringco.com

Low Carb Zone

The mantra is ‘every ingredient matters.’ Low Carb Zone really takes the time to make sure that the products taste amazing. Carefully selecting only the highest quality, natural ingredients - organic where possible. Safe and Sustainable packaging is also very important. The product is 100 percent free of any additives and preservatives, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and low-carb (no added sugar). For more information, visit lowcarbzone.co.nz

Wise Cookies

Move over snack balls and snack bars - Wise Cookies are a nutritious new snacking option in a cookie format. Available in portion-controlled Snack Packs for sustenance on-the-go and larger Pantry Packs for the cookie aisle. They are 4.0 and 4.5 Health Star rated, gluten, dairy, egg, soy and nut free, have less than one gram of sugar per cookie, are naturally sweetened, are a source of protein and fibre, there are plant-based and Collagen options, and they have soft plastic recyclable packaging. One little cookie - so many customers. Reinvent your healthy snack aisle today. For more information, visit wise-foods.co.nz

Candyfloss Glitter Bombs

The Olympus Range floss is candy floss infused with lustre dust. Not only will your glass turn into a glitter metallic swirl, but your drink will also taste like the flavour of floss used.

For more information, visit heavenlyfloss.co.nz

Low Carb Krackers

‘Low Carb & Actually Yum’ defines what these krackers are. Handcrafted in Taranaki in Mister K’s Kitchen, these gourmet low-carb, tasty fourseed krackers will instantly see you going back for more. Enriched with plant-based superfoods, they provide a powerful punch of vitamins, minerals and fats to achieve optimum gut health. These original krackers also supply a high source of protein and essential dietary fibre. Designed to be eaten on their own or further enhanced with toppings of your choice. A family favourite created for your everyday convenience. Available in four delicious flavours; Rosemary & Garlic, Curry & Onion (new), Marlborough Sea Salt and Chilli & Cheese. For more information, visit www.misterk.co.nz

Caramelised Nuts

When was the last time you gave yourself something special? Treat your tastebuds to a delicious snack of caramelised nuts. Famous throughout the European continent, caramelised almonds are a traditional holiday treat. They are 100 percent vegan, gluten-free, cooked in New Zealand in small handcrafted batches, and only contain natural ingredients - no artificial colours or flavours. They come in five awesome nut varieties: Almonds with Cinnamon, Chilli, or Gingerbread, Peanuts, and Hazelnuts. Contact sales@ nutbaron.co.nz for more info.

LILO Real Fruit Cheesecakes

LILO Real Fruit Cheesecakes are pioneering innovation in the premium desserts category with their range of chilled, grab-and-go cheesecakes. Available in Central Otago Summer Fruit and Gisborne Lemon and Golden Kiwi flavours, these cheesecakes combine years of research and development into taste, texture and format to create value-add products out of New Zealand supernatural produce. New Zealand fruit is some of the best (tasting and nutritionally) in the world, and LILO is on a mission to open minds, as well as taste buds, to an indulgent array of snacking possibilities. LILO 140g Real Fruit Cheesecakes are made without gluten, dairy free and vegan friendly.

For more information, visit lilodesserts.com

Little Bird Organics Macaroons

Little Bird Organics Good Macaroons are the ultimate organic indulgence - and they have a cult following - there really is nothing in the market which comes close. Made with only real food organic ingredients and flavour combinations. Not only are the best organic ingredients used, Little Bird does not use any bad oils, refined sugars or gluten. They are, of course, 100 percent activated and raw. That’s why they have been the number-one range for Little Bird Organics for 13 years.

Brilliantly tangy Passion Fruit Macadamia Macaroons using locally sourced creamy Macadamia Nuts from friends at Aotea Macadamias in Waipu. Mouth-watering passion fruit paired with chewy coconut provides a tropical taste sensation…. Is the kettle on?

The bestselling fudgy Cacao & Raspberry Macaroons - Chocolate and berries – what more could you ask for? Such a heavenly combination. Rich raw cacao and tart freeze-dried raspberry mixed with chewy coconut - melt in your mouth decadence.

For more information, visit littlebirdorganics.co.nz

Justine’s Keto Choc Fudge Protein Cookie

Indulge in a guilt-free treat with Justine's Keto Choc Fudge Protein Cookie. Enjoy the velvety rich chocolate fudge flavour studded with dark chocolate chips and a more-ish soft texture. Each 60g cookie packs a powerful punch with 16g of pure NZ milk protein, making up 32 percent of your daily protein needs, 23 percent DI fibre, and 26 percent RDI calcium. It's also gluten-free and contains no added sugar and only 1.4g of carbs. Keep it on hand for a convenient, satisfying snack.

For more information, visit justinescookies.com

Adelphi Fine Chocolate

NZ Artisan Award-winning hand-crafted chocolate barks from Adelphi Fine Chocolate. Florentine Chocolate Bark claimed a category win and a gold medal in the 2022 NZ Chocolate Awards with its organic, fairtrade dark chocolate, delicious, crunchy, chewy almond and ginger Florentine pieces. Hokey Pokey was awarded a silver medal at the NZ chocolate awards, with its moreish caramelised white chocolate, honeycomb pieces and roasted buckwheat and quinoa puffs. There are four other diverse and dynamic flavours in the range. All are made entirely by hand in small batches.

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

Flossy Sugar

Delicious candyfloss sugar is perfect for that home candyfloss machine. It comes in over 20 flavours. Pineapple Lump, Strawberries n Cream, Gummybear, Raspberry, Cola and many more. The sugar is full of flavour, just like the candyfloss.

For more information, visit heavenlyfloss.co.nz

Food Snob Authentic Cheese Dips

Recently Food Snob crafted its first NZ-made product – Authentic Cheese Dips, which brings together their passion for authentic cheese and supporting local. The dream was to create delicious products using their cheese, and Food Snob was ever so delighted to partner with a local manufacturer to help bring their first NZ-made product to life and to market last year. Combining authentic cheese and NZ dairy products, they crafted their dips with care, love and passion. For more information, visit foodsnob.co.nz

Levantine Baklava

Who doesn’t know Baklava? How about Baklava hand-made in New Zealand by a Syrian couple. Levantine Baklava is made-to-order with fresh cashew and pistachio and delivered to your doorstep anywhere in New Zealand. For more information. visit levantine.co.nz

Little Bird Organics Granola

The Bountiful Berry & Macadamia is wonderfully moreish with activated organic buckwheat, macadamia and sunflower seeds that provide a nutritionally packed base, to which we add a bounty of delicious freeze-dried berries and fruits that are rich in vitamin C and vitamin E. The activated granola is made with 100 percent real whole food ingredients - no numbers, nothing nasty, just pure deliciousness!

The breakfast range can be eaten like a normal bowl of cereal but also used as a topping for fruit snacks and smoothies, and is often just snacked on straight from the bag. For more information, visit littlebirdorganics.co.nz

Be Happy Chocolate

Jon and Elly live in Martinborough, where they handmake chocolate from what is quite possibly the tiniest chocolate factory in the world. All of their chocolate is dairy and refined sugar-free, ethically sourced, organic and very delicious. Using only the best ingredients and carefully considering every addition to their recipes, ensuring that it holds its own in terms of quality, taste and nutritional value. Their packaging is home-compostable and easily recyclable, and printed using vegetable inks, it's also beautifully designed to make a lovely gift. They are partnered with the Rainforest Foundation and donate five percent of profits to them. Along with the NZ artisan awards, they have won several awards in the NZ Chocolate Awards. (including a silver award for the coconut m*lk chocolate bar) and two gold awards from the International Chocolate Salon in San Francisco for the refined sugar-free, vegan m*lk chocolate with gooey caramel bar. Along with the 85g bars, they produce special chocolates for Christmas and Easter and have lots in the pipeline. For more information, visit behappychocolate.com

GETTING TO KNOW NPD

NPD is proud to be a family-owned business. Founded in 1961 by the Milne’s in Nelson, today, it continues to operate with the same family values. Everything the company does is about making the customer experience the best possible, whether at the fuel pump or in the café.

The Refresh Café is a newer addition to the NPD brand and was developed to support its developing fuel network with premium-made barista coffee and delicious food.

The first Refresh Café opened its doors in the South Island in December of 2017 with NPD Redwood in Blenheim. There are now eight sites across the island that pride themselves in having passionate team members offering outstanding customer service.

“Our architecturally designed café sites are created with customers in mind, they’re light, bright and spacious. We have also made significant investments in highend cooking equipment to ensure we are delivering a top-quality product,” said Lou Mitchell, Senior Category Manager.

“When visiting a Refresh Café, our customers can enjoy a delicious

barista-made coffee or a selection of tasty treats from our extensive range. Having a food service offering provides our customers with multiple reasons to visit our sites. Whether it is breakfast on the run, a relaxed lunch in our sundrenched seated areas or a dinner pack to feed the family, we can cover it all!”

Innovation has always been a key focus for NPD, and this is what led the company to develop its signature range of chicken - Southern Crunch. Available in a burger, as chicken tenders, drumsticks, or thigh pieces, it adds an extra layer of originality to the Refresh Café.

“If you haven’t already tried out Southern Crunch Chicken, I suggest you pop it on your to-do list!”

NPD is incredibly communityfocused and employs 180 staff in the South Island alone. The

business supports sports teams and community groups across its network with sponsorship and player of the day awards.

After launching the self-service petrol offering in the North Island in 2021, NPD has over 100 sites across the country. But this expansion is still in its early days; a further 32 sites are planned over the next four years. The long-term

goal is to bring the NPD retail offering and Refresh Café over Cook Strait.

“The fuel industry is fast-paced, dynamic and ever-changing, so it is important that our café offer moves with it! The success of our signature products and our legendary 100plus fuel is a true testament to our premium offering across the board.” n

When visiting a Refresh Café, our customers can enjoy a delicious baristamade coffee or a selection of tasty treats from our extensive range. Having a food service offering provides our customers with multiple reasons to visit our sites.

EXPORTING IS HARD, BUT THE WORLD NEEDS KIWI GOODNESS

By Fiona Acheson, Head of Food, Beverage and Consumer Goods at New Zealand Trade & Enterprise

Yet New Zealand’s food and beverage sector has been the stand-out for filling part of the gap.

The dairy sector, for example, earned a record $22 billion for the year ended June 2022 and is expected to earn an additional billion dollars during the current financial year.

Wine has been another to significantly increase its value. Exports for the 12 months to September were at an all-time high of $2.03 billion, up six percent from the previous year. In particular, the US ($727 million) and Canada ($157 million) were at new record levels.

Overall, the Ministry for Primary Industries found that export earnings from the primary sector were $53 billion in that June 2022 year, an 11 percent rise on the previous year.

Sitting within this, meat and wool exports earned $12.3 billion, horticulture $6.7 billion,

and seafood $1.9 billion.

At NZTE we work closely with around 400 F&B exporters, and we are regularly inspired by their dedication and determination to share New Zealand’s great produce with the world.

We’ve had significant growth into Australia and North America, which is why we have recruited more business development managers in those markets to support our exporters.

New Zealand is blessed with good growing conditions for premium food and beverage, but what increasingly stands out is how many exporters are using innovation to develop new products and grow their businesses.

We know that first hand, because the Supreme winner of our New Zealand International Business Awards in November was Rockit Global, the creators of the snack-size apple.

Last year Silver Fern Farms took advantage of

We all know how disruptive the COVID-19 pandemic has been to our lives and New Zealand’s economy. Tourism and international education, in particular, have taken a massive hit.

the Prime Minister’s business mission to the US to launch New Zealand's first certified, grassfed, net carbon-zero red meat – a significant innovation in our premium meat exports.

And we’ve been working closely with NZ Beef & Lamb in Shanghai for their trial of ready-toeat meal boxes available from vending machines. Chinese consumers were really excited by the option of buying grass-fed lamb leg with apple and herbed potatoes or grass-fed beef sirloin with sweet ginger noodles.

The trial saw more units sold than projected and has provided valuable lessons for the team as they develop this concept.

And if you ever visit Tokyo, don’t miss the opportunity to drop into the Cookie Time café there. You can try flavours you’ll never find at their original shop outside Christchurch!

We are also capturing value from a wider range of primary products – take Ārepa, a company that has developed a range of blackcurrant drinks that provide brain nutrition, or Sustainable Foods Ltd, whose delicious plant-based protein products use hemp as a key ingredient. We also have a growing oat milk industry, making use of protein-rich Southland oats.

So, what do we think will happen in 2023?

As soon as borders started to reopen, NZTE’s international teams noticed an immediate increase in companies travelling to reconnect with their key distributors and channel partners. Many of them were choosing to spend weeks and even a couple of months reconnecting.

We don’t expect this to slow down. So much has changed in the past three years, and seeing the market for yourself is the best way to get a sense of where consumer preferences have moved.

Shifts we’ve noted and seen accelerate in the past few years include the move to online

purchasing (including for fresh food); the growth in experiential stores that engage customers, for example, a cooking experience; the move to staff-less, cash-less stores (the Shanghai vending machine is a good example); how vegan has gone mainstream; the exponential growth in zero-percent alcoholic beverages; and the expectation of sustainable packaging.

When you’re overseas, make sure you have time to wander around local supermarkets, cafes and corner stores and soak up these changes – they could provide inspiration for your own innovation.

Supply chain problems will continue – we don’t think the world’s global network will

recover from the pandemic for at least another year. This means staying adaptable.

The change of COVID policies in China brings good news for our exporters. First, having simpler access to the market is important, but the testing of cold-chain products for traces of COVID-19 has also ceased, which is a huge relief for those who use this method.

Sustainability – of your product, your packaging, and your supply chain – will become increasingly important, both with the UK-NZ Free-Trade Agreement coming into effect this year and the eventual ratification of our freetrade agreement with the European Union.

NZTE’s research shows that consumers in these markets– those that value and will pay for premium F&B products – are placing sustainability credentials at or near the top of their decision-making. We are also seeing this preference for sustainable and ethical products emerge in the US and Australia.

With a network of more than 400 staff and private-sector advisors based in our key international markets, NZTE has built a wealth of knowledge, resources and tools to support companies exporting.

If you’re just starting to export, or are thinking about it, then please start by signing up for myNZTE. It’s all free, and it’s a goldmine of information about exporting, right from the basic assessment of whether your business is ready to take on the world. There are lots of case studies in there from fellow Kiwi exporters who have the bruises and scars.

Exporting is hard, and I have nothing but admiration for the companies that do it. To see your products being enjoyed by consumers in different parts of the world is also incredibly rewarding.

And, at NZTE, we think the world needs plenty of Kiwi goodness.

Not only do all users encounter these issues, but every website and app has dealt with errors, mishaps, and even catastrophic failures in their own software. Nobody is immune to these issues. So today, I want to look at a couple of lessons from the most powerful companies in the world on how to handle software failures - or how not to.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, rolled

RETAIL DECODED: LEARNING FROM DISASTER

By John-Daniel Trask, Founder and CEO, Raygun

out Horizon Worlds, an ambitious virtual reality project, in late 2021, as the forerunner of their new metaverse. It was supposed to be the arrival of the next era of digital reality. But less than a year later, the project was exposed to public embarrassment when leaked internal memos revealed major issues: “feedback from our creators, users, playtesters, and many of us on the team is that the aggregate weight of papercuts, stability issues, and bugs is making it too hard for our community to experience the magic of Horizon.” People using Horizon Worlds weren’t having fun, and they weren’t sticking around. Sometimes they couldn’t get it

to work at all. The tech giant had tried to do too much, too fast.

The result? Well, it’s now been reported that Meta is putting Horizon Worlds on “quality lockdown” and significantly reducing their user adoption targets. To their credit, Meta heard the feedback from early users (and their own team) that the product just wasn’t up to standard and began efforts to get on top of issues early, so that users can judge the product on its value, not its flaws.

What can we learn from this? While you’re probably not trying to build an entire immersive world like the Meta team, there’s still some universal lessons here. The obvious takeaway is to test your software thoroughly and adjust timelines if necessary; it’s not your customers’ job to find your problems. The second is to own mistakes and take decisive action. If Meta had simply ignored their issues and continued to pour advertising funds into convincing more people to try Horizon Worlds, this PR nightmare could’ve been a lot worse. And third, when it comes to software, you’re better off doing the basics really well rather than trying something too elaborate that just doesn’t work. A simple, well-designed storefront is going to serve you far better than a load of flashy animations and slow, distracting pop-ups and plug-ins.

Our second tale comes from Amazon, the mall of the internet. Each year, Amazon prepares for the annual e-commerce blitz of Thanksgiving weekend (also known as Cyber Five). In 2022, they once again handled Black Friday and Cyber Monday pretty flawlessly for consumers. Amazon’s team achieved an incredible feat of software engineering, scaling their systems and servers to handle an epic amount of traffic as millions of people surged to their site in search of deals. But for their advertisers, it was another story.

During the biggest sales weekend of the year, when every business was pouring resources into promoting special offers, Amazon’s advertiser reporting platform stopped working. This was a massive blow for companies who were planning to adjust their ad spend according to the performance of their campaigns, and for some, it resulted in blindly overspending on ineffective promotion. This vital service only came back up on the Sunday.

The results of this outage are still to be seen. While the consumer market (which is much larger in scale) encountered Amazon’s usual

As internet users, we’ve all experienced the pain and frustration of broken software. Anybody with an internet connection has come across busted links, slow pages, and malfunctioning shopping carts.

exacting standards, businesses did not, and many misused gigantic advertising budgets. This comes at the cost of trust, jeopardizing Amazon’s future ad dollars. All this is in a tougher economic climate where many of the tech giants are fighting for ad spend. Amazon released a fairly uninspiring apology and didn’t offer much in the way of amends.

What does this teach us? During key sales periods, when there’s more pressure on your systems, make sure there’s somebody available to keep an eye on every component of your software. Don’t allocate all your resources and attention to a single area at the expense of another, and don’t scale at the cost of stability. If you’re going to chase multiple markets (e.g. consumer and business), make sure you have the technical resources to serve their separate needs.

obvious. Their stock price tanked, and their next earnings report showed a hit to operating costs as they were forced to discount their services to compensate affected accounts. But the real cost is harder to pin down. The discussions that went on across social media, in forums, and in the tech media often centred around the lack of communication from Atlassian during the disastrously long outage. In the first days, Atlassian also publicly announced a bunch of splashy new features while hundreds of users frantically tried to access crucial services that were gone seemingly indefinitely. Not very tactful.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY

Everyone has errors. They’re part of the development process. Software is complex; it’s made and used by human beings, and that means a degree of unpredictability. It’s the visibility of those issues that’s most crucial. It’s like going to your doctor or your mechanic. Ignoring them or being unable to detect them doesn’t mean they will go away, it just means they’ll eventually escalate.

Our last lesson is Atlassian. If you’re not in the tech space, you may not be familiar with Atlassian. They’re a pretty big deal, though: 200,000 teams use their products to help build, improve and maintain software. And in April of last year, they experienced an outage that lasted up to 14 days for some of their customers. The cause, it turns out, was a routine maintenance script that was supposed to do a cleanup of archived data for some accounts (sort of like a Roomba for data).

The results for Atlassian were immediate and

So what can we learn? I can’t help but suspect that much of the damage to Atlassian’s reputation could have been mitigated with better communication, which could have been as simple as more personalised outreach to highpaying accounts (there were multiple reports of stonewalling from even big Atlassian users, with vague mass emails and questions going unanswered). Often, even bad news is much better received when it’s delivered gracefully and proactively. The root cause of the outage was also a communication issue between two teams, one of whom misunderstood a request and provided the wrong data for deletion. The ultimate lesson, then, is a really simple one: talk to people. Talk to your team, talk to your customers. Encourage the habit of being unafraid to ask questions and answer them, especially on technical issues. This especially matters when something goes wrong, but good communication can also help prevent problems in the first place.

Research shows that only one percent of users who encounter a software error will ever go on to report it. If you’re not health-checking your software, you’re probably significantly underestimating the problem. One recent study found that 94 percent of Europe’s digital checkouts have issues, whether it be poor layout or dysfunctional design.

While it’s healthy to admit that your tech won’t be 100 percent flawless all the time, it remains absolutely mandatory to control and improve what you can, where you can. Don’t insist on perfection, but aim for progress. Be prepared to make apologies and amends to your customers if you stuff up. Have the humility to recognise that your tech (like all tech!) probably needs work, to ask for help with fixing it, and to say sorry if it affects your customers.

That’s all for this month. I hope you found something here that rang true — your feedback and questions on anything in this column are always welcomed. Send comments, queries, or stray observations to jd@raygun.com.

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