As New Zealand grapples with the stark reality of a recession, it becomes increasingly imperative for supermarket brands and retailers to exercise caution and consciousness in their marketing strategies, communication, and business goals. The current economic climate demands an acute awareness of the challenges faced by consumers and a commitment to understanding their needs and aspirations. Brands and retailers cannot afford to be tonedeaf in their messaging and actions. Instead, they must adapt and prioritise empathy, compassion, and flexibility to thrive in these trying times.
The recession has put immense pressure on consumers and suppliers, significantly impacting their purchasing power and behaviours.
During such an economic climate, it is essential for brand owners and retailers to recognise that the customers they serve are facing heightened financial uncertainty and emotional stress. Their marketing messages should reflect an understanding of these challenges and be framed to provide solutions and be empathetic.
An aggressive marketing approach that often dominates the retail landscape during economic prosperity is one of the first aspects that must be toned down. In a recession, consumers are more cautious about spending, and the conventional methods of pushing products and encouraging impulse buying may not yield the desired results.
Brands and retailers must adjust their focus and prioritise building long-term customer relationships.
This can be achieved by engaging in meaningful conversations, offering value-driven promotions, and demonstrating genuine concern for customers' well-being.
Transparency and authenticity are vital components of any communication, but they take on much more significance during a recession.
Be clear about your intentions, values, and actions. Consumers are more likely to support businesses that are honest about the challenges they face and their efforts to help their customers through these tough times.
In addition to marketing, business plans and goals must align with the current economic climate. Recessions are periods of rapid change, and consumer behaviour can shift drastically. Therefore, adaptability is paramount. Brands and retailers should reassess their product offerings, pricing strategies, and supply chain operations to remain competitive and meet the changing demands of consumers.
Innovation and creativity can play a pivotal role in thriving during a recession. Brands that can identify unique ways to offer value to their customers, such as providing costeffective options or introducing essential products and services, will be better positioned to weather the economic storm.
During a recession, the focus extends beyond immediate profit and encompasses social responsibility. Brands and retailers can demonstrate their commitment to the communities they serve by supporting local initiatives and assisting those most affected by the economic downturn.
The current economic climate serves as a critical wake-up call for the FMCG industry as a whole to be conscious about marketing and business plans. This is not a time for complacency or short-term gains but a period that demands empathy, adaptability, and responsible decision-making. By demonstrating a genuine understanding of customers' needs and embracing the changes required, brands and retailers can not only survive the recession but in effect build stronger, more loyal relationships with their customer base.
For those that remember the GFC or even the last recession, you will know that these times of crisis bring out the best and worst in people and companies.
Far better to be remembered as a company, a brand, a retailer, or an individual that cared, delivered on promises and adapted to the changing circumstances of the customer, and you'll still be around for the next crisis.
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
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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.
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
Anew Four Square has opened its doors, with the store in the brand's latest '4.0' format for the brand that has been around for 99 years.
Opening in Onehunga, Auckland, local business-woman Alex Gage Brown will own and operate the new Four Square.
The 4.0 stores being rolled out nationwide showcase the new Four Square brand identity, a contemporary layout designed for convenience and ease, premium local partnerships,
Fonterra has announced a lift in its decarbonisation ambition with a new scope one and two emissions reduction target, which will be achieved by bringing forward some of its work to get out of coal.
Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell said the Co-op was targeting a 50 percent absolute reduction in scope one and two emissions in 2030 from a 2018 baseline, an increase on its previous 30 percent reduction by 2030.
“Fonterra’s scope one and two
emissions largely come from our manufacturing operations and supply chain. Strengthening our emissions reduction target supports our ambition to be net zero by 2050,” said Hurrell. Achieving the new target will require Fonterra to continue to undertake energy efficiency improvements and fuel switching to renewable energy source activities across its milk collection fleet and manufacturing sites, with a focus on the six where it uses coal.
Read more here
self-service checkouts, and food-to-go options. All new Four Square stores offer the same core items, with specific products tailored to their community.
Four Square Onehunga will offer barista-made Flight coffee and baked goods from Daily Bread. Customers can also find classic Kiwi favourites such as meat pies, hot chicken & chips, and quick meal options for those with busy schedules.
Read more here
AHawke’s Bay butchery has been announced as the Supreme Winner in the 100 percent New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards bacon and ham categories. Wild Game in Hastings has won New Zealand’s top bacon award with their middle eye/loin entry and New Zealand’s best ham award for their boneless ham.
Wild Game owners Jordan and Varnnah Hamilton-Bicknell run a
The Australian Food and Grocery Council welcomes federal government funding to increase Australia’s recycling capabilities as significant progress in developing a circular economy for packaging materials.
AFGC CEO Tanya Barden said AUD 60 million in funding for hard-to-recycle plastics, including
soft plastics, and consultation on a national framework for recycled content traceability, announced on Tuesday by Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, will boost the ability of food and grocery companies to use recycled materials in packaging.
Read more here
boutique butchery in Camberley, Hastings, creating quality products sold in-store and online.
Jordan, passionate about hunting and the outdoors, started his butchery trade at 15 in a butcher shop in Woodville. After working six years for the previous owner of Wild Game, Jordan took over the business and took great pride in crafting his award-winning products. Read more here
Countdown has announced its long-term commitment to delivering New Zealand’s best supermarket experiences for customers and teams with an accelerated transformation programme underway.
The transformation includes more customer value through a refreshed loyalty programme with the launch of Everyday Rewards for New Zealand planned for early 2024. Significant
investment is planned, with over NZD 400 million over the next three years allocated to a renewal of the store network, with a focus on older stores across Aotearoa. Customers will also see more convenient eCommerce shopping options, a deeper connection to grassroots community activities, and further commitment to top-quality fruit and vegetables with a state-of-the-art Christchurch Fresh Distribution Centre opening in 2024. This will complement the Auckland Fresh Distribution Centre, which opened in 2022. Read more here
The rise of the sober curious movement has seen the non-alcoholic beverage industry boom in the last few years, with the category now valued at $178 billion globally, with $14.7 billion accounting for the emerging zero percent alcohol category.
Local company Finery was the first to the New Zealand market in the ready-to-drink, low and no-alcohol category. Now, the company is in sight of expansion with the support of two high-profile FMCG players investing in the brand and announcing a crowd-funding campaign. Read more here
Statistics New Zealand's Food Price Index (FPI) shows food prices increased 12.5 percent for June 2023 compared to a year ago.
Chris Quin, Foodstuffs New Zealand managing director, said that the food sector faced complex
challenges due to record inflation. However, the pace and intensity of rising costs that growers, manufacturers, and retailers had seen showed signs of easing.
Commenting on the latest food price inflation figures released by Statistics New Zealand today, Quin said after the supply shocks of early 2020, record cost increases were beginning to moderate. Still, it would take time for this to flow through to customers.
Read more here
The Energy Excellence Awards are focused on recognising excellence across the broader energy sector for activities over the past twelve to twenty-four months. Ten awards are presented, including the customerfocused Energy Retailer of the Year Award.
Z General Manager Customer Andy Baird said that being recognised as a finalist was a testament to all those across Z who focus on providing top-quality service and products to keep New Zealand motorists moving.
“We’re proud that our commitment to New Zealand’s transition to a low carbon future has been cited within the selection process as we look at ways we can help our customers in their transition journey,” said Baird. Read more here
Even in a typical year, no two days or seasons are the same for New Zealand's produce growers. No one knows this better than Justin Dykhoff, Foodstuffs South Island's Produce Manager, who, together with his team of people based in Christchurch, is responsible for buying a significant portion of South Island's produce that can be found in PAK'nSAVE, New
World, Four Square and Raeward Fresh stores.
Dykhoff's been choosing the pick of the pack for 12 years now and says this year has been like no other, with extreme weather and higher-thanaverage rainfall impacting this year's winter crops.
Read more here
The Packaging Forum’s Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme has returned to Marlborough, with all the soft plastic collected being processed locally at Future Post’s new Blenheim plant.
The soft plastic recycling bins are located at Countdown Blenheim, Countdown Redwoodtown, The Warehouse Blenheim and New World Blenheim, and opposite Marlborough’s Resource Recovery Centre. Around 80 percent of New Zealanders have access to soft plastic recycling at over 250 public drop-off recycling facilities.
Rob Langford, CEO of The Packaging Forum (operator of the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme - SPRS), said the return of soft plastic recycling to Blenheim and the upper South Island after five years was exciting.
“We’re pleased to have collections back in Blenheim, especially as it's Plastic Free July,” said Langford.
He continued that the Packaging Forum had been working on restarting collections in the region for some time, and the upcoming opening of Future
Post’s new plant had helped this happen. In the past, the growth of the Scheme was limited by onshore processing capacity as the enterprise could only collect what it could process and recycle.
However, Future Post’s expansion into the South Island has meant an increase in its production capabilities, and therefore the Packaging Forum has been able to add more collection points.
“The Blenheim operation is a brilliant example of a local circular economy in action and members and partners working collaboratively. Blenheim’s soft plastic will be collected and processed locally and then recycled into fence posts, likely ending up on local farms and vineyards. The posts themselves are 100 percent recyclable if they need to be replaced.”
Cottonsoft New Zealand, a foundation member of the SPRS, has donated and rehomed several soft plastic balers, including one to Future Post in Blenheim, as a key component of recycling infrastructure.
In the year to the end of
March 2023, the Scheme collected 589 tonnes of postconsumer soft plastic, the equivalent of 75 million bags or wrappers, and enough to be made into 50,000 Future Posts, or 250km worth of fencing.
North Island collections of soft plastic will continue to supply Future Post’s Waiuku operation, and there is additional capacity with saveBOARD in Hamilton entering the market for postconsumer soft plastics. n
Health Lab is a brand with a progressive commitment to health, creating genuinely clean, high-quality, fun, plant-based products with gluten-free ingredients.
With big flavours, personality, and beautiful packaging, Health Lab’s range of balls and bars in both singles and value-for-money multipacks, and other exciting indulgent innovations, are available at Countdown nationwide, in all the leading New World stores in both islands, and also now beginning to appear on selected Pak n ‘Save shelves in the health, breakfast, and snack aisles.
Health Lab is meticulous about using natural ingredients, with the team passionate about transparency to build trust and loyalty with customers, and to craft snacking products that surprise and delight through a perfect balance of taste, flavour and texture.
Their goal is to become the go-to brand that customers choose to reward themselves, without any guilt, through its ethos of creating products that perfectly meet that blend of the health benefits customer desire and the indulgence they crave.
Why not choose Health Lab today? There truly is something for everyone!
“Natural Things is a leading distributor of organic and natural products, based in Rosedale in Auckland.
Their portfolio is extensive and includes leading brands such as Nutra Organics, Ecotan, Hurraw lip balm and Minor Figures Oat Milk. and they are also the exclusive distributor for Health Lab in NZ. They have a full-service sales partner in Selling Solutions and provide a nationwide service.”
For trade enquiries, contact Stuart Silkstone at Natural Things on Mob: 021 195 1818 or email: stuart@naturalthings.co.nz
Jason Danielson co-founded Kai Pai Pies with his sister and brother-in-law in 2010. Danielson has been baking for 35 years, starting in Ashburton at Sims Bakery before moving further down the South Island approximately 20 years ago.
Danielson helped build the business of a bakery in Queenstown, baking pies. However, this operation quickly scaled up, leading Danielson to relocate to a new production facility in Wanaka.
Kai Pai is a family affair, with Danielson baking, his partner in dispatch and his sister and brother-in-law leading the business administration functions.
Pies have always been a product that drew Danielson's attention; having worked in restaurants where he spent much of his time waiting around for people, baking pies gave Danielson a chance to be consistently baking and to have fun, with his baking philosophy revolving around constantly trying to improve and create new and exciting flavours. His favourite flavour is steak and pepper. However, Kai Pai’s Chicken, Leek and Bacon Pie has won gold awards for the last two years running, which Danielson attributes to the team's commitment to perfecting the balance of flavours.
Danielson said the first step in baking the pies was to get the pastry right. After the pastry had met the standard, the next step was flavour. However, winning awards for flavour heavily depends on the judge's preferences, with him adding that some years a product might not get any award recognition because of the different tastes of the judging panel.
While Chicken, Leek and Bacon is an award winner, Danielson said that Mince & Cheese and Steak & Cheese remained
top favourites for New Zealand consumers. More recently, there has been an increase in consumer interest in vegan options, with Danielson's Vegan Roasted Vegetable & Cashew Nut Curry pie creation winning a gold award at its first-time entry at the Vegan Pie Awards.
When production for the vegan pies first began, Danielson was creating 2000 a month; now, this has increased to 26,000.
"We will bring a vegan sausage roll, but I want to do it properly. We've been working on it for a while now," said Danielson.
For sustainability, Kai Pai also uses a recyclable wrap, has switched to lining pies with recyclable, greaseproof paper, and has also incorporated crushers for its recyclable plastics and cardboard. Danielson said Kai Pai’s decision to become more eco-friendly went hand-in-hand with creating a plantbased pie. Kai Pai is committed to catering to consumer preference and demand for environmentally-conscious and plant-based products.
Kai Pai can make 50,000 pies daily, an astronomical increase from when the business started when it made 1000 pies
daily. The process is automated with two pie line systems to facilitate the pie's demand and popularity. Danielson's baking ethos is centred on the premise that if he wouldn't eat it, he won't sell it.
When making a new flavour, Danielson said the process was primarily him mucking around, trying to get the taste right. Danielson created a curry recipe with the vegan pie that could work and then added rice and roasted vegetables to create the pie it is today. Using the Kai Pai team as guinea pigs, Danielson said that they were the first to try a new flavour, and when it came to the vegan pie, many preferred it to the meat ones.
For Kai Pai, quality is, first and foremost, the most essential part of baking.
"We do our best, and we know we can't please every customer, but we're going to take care in what we're doing. We take pride in our work and always look for ways to improve."
The industry's biggest problem is staff; Danielson explained that this was an issue in the sector we’re all dealing with.
"It's trying to get enough staff for your business."
A second issue was stock shortages, with global economic conflicts and ongoing extreme weather impacting the price of ingredients. These prices have impacted bakeries large and small, with ingredient prices driving up prices of baked goods.
"Prices have to hold at a certain time."
He continued that it was a frustrating and challenging time for all, with the hope that these challenges would let up soon.
For the future, Danielson wants Kai Pai to be one of the biggest Pie wholesalers in New Zealand, which has long been a goal. However, ultimately, he wants a good business that he can be proud of. n
We had the chance to speak with various of New Zealand’s top, award-winning brands. With a range of New Zealand, locally-made and delicious products, ranging from family-recipe curated specialty meats to thirstquenching juices, plant-based category leaders and more.
The Award Winners of New Zealand is an opportunity to showcase the best New Zealand has to offer, sharing the nationwide pride taken in curating and crafting products of the highest quality possible, showing New Zealand’s strengths and ability to compete nationally and internationally with its excellence of product.
A love of food and nature were the drivers for New Zealand’s most award-winning plant-based epicurean cheese maker Auda Finan when she started Savour in 2017. Made in an Auckland pilot plant, Savour’s purpose is to produce delectable plant-based foods to satisfy any cheese and butter-loving connoisseur. At Savour, the aim is to create innovative plant-based taste experiences.
Savour vegan creamery produces artisan, functional plant-based products from natural ingredients that taste delicious, according to the judges and lovers of Savour Cheese.
New Zealanders, traditionally a dairybased culture, is a hard nut to crack, but the delicious taste of Savour’s premium cheeses wins Kiwis over every time.
Savour’s first award was at the 2018 New Zealand Food Awards, in the chilled and short shelf-life category, where the brand won the Gold Award for Casheta, Savour’s marinated feta. Savour also received a finalist award in the same year for Butta. Finan added that the brand was very humbled to receive these awards.
In 2019 Auda pitched Savour and won a place in the Good Food Boost. She was grateful to receive this opportunity and mentor advice to help grow Savour.
In 2021, Savour won the Flavoured Cheese Award for Cumin and was runnerup for Camembert, Chipotle and Feta in the Vegan Society of Aotearoa Cheese Awards. Savour also won the Award for Best Artisan Cheese in the Vegan Society of
Aotearoa Dairy Free Awards.
2022 was a big year for Savour, receiving the Supreme Winners Award at the Vegan Society of Aotearoa Cheese Awards, Gold Medals for Casheta and Soft Cheese and runner-up for Flavoured Cheeses with Ash and Chipotle and Soft Cheese with Cumin. Savour received Silver Awards for Casheta, Ash, and Cumin and Bronze for Chipotle and Butta at the Inspire New Zealand Artisan Awards.
This reconfirmed Savour was on to a good thing. Finding a great-tasting dairy-free
cheese is the hardest challenge for vegan, lactose intolerant or plant-based consumers, and Savour delivers on this.
Savour is at the cutting edge of artisan cultured cashew products and crafting the traditions of the future. Finan gave a big thank you to all of Savour’s followers, tasters, and judges. Auda will continue to inspire this growing market with new recipes in keeping with seasonal trends across social media and at events.
For more information, visit www.savour. co.nz. n
Pete's Natural Sodas are the ultimate thirstquenchers taking the soda scene by storm.
Pete’s Natural is thrilled to announce that its incredible Currant Crush has snagged the Gold award at the 2023 New Zealand Outstanding Food Producer Awards. It's official. This soda is a true winner.
But that's not all. Pete’s Natural Currant Crush has also claimed the Label and Litho Drink Champion title. Not only does it taste amazing, but it also looks fantastic on the shelf. Pete’s Natural Sodas have got the whole package covered.
Pete's Natural is committed to positively impacting the environment. Sustainability is the brand’s middle name. The Pete’s Natural factory is powered by the sun making their sodas the coolest and greenest in town. Plus, its bottles are made from up to 70 percent recycled glass so that consumers can enjoy their favourite fizz
In 2016 the concept of a quality sausage roll at Beard Brothers began thanks to the tenacity of one of its staff and their mum. The sausage roll first came from an inspired and heavenly combination of sausage meat wrapped in divine golden flaky pastry. However, it wasn’t until 2022, when the idea of a sausage roll was reintroduced, that the Beard Brothers team came together to
guilt-free. Pete’s Natural is proud to support local fruit farmers too.
The brand purchases fruits that might otherwise go to waste and pays a fair price. It's Pete’s Natural’s way of giving back to the community and reducing food wastage, which the brand has dubbed ‘Fairtrade@ home’, making a difference one sip at a time.
When it comes to sodas, Pete’s Natural believes in keeping it real. That's why they're 100 percent natural with no added nasties. Just pure refreshing flavours that will satisfy cravings and quench thirst like nothing else.
Ready to stock up on Pete's Natural Sodas?
Visit the brand’s website at www. petesnatural.co.nz to discover the full range of delicious flavours. For any inquiries or to share a soda love, drop Pete’s Natural a line at info@petesnatural.co.nz.
Pete’s Natural is here to assist customers and ensure their soda experience is top-notch, where great taste meets sustainability. Grab a bottle today and join Pete’s Natural in sipping its way to a happier and healthier planet. n
create a production solution to make its heavenly sausage roll part of its core range.
A year later, after a few twists and turns, the Beard Brothers are proud and excited to launch the Beard Brothers Sausage Rolls, available across the Foodstuffs core range. For more information, visit www. beardbrothers.co.nz. n
Gold Medal recipient of the 2022 New Zealand Artisan Awards, Mutt Butter, has launched its exciting new ‘Squeezy’ peanut butter for dogs. Crafted with all-natural ingredients with 100 percent roasted peanuts and free from harmful additives or preservatives, Mutt Butter Squeezy Peanut Butter is the perfect, innovative way to provide dogs with a healthy, delicious snack. It can be used as a reward for good behaviour or simply as a treat to show furry friends some love, Mutt Butter Squeezy Peanut Butter is a user-friendly game changer.
Coming in a convenient and pocketfriendly 250-gram pouch, Squeezy Peanut Butter is easy to dispense and use as a training aid or treat for filling chew toys, frozen to a block of ice, or dosing lick mats, its sure to keep dogs entertained.
Pouches are also recyclable and simply need to be cut and washed clean inside and can be dropped off local soft plastic recycling centre, or the team at Future Post will recycle it into a fence post for New Zealand farms.
Squeezy Peanut Butter is also a handy way to administer medicine, and with peanut
butter being such a great source of protein (25 percent) and healthy Omega-3 and 6 fats, it also promotes good health in dogs.
With its rich, creamy natural flavour and irresistible aroma, Squeezy Peanut Butter is the next best treat for dogs.
Available now at supermarkets, specialty pet retailers, dog-friendly garden centres, and participating vet shops across New Zealand.
For more information, visit Mutt Butter socials @muttbutternz or contact the team at Mutt Butter at 0800 688 2767 or email info@muttbutter.co.nz. n
Waiheke Herbs took gold medals at the 2022 New Zealand Artisan Awards for their Aioli and Herb Salt ranges. The win surprised owner-manager Wendy Kendall as she had initially only looked in the chilled category winners section. However, congratulations from their Food Marketing agent, Chris Price, prompted another look.
The range of Aioli includes three flavours featuring delicious combinations of herbs and ingredients in organic sunflower oil, including Mixed Herbs with Whole Mustard and Capers, Coriander with Chilli and Lime, and Mint with Turmeric and Ginger.
Only the best quality ingredients are used, such as fresh herbs, free-range eggs, organic garlic, and New Zealand apple cider vinegar, resulting in intense flavours and a creamy
texture for adding that extra dollop of goodness to any meal.
Waiheke Herbs’ Herb Salt range also features three unique combinations of herbs in organic New Zealand Sea Salt, including Italian with Italian herbs, olives, sundried tomatoes and garlic, Wild with wild herbs (nasturtium and dandelion) chilli and lemon, and Native with native herbs (kawakawa, manuka, New Zealand Seaweed and Kohkihi).
These salts are perfect for a hangi, smoked meats, tofu, stir-fry, and eggs. The Native Herb Salt also won a Silver Medal in the Outstanding Food Producers awards earlier that year.
Creating original combinations of herbs with other plant-based ingredients has always
been a passion for Wendy, who originally trained as a herbalist and nutritionist. Extensive herb gardens on Waiheke Island supply a range of herbs that are not available from commercial growers, including wildharvested herbs for their now famous Herb Spreads, which feature Traditional and Wild Herbs in olive oil, winning several awards over the years since it was first launched at the local Waiheke Markets in 2006.
Available from a selection of Fresh Choice, New World, organic and boutique stores nationwide. n
based category is constantly improving, and plan*t credits its hardworking team for the brand's ability to hold a space at the top of this.
What the consumer sees as version three of a product can inwardly be version 7650, of small steps forward. A lot more thought goes into plan*t's products than just the sensory, and the plant-based manufacturer is always looking for ways to improve, whether it be the sustainability, nutritional benefits, or usability of its products. To have that work recognised is incredibly rewarding for the plan*t team.
The team at plan*t were incredibly honoured to win the Supreme Award at the 2023 Vegan Society Sausage Awards, making these back-to-back wins after also claiming the title in 2022.
Plan*t is continuously focused on improving its standards, with the team at plan*t adding that awards are a valuable opportunity to see how its products are tracking in the market beside talented makers from both Aotearoa and overseas. This, in turn, feeds back into ongoing
recipe development.
It starts with great taste and a commitment to delivering easily usable solutions for consumers, enabling access to product innovation focused on growing more sustainable food systems that deliver high-quality nutrition.
Plan*t recipe development rest on four key pillars, including nourishment, sustainability, novel Protein use made in New Zealand, and great tasting products.
The quality of products in the plant-
Cold Smoked Speck Bacon is a 100 percent natural, handcrafted artisanal meat product without preservatives. Inspired by traditional European craftsmanship, this bacon is carefully produced using premium ingredients sourced from trusted New Zealand farmers. The bacon undergoes a slow and gentle cold-smoking process, infusing it with a subtle smoky flavour while retaining its tenderness. Its unique Speck style originates from Northern Serbia regions. Salash-familyinspired artisan meats' dedication to quality and attention to detail have earned this bacon a prestigious gold award for its exceptional flavour and craftsmanship. For more information, visit www.salash.co.nz. n
Consumers continue to move to include more plant-based options into their diet, with Kantar research indicating that 19 percent of New Zealanders are adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet, and more than one in three are actively flexitarian, represented through international figures. With this increased demand and consumer movement towards plant-based lifestyles, plan*t is committed to remaining focused on bringing great-tasting plantbased nutrition to the market, which can be seen with its world-first New Zealand grown Hemp based chick*n, delivering the fastest cooking, safe, great-tasting, highquality protein to customer. The plan*t team has loved seeing what the public and its partners in the broader food service space are creating with its latest innovation. For more information, visit www.plan-t.earth. n
Aoraki Salmon are the original smoked salmon artisans of Freshwater King Salmon grown in the fast glacial flows surrounding Aoraki, Mt Cook in New Zealand’s South Island. In this unique environment, the fish are constantly swimming against these flows, creating a fitter, leaner fish. This translates into salmon that has a light, clean taste and delicate texture.
There was plenty to celebrate at Aoraki Salmon at the end of 2022, winning two awards for two of the products in their range. First up, Aoraki Salmon won the Americold Chilled Award at the New Zealand Food Awards for their Pohutukawa Hot Smoked Salmon.
Launched initially as a limited-edition fillet back in the summer of 2020, it was so popular that the company was forced to
add it to their permanent range.
While the fillet is a seasonal item and is fast becoming a staple at many Kiwis’ Christmas tables, the 180g everyday pack and half fillet are available all year round. Combining blackstrap molasses and Pōhutukawa wood smoke, it’s hard not to love the classic Kiwi flavours.
Aoraki also won a gold medal at the New Zealand Artisan Awards for their Smoky Salmon Spread. A delectable blend of their Pohutukawa Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese, a bit of lemon juice and chives. This simple yet delicious spread will keep you going back for more.
For more information about these products, visit www.aorakisalmon.co.nz or contact your Alliance Marketing Representative. n
In this year's Outstanding New Zealand Food Producer Awards, which honours excellence in the country's food and beverage industry, Red Shoots were honoured to have received remarkable results with all three of the companies’ brands - Daily Good, Good Cocktail Co, and Just Fresh Co – being recognised.
Red Shoots' received accolades with six gold, silver, and bronze medals. The recognition of Red Shoots' exceptional brands at this year’s awards reflects its team's dedication to crafting high-quality products that go beyond providing consumers with authentic and tasty beverages.
Red Shoots demonstrates a mission-led approach and believe that good ingredients make great products. Red Shoots are proud to partner with Ranadi Organics, which grows the USDA-certified turmeric and ginger that goes into Red Shoots brands. Ranadi’s women-focused impact work provides employment, training, and a career path for women in organic agriculture in Fiji, being farmed by a majority of over 75 percent women.
As Red Shoots continues to grow and innovate, the team plans to remain committed to delivering excellence, sustainability, and the pure taste of goodness in every product they offer.
Heartland’s 800g Pork Loin roast makes getting great taste easy. This award-winning 800g New Zealand Pork Loin wrapped in bacon is perfect for a quick and easy roast.
Made from 100 perfect New Zealand pork in a convenient, ready-to-cook pack, it’s ideal to put a hearty dinner on the table in 35 minutes.
Each Heartland product is carefully selected and cut to provide a perfect meal solution, from roasts and steaks to schnitzel, sausages and mince. All of its products also come with clear cooking instructions and dietary information in easy-to-find, appealing packs made from recyclable materials to ensure a sustainable future. For more information, visit www.heartlandfresh.co.nz. n
Located on the west coast of New Zealand, Hidden Honey was created out of passion and care for sustainability, love of the outdoors, beekeeping and nature by brothers and a group of close-knit friends.
CEO and co-founder of Hidden Honey, Haroon Uddin, said that after learning about the impacts of global warming, the damaging environmental effects of pesticides, and the rapid decline of bee colonies worldwide, the group decided to become part of the solution.
Uddin, co-founder John Green and his sons, Hugh, James, and Daniel, and friends Morgan Dearsley and William Bulcraig have spent the last six years learning as much as they possibly could about beekeeping. With the bee colonies based in Taranaki, Uddin emphasised that Hidden Honey only takes surplus honey from each hive to ensure the bees have enough stores for winter.
The group harvests honey in small batches, keeping their practices traditional, without using harmful pesticides and keeping away from modern agriculture.
“We have planted over one million manuka plants on over 3000 acres in the beautiful mountainside of South Taranaki, Waverly,” said Uddin.
A boundary of native bush protects
the plantation, and each beehive is helicoptered into the remote terrain, where the bees are left to make honey with as little human interference as possible.
“We simply leave them to it, the way nature intended.”
Batches are hand-pressed and meticulously tested to ensure no contaminants, simultaneously retaining the honey’s unique and exquisite flavour profile and natural benefits.
Hidden now has well over 1300 beehives producing high-end premium Manuka Honey yearly, with the group having launched their retail brand of honey, which revolved around its ethos of family and sustainability, creating honey that is 100 percent natural, where its production and beekeeping process are net carbon neutral, and each product is glyphosate-free.
Uddin continued that the group were and has continued to be passionate about having a brand that reflects their values and that they could be proud of.
Hidden Honey’s beekeeping and honeyproducing methods allow them to create one of the purest raw kinds of Mānuka honey globally. The plantation of young Mānuka bushes helps to create honey in harmony with mother nature.
Farm Director Hugh Green believes that the approach the team at Hidden Honey has taken to create honey is felt by the bees and reflected in the honey produced.
“In each hive, honeybees are given different tasks for the success of their colony,” said Green.
Hidden Honey’s role is a part of that process, the collaboration between the bees and the Hidden Honey team producing some of the world’s finest honey. n
Our UMF 5-15 (MGO 50-500+) range is for daily health and wellbeing for the whole family. With the power of active methylglyoxal, you can trust that it will help you to live well.
All Hidden Mānuka Honey is sustainably sourced and straight from the hives just as nature intended. More importantly, we always leave the majority of the honey in the hives for the bees, and only ever extract what they can spare. Mānuka honey is a dark rich tasting honey that should be taken with care to get the best benefits.
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Our Brothers Selection UMF 20-24 (MGO 800-1100+ Mānuka Honey boasts very high antimicrobial activity for when your body needs an extra boost to help your body to stay at the highest level of health.
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Wayne Hart, owner-operator and Night ’n Day Omahu franchisee, had no prior grocery market experience before entering the industry
with his role at Night ’n Day. For 18 years, he worked within the construction market as a key account manager over several segments during this period, working for a global corporation.
Over his years in this role, he honed his skills in relationship building, strategic negotiation, and business data analysis. Before being a key account manager, Hart was in the UK, where he founded an events management and record company to a higher level.
Choosing a career path in the grocery sector was an interest for Wyane for various reasons, primarily that a consumable business was attractive for its reasonably robust nature in a declining economic market.
“It is a positive cashflow industry, has a simple business model (buy in - sell out), and being an essential service made perfect sense for a strategic investment strategy,” said Hart.
He added that how the industry also connects with local communities was a welcome bonus.
For Hart, being part of a great franchise system was vital, with the Night ’n Day franchise
standing out as it was a familyestablished and operated business with cutting-edge marketing and solid systems and processes.
Plant-based products have become increasingly popular on a social and environmental level, with Hart adding that products within this segment had massive potential for the grocery industry. He said that now the grocery industry was beginning to see great products come to the market that both taste good but are also starting to advance regarding textures and smell, mimicking that of traditional protein products and, in some cases cooking and resembling just meat.
He continued that the plantbased category has a slow uptake in his store due to his customer preference, despite being a plantbased consumer. Hart makes high-quality, plant-based readily available on his store’s shelves to test his communities market, with the hope that this will gain traction over time.
“Sustainability is important for the planet, and as a group, we strive to decrease our footprint where possible. I try to buy sustainable products for the shelves where I possibly can. We have also moved our consumable packaging to sustainable materials where possible.”
Hart also works closely with a procurement manager who works hard with suppliers testing products and procuring with sustainability in mind. From the 1st of June, Hart has a supply of sugarcane cutlery to replace Night ’n Day’s plastic supply, ahead of the ban on PLA plastic, which has come into effect.
Hart aims to grow his store to a much higher level by focusing on the community and providing excellent customer service while offering a broad range of products.
He said that his store’s three pillars were food-to-go, milk bar, and hot beverages, which he continued was also his store’s point of difference and would
continue to be his core focus, alongside his motto, ‘we’ve got it when you want it’.
The current crime wave the industry has faced has been a significant issue for Hart, with him investing in short-term plans to improve security and staff welfare. He is upgrading his CCTV and continually communicating with local police using the Auror platform to upload crime instantly.
“This has been instrumental in building relationships with the police and local business community.”
With Smokefree 2025 nearing, and if it is to go through, lobbying will play a big part in Hart’s medium-term plans, ensuring that the store has its best foot forward to be one of the few retailers for tobacco within its zone.
In the long term, Hart stated he planned to improve on what the store already does well.
With only 20 months into the business and industry, Hart said his first 12 months were about
learning and understanding the grocery sector. Now, with the learning curve behind him, he has started to see some tremendous in-store results, with his store recently receiving recognition of excellence for ranking first in the franchise group on the highest sales for the product of the month.
Hart also said that it was rewarding to see the growth his team was achieving in-store over several departments.
“Confectionery is my biggest passion, and there lies some great opportunity for our store.”
The store stocks and supports local suppliers where possible, fortunate to be located in the fruit region of New Zealand, Hawkes Bay. Hart said he purchases produce from local producers for its freshly made products in the Night ’n Day kitchen. He also has local beverages produced in the bay sitting on shelves, with the store always keen to try new innovative products manufactured locally.
Hart added that he was grateful for the marketing support provided to his Night ‘n Day store, enabling the store to stay current and fun. When discussing his own team, Hart said he couldn’t be prouder to work with people as passionate about the business as he is.
When describing his store and team culture, Hart said they had fostered an environment of ‘Whanau away from home’.
“We support one another, like to have fun and not take ourselves too seriously.” n
FreshLife is helping gluten-free Kiwis create delicious sweet and savoury treats by launching two new baking mixes, including a Smooth Peanut Slice Mix and a Seed Cracker Mix.
The Smooth Peanut Slice Mix is easy to prepare and requires no baking, simply add a couple of ingredients to create a café quality treat that’s 100 percent plantbased and refined sugar-free.
Mediterranean Foods has available its quality Italian artisan Gelato for local supermarkets nationwide.
Siviero Maria Gelato is an example of Italian excellence, a product in which decades of knowledge and expertise meet innovative production methods to bring authentic Gelato to New Zealand supermarkets.
From Chocolate to Sicilian Lemon, the delicious selection of Mediterranean Foods Italian Gelato is the next perfect sweet treat to grace supermarket shelves.
Coming in one-litre units and delivered in a carton of six units, each flavour is gluten-free, apart from Tiramisu.
The flavour range includes Tiramisu
(GELAT001), Pistacchio (GELAT01), Panna Cotta (GELAT02), Fragola (Strawberry - GELAT03), Limone Di Sicilia (Lemon - GELAT04), Cioccolatissimo (ChocolateGELAT05), Frutti Di Bosco (Forest Fruit - GELAT06), Bacio (Hazelnut - GELAT07), Vanilla Madagascar (GELCH3), and Affogato Amarena (GELCH5).
All products are listed with a Barcode and SAP Code.
MOQ: four ctns for North Island, six ctns for South Island.
For more information, please contact andres@medifoods.co.nz or gino@medifoods.co.nz.
The Seed Cracker mix will surely be a favourite for those needing to satisfy savoury cravings. Packed with healthy ingredients like almonds, linseeds and psyllium husk, the mix effortlessly creates 16 ketofriendly crackers perfect for dipping and topping. Available now from Countdown supermarkets. For more information, call 0800 373 745 or visit FreshLife at the Auckland Food Show from the 27th to the 31st of July.
Named after one of North Otago's highest mountains, Whitestone’s Mt Domett Double Cream Brie is an unstabilised variety crafted from cow’s milk with extra cream added. This has created a smooth textured cheese with a rich flavour that strengthens with ageing to run at full maturity.
The perfect Brie for baking and grilling. Serve as a hot baked brie with pistachio, raspberry, and chocolate or packed into a gourmet toastie with caramelised onion and bacon. Available at supermarkets nationwide. For more information, contact info@whitestonecheese.co.nz.
Crafted from a blend of crispy oats and toasted coconut infused with Pic's Smooth Peanut Butter, Blue Frog’s latest Granola is the perfect pick-me-up for those craving something nutritious and a little nutty in the morning.
The brainchild of two homegrown brekkie heroes, Scotty ‘Frog’ Baragwanath of Blue Frog and Pic Picot of Pic’s Peanut Butter, the collab celebrates the duo’s number eight wire ingenuity and shared passion in creating good honest food without any of the rubbish, something they’re both completely nuts for.
So set the alarm because Blue Frog Pic’s Peanut Butter Crunch Granola lands on supermarket shelves nationwide in early July, and as the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm.
Power-packed full of natural energy, flavour and nutrients, this favourite grab-and-go snack is back on shelves in New Zealand!
Rockit apples are now available in selected PAK’nSave, New World, Farro, fruit and vegetable stores around the North Island, and some key BP service stations across the country. Grown, washed and packed in New Zealand into a
Introducing Remarkable Tortilla’s Gluten Free Wrap, a handcrafted delight made right here in New Zealand.
Perfect for vegans and those with dietary restrictions, these wraps are carefully crafted with tapioca, amaranth, corn, and pea flour. They offer a guilt-free option for customers’ favourite fillings with no artificial colours or flavours and no added sugar.
Soft and flexible, these wraps are versatile for creating delicious and satisfying meals. Enjoy the goodness of Remarkable Tortillas Gluten Free Wraps and indulge in a flavourful, wholesome experience.
handy recyclable tube, they’re cleaner, safer, and stay fresher for longer, the perfect healthy boost that can be taken everywhere.
From kids to elite athletes, these convenient and healthy snack-size apples enable kiwis and people worldwide to Rockit every day.
For more information and a full list of retailers, visit: www.rockitapple.com
Co-founder of OKU New Zealand, Helen Paul-Smith, trained as a yoga teacher in India in 1999 and earned an Ayurvedic Medicine diploma at Wellpark College of Natural Therapies in 2002. Here, she met her husband and fellow co-founder, Scott Smith, who was studying Herbal Medicine.
e created ŌKU out of our aroha for the native plants of Aotearoa, New Zealand and believe that the native plants are a tonga and have a story to tell,” said Paul-Smith.
ŌKU sustainability and business philosophy is based upon Mātaurang Māori knowledge of living in harmony and respecting nature. The couple had always wanted to create a business that gave back more to Papatūānuku (mother earth) than it took.
When Paul-Smith started ŌKU 13 years ago, there was nowhere for customers to buy native herbs for its teas, so the pair began by planting natives on whatever land
the couple or friend’s properties had.
“As ŌKU has grown, we have continued to carry our land restoration projects that we harvest sustainably from for our products.”
As well as being involved in land restoration projects, ŌKU donates a percentage of its profits to other native restoration projects. The premises has solar panels, a Bioytix worm compostable waste system and a rainwater supply.
ŌKU’s products come in plastic-free packaging that is either compostable or reusable, and customers can purchase refill compostable tea pouches to reuse their tea tubes.
Each product is made from certified organic herbs except for the native plants, which are wild-harvested and spray-free.
Paul-Smith said that ŌKU differs from other brands with similar philosophies as it regenerates native bush to use sustainably in its products. The more the business grows, the more it grows a regenerative bush.
“We identified that the native plants of Aotearoa, New Zealand, hold many incredible properties, and our philosophy is as a business to be kaitiaki of these plants.”
ŌKU uses FSC-certified packaging materials to ensure that all the paper and cards are harvested from sustainable forestry. To further ensure sustainability, ŌKU uses certified organic herbs and avoids plastic in its packaging. The brand also goes through the BCorp certification process, an auditing process of the company's sustainability practices.
“It’s an excellent way to take stock of what you are practising sustainability across the board and offers advice and solutions.”
Paul-Smith said that she critiques each stage and makes changes for the better where possible and when technology allows, separating soft plastics, cardboard, and hard plastic one, two, and five, and composting leftover plant material.
“We also reuse things like plastic buckets for storage.”
She continued that she’s seen more businesses coming on board with more consumer pressures demanding better sustainable products, including technology advancements that have replaced plastic single-use packaging.
The next major step in the sustainable movement was to move away from singleuse items and create circular economies where businesses reuse.
She gave an ŌKU example, with its Chest Elixirs, which come in a glass bottle; she said it would be good if there were a system whereby companies in New Zealand could use an ordinary glass bottle, and these bottles could be cleaned and reused again for packaging not just with ŌKU but across the manufacturing sector.
“There is more awareness about what is good for the environment and protecting our waterways and oceans. Consumers make choices with their wallets, driving businesses to become more sustainable.”
Speaking on the future of ŌKU, PaulSmith said that as the company grows and scales up as a business, there was only so much that could be done alone.
“The community around the business, i.e. the supply chain, need to be on board with sustainability; otherwise, we end up
with a gap in the supply lines. We do our best to manage this by creating policy documents that will go out to our essential supplies to encourage them to join us on the sustainability journey.”
With growing trends towards more conscious buying of sustainable products, Paul-Smith said she was surprised when, on a recent trip to Southeast Asia, that plastic was not viewed as problematic because it’s ‘recyclable’.
However, in the overall growth of the sustainability movement, Paul-Smith said, the most significant factor driving this was the overall experiences people were having as a direct result of climate change, worrying about their environment.
This growing concern has driven the uptake of ŌKU products, as people are more frequently turning to environmentally conscious brands.
Consumers are leaning towards readyto-drink vitamin or nutrient-dense liquids that could be consumed on the go, with key ingredients such as collagen, turmeric, and protein powder, and ŌKU is innovating a new product with Otago
would be ready to release into the market in early 2024.
“It uses native ingredients but is very exciting and unlike any of our current ÕKU products.”
Paul-Smith’s favourite product was one of ŌKU’s newest, the Relax (Whakatā) tea, which she described as pleasantly soothing, that helps bring about calm and support sleep.
ŌKU’s ongoing drive to earn its BCorp certification is one of its most important goals.
“The whole sustainability process is a hikoi, and we are not at the destination yet, maybe never will be, but there will always be things we can change and improve.” n
Dominic Salmon, the scheme manager at the Glass Packaging Forum (GPF), a not-for-profit membership organisation representing most businesses packaging products in glass bottles and jars in New Zealand, has always loved nature and immersing himself in the environment.
After a stint in construction, Salmon returned to university and obtained a Bachelor of Science in environmental protection.
When he first arrived in New Zealand, he fulfilled his childhood dream of working with animals at the Wellington Zoo, where he both cared for the animals and helped the zoo reduce its waste and improve resource efficiency.
Before joining 3R Group (GPF scheme managers), he worked as a waste minimisation officer at several regional and local councils. He has also served on the board of WasteMINZ, an organisation dedicated to helping New Zealand reduce waste and maximise resource recovery.
Part of his work with 3R Group is as the GPF scheme manager, where he works closely with scheme members and the resource recovery sector to improve the environmental outcomes for glass bottles and jars in New Zealand.
“This includes ensuring the scheme’s grant funding has maximum impact, working with and supporting members of the glass supply chain to improve glass recovery and recycling rates, and advocating for best practice methods,” said Salmon. He noted the GPF is reviewing its strategic direction, and no funding round is currently open.
The GPF runs the country’s only voluntary product stewardship scheme for container glass. This helps grow the circular economy and helps its members reduce the environmental footprint of their packaging.
Salmon explained that product stewardship was when businesses take responsibility for the products they make and sell to ensure they are collected, reused, recycled, or properly disposed of at the end of life.
This also promotes more sustainably designed and produced products and circular economy thinking.
Salmon continued that members contribute voluntarily to the scheme, which funds grants for projects that improve glass recovery, recycling and reuse.
“We also work alongside industry, local councils and central government to advocate for and implement best practice glass collection methods and support viable reuse projects.” The overriding goal for the GPF is to keep as much glass out of the landfill as possible so it can be recycled or reused right here in New Zealand.
Salmon said that other than raising the profile of glass packaging, the GPF can have an impact through its grant funding. To date, the GPF has awarded over $4.1 million for projects to improve glass recovery, recycling and reuse, as well as for alternative use and research.
This grant funding is open to all, with the
GPF having worked with everyone from large waste management companies and councils to SMEs, small community groups and schools.
“We provide not only funding but also advice and support to achieve the best environmental outcomes for glass.”
Educating the public was crucial to helping organisations improve their glass recovery. The GPF combines Salmon's knowledge of resource recovery, product stewardship and the circular economy and 3R Group's marketing and communications abilities to achieve this.
Another essential part of the GPF’s work was its advocacy for policy settings and regulations that will help advance New Zealand’s glass circular economy. Apart from asking the Minister for the Environment to declare glass a priority product, the GPF has also commissioned several reports that contribute to and inform advocacy conversations with the government.
When advising businesses wanting to improve their sustainability practices, Salmon encouraged all manufacturers to look at things like the recycled content of the glass they are using. The higher the recycled content, the lower the carbon emissions.
“This is because the furnace using recycled glass can run at lower temperatures compared to using just virgin material.”
He continued that there was also a carbon reduction as less virgin material needed to be produced and transported. Additionally, glass could be recycled right here in New Zealand.
“They can also look at how their glass is being produced. If you’re measuring your scope, three emissions, how your glass is made, and the recycled content are contributing factors.”
The GPF believes that all parts of the
We also work alongside industry, local councils and central government to advocate for and implement best practice glass collection methods and support viable reuse projects.
supply chain should consider what role they could play in reuse. With glass being a popular choice in beverage reuse programmes, the GPF has seen more regulation emerging in regions such as Europe, designed to cut down on all types of single-use packaging and encourage reuse.
“Where Europe goes, we are likely to follow in our quest to improve our record on waste.”
Regarding businesses’ in-house glass use, the GPF advised making every effort to collect, colour-sort and recycle all glass packaging. If there is potential to reuse glass containers, businesses should investigate these options and use them as much as possible.
Salmon stated the GPF firmly believed that, for businesses that put goods into glass, belonging to a product stewardship organisation will help all achieve better results for the planet. Right now, the GPF’s scheme is voluntary. However, New Zealand has begun to see other types of packaging being regulated.
“We encourage businesses to become part
of the conversation sooner rather than later.”
As scheme manager, Salmons makes himself available to advise and support those in the glass supply chain to improve outcomes for the glass they produce, sell, collect, recycle or reuse. This could be anything from helping a council improve its glass collection, storage and transport methods to advising a business wanting to reuse its glass containers.
Projects the GPF has funded over the years have all positively impacted keeping glass out of the landfill and future-proofing and encouraging behaviour change.
One of the biggest was a $165,000 grant which helped the Tauranga City Council roll out a council-funded, kerbside glass collection service that effectively doubled the amount of glass being collected.
Most recently, GPF co-funded a reusable beer flagon project headed by Again Again. The software Again Again is developing and has great potential to increase glass reuse for beer and other products.
“That’s important because reuse is at the top of the waste hierarchy, and we are seeing more and more uptake of reusables in markets like Europe.”
The GPF has also made funds available to help councils transport recycled glass from Hawke’s Bay to Auckland after road closures from Cyclone Gabrielle made freight challenging.
Salmon said the GPF was not just about big grants, with one of its favourite success stories being a small grant for Opunake High School in Taranaki which helped students further their innovative seaweed fertiliser project, which they package in the reused glass.
“We loved catching up with them recently to see how the project has gone from strength to strength over the past 18 months.”
The GPF’s role links those who produce and sell glass bottles and jars with those who collect, transport and recycle them.
This can be connecting supply chain members, helping facilitate solutions like transport or storage, or advocating for government legislation that improves glass outcomes. The GPF provides regular updates and information through webinars, newsletters, media releases, and social media.
When describing how New Zealand performs in sustainability compared to other countries, Salmon said it depended on which countries were compared. With Europe, Salmon said New Zealand is years behind, particularly in terms of using product stewardship and circular economy thinking.
However, he said there had been some encouraging moves by the government recently to establish regulated product stewardship for a wide range of products and foster a more robust culture of reuse and repair.
“I think the public is much more aware of the need for greater sustainability and is starting to pressure businesses to be more sustainable and ethical.”
In terms of glass, New Zealand has strong recovery and recycling rates compared with most countries, especially those with voluntary stewardship. The GPF believes if New Zealand moved towards a regulated, industry-funded stewardship model for glass, it would get the country right up there with the best regarding recovery, recycling and reuse.
For the future, Salmon hoped that product stewardship and a circular economy would be the norm with resources maximised. This would help set New Zealand on the path to a zero waste, zero emissions society.
He concluded that glass was an infinitely recyclable material and was one of New Zealand's most circular packaging materials.
“The GPF is well positioned to demonstrate and advocate for an all-ofindustry stewardship approach for glass and how that promotes a circular economy.” n
responsibility and deep expertise in the industry all contribute to this positive state of affairs. Clear, fit-for-purpose regulation and science and technology assisting with traceability ensure where issues do arise the cause can be identified, and action taken to prevent the problem occurring again. That and the ability to recall food means the problem can be minimised quickly.
From farm to fork, every step of the supply chain has a critical role to play. Everyone, from growers, farmers, and manufacturers, to transport and logistics operators and the retailers who offer the food for sale to consumers, needs to be well trained and given the tools to provide safe food. Leadership right up to Board level and organisational culture are important too.
But what role do consumers play?
Well, that question elicited some interesting responses from a highly entertaining panel, hosted by radio personality Kim Hill, that was the final event of the symposium. Consumers may choose to not cook foods that the manufacturer expects they will and not wash vegetables that the grower intends them to wash. How much of particular foods consumers eat can play a role too.
Is our food safe? Is it safer than in our grandparents’ day? Is science going to make our food safer in the future? Is it helping or hindering with challenges such as new or deadlier pathogens and pests and increased scrutiny of chemical use? Can it solve our sustainability challenges and save the planet?
These were all questions that came up at a fascinating symposium hosted by the New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre at Otago University campus earlier this month.
According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, which surveyed 32,000 people from 28 countries, including New Zealand, scientists came out as the most trusted, while government leaders and journalists were the least trusted. So, I was at the right place to find answers to these important questions.
We were reminded that a few centuries ago a smart scientist called Paracelsus observed that “the dose makes the poison”, meaning a poison can cause harm only if it occurs in high enough concentrations, and eating large quantities of a specific food can introduce problems that wouldn’t be present at lower consumption rates – food fads and changing advice from legitimate experts, and some calling themselves experts, can impact consumption levels and dose rates can unexpectedly reach harmful levels.
The prospect of 3D-printed foods becoming widely available seems fanciful but the experts advised it could be years rather than decades away.
Best-before dates sparked lively debate, and some very good reasons were given for retaining them for food quality reasons, noting it’s important the food we eat is enjoyable as well as safe.
Raewyn Bleakley Chief Executive, New Zealand Food & Grocery Council
Our food is generally safe and, according to Glen Neal, General Manager Risk and Intelligence at Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the food industry has done well at internalising the systems required to make it safe, leaving the regulators to deal with only mishaps that are relatively few and far between.
In my experience, a strong sense of
Food waste and how to store food safely while minimising the impacts of singleuse food packaging on the environment was another conundrum explored. Some emerging research into smart packaging and how to treat foods to make them safer with less negative impact on the planet showed the opportunity ahead and just how incredibly clever and determined to make a difference emerging young scientists are.
So, thank you to the scientists and everyone else in the food supply chain who work hard every day to bring us safe and enjoyable food. n
Whittaker’s new chief marketing officer, Soraya Cottin, has always been passionate about marketing and how short stories and pieces of entertainment can deliver value for a brand.
After graduating with her Master’s in Business and Marketing at HEC Paris, Cottin started her career at a creative agency, the first of which was based in London, where she worked for Oreo and TUC (Mondelez) before moving back to France after a couple of years.
Cottin has always had an interest in international brands and the food industry, working with varying clients in numerous markets over the last 14 years, including McDonald’s France and Latin America, Nespresso France, and more recently, DDB Paris, Volkswagen France, and international accounts like Royal Canin (Mars Group) and TAG Heuer (LVMH) to name a few.
“When my partner got the opportunity to return to his hometown, Wellington, and I was given the chance to join Whittaker’s as their new CMO, I thought it was a dream come true.”
With so many years on the agency side, she thought being client-side would be fascinating, with Whittaker’s being an excellent option as a Kiwi-loved, iconic brand.
Cottin said that she loved Whittaker’s focus on quality in the chocolate produced and throughout everything the brand does. With Whittaker’s being voted by consumers as one of New Zealand’s most trusted brands for over a decade, Cottin added that there was much she could learn from Whittaker’s team, and in return, she hoped to bring fresh ideas and an international
perspective as Whittaker’s continues to build its brand in export markets, while also continuing to meet the expectations of its loyal Whittaker's chocolate lovers in New Zealand.
Whittaker’s has gained this consumer trust through its passion for being an ethical beans-to-bar company, which manages every step of the chocolate-making process with the finest quality ingredients sourced from New Zealand and globally. Cottin said that this makes Whittaker’s unique as a brand, including that it is also a family-owned business where the family has a shared and collective passion for what they do.
“I have the privilege of working dayto-day alongside siblings Holly and Matt Whittaker, who are Whittaker's co-Chief Operating Officers, and it’s not uncommon to find Andrew and Brian Whittaker out on the factory floor, getting hands-on with the chocolate-making process.”
The most important lesson that Cottin has learned that she would pass on to those looking to enter the marketing world was to listen to, understand, and surprise their customers.
“We need to love them first before they love us back, which requires responsiveness.”
She believes Whittaker’s executes this advice and leads well, reflected in the broad community engagement the brand receives.
The most recent innovation by the brand, the Honey Nougat and Almond block, which arrived on shelves in May, is one of many product innovations the brand has made. Cottin said that this innovation was a continuous process, with more flavours bound for the future, and the brand continued its efforts to improve its sustainability journey, including its ongoing investigative programme to trial new sustainable packaging options.
Whittaker’s takes sustainability seriously, and its values align with Cottin's own,
from using Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa beans for all of its chocolate made with Ghanaian cocoa beans to refusing to use palm oil. Cottin said that the brand tries to source its ingredients locally from New Zealand wherever possible and its revitalisation of the Samoan cocoa industry through its Cocoa Improvement Programme set up nearly a decade ago.
Currently, 76.9 percent of Whitter’s packaging materials can be recycled, and Whittaker’s has already completed over 100 sustainable packaging trials as part of its programme to get to 100 percent.
When discussing consumer behaviour, Cottin said that she thought more people were becoming aware of the consequences of their purchasing decisions, understanding that they aren’t just buying the product, they are also buying what makes the product, how it is made, by who, and beyond.
Moving forward in the industry, sustainable packaging is one of the industry’s most significant challenges; with the appearance of numerous obvious solutions available in this space, Cottin explained that delving deeper into the issue revealed that the proper infrastructure wasn’t in place in New Zealand to process certain materials, with a second consideration being that packaging also needs to perform in the factory and on the shelf without compromising food safety and quality. This is why Whittaker’s has continued its investigation into and testing a wide range of options for packaging, as it’s essential to the brand that the packaging both looks good and will be good in reality, long-term.
Cottins favourite flavour is Whittaker’s Ghana Peppermint, with herbal tea at night. However, her favourite is often mood dependent, with Almond Gold being another that she enjoys for its feel-good factor. n
Fresh vegetables and fruit from growers throughout the country are in great supply this month as the cooler weather, frosty nights and increasing dry spells bring out the best in winter produce.
farming in the Canterbury area so we’ve seen tough conditions before, this year we’ve come through well and there’ll be good supply in the market,” he says.
Oakley’s brassica crops have had a mixed season.
“The prolonged wet weather in May has caused some water staining and head rot in the broccoli crops. This is hard to detect at harvest time and always shows up a few days after harvested which is a challenge.
“Broccoli planting has been a bit interrupted with the wet weather, so we expect to have a few supply fluctuations early in the spring,” says Oakley.
“We have a good supply of quality beetroot on its way to stores, but the wetter than normal autumn in Canterbury this year will likely impact on the keeping quality of our pumpkin crop.”
A great range of winter fruit this month injects a real burst of colour to in-store displays.
Tamarillos are at their peak in July and August. Fruit picked early in the season doesn’t have the same deep red colour as that picked later once the cold temperatures stimulate the fruit to produce anthocyanin which darkens the colour of the skin. Despite this, even the lighter-coloured fruit is ripe, sweet and full of flavour.
The crop is down a little on last year. With the majority of growers based in Northland, poor weather conditions will see an anticipated drop of about 30 tonnes supplied into the domestic wholesale market.
By mid-July, Navel oranges will be brightening up shelves. Like tamarillos, the crop will be slightly smaller than last year, but quality is looking outstanding, and these sweet, juicy winter favourites should be kept in good supply – especially before the weekend sports!
Retailers this month will be busy managing the constant turnover of winter crops, ensuring the very best of season’s bounty makes its way onto tables and into tummies. Even in the darkest days this month, the rainbow of colour in the produce aisle is a moodbooster.
Adverse weather conditions, particularly unprecedented rainfall in the North Island, have provided a challenge for growers this year, but most of the winter crops we’re used to seeing in stores this month have recovered from a tough start.
Founder and Managing Director of Oakley’s Premium Vegetables, Robin Oakley, says that overall, their 2023 crop yield is average or better than previous years.
“Quality is looking particularly good on the potato crops. We’re the fifth-generation
July’s cooler weather always drives shoppers to seek comfort food options and fresh produce with immunity-boosting nutritional benefits. Attractive, well-stocked displays in stores at this time of year are a welcome sight for those looking for healthy options, slow cooking favourites and fresh bursts of flavour.
Natural immunity support is increasingly popular amongst consumers. The country’s unique combination of a temperate climate and quality soils means Kiwi shoppers can access high value fresh produce rich in vitamins and minerals. Retailers have a key role to play in ensuring the crops that provide this essential nutrition get to where they’re most needed and that all our winter days are a little brighter with tasty, colourful fruit and vegetables. n
31 JULY 2023
(*rain day 7 August)
WINDROSSFARM GOLF COURSE
237 Alfriston-Ardmore Road, Papakura, Ardmore
We’re hosting an awesome end-of-play auction and we’ve got some great spot prizes lined up too. If you’re keen to join us, it’s just $300 plus GST for an individual player (and we’ll put you in a team if you don’t have one), or $1000 plus GST for a team of four. A great day of golf at a world class course while catching up with industry colleagues - we hope you’ll join us.
Ambrose, shotgun start.
Jan Whyte and Niall Holland are partners and owners of Old French Road, the New Zealand-based olive grove and oil company based in the Banks Peninsula.
Whyte had always envisioned the area as having great potential for olive growth. When considering retirement from their long-term careers as general practitioners in Christchurch, the pair came across the opportunity to purchase the Old French Road groce, with decade-long established trees.
“We naively jumped in feet and all,” said Holland.
With a grove of 1,100 trees, 50 percent are Frantoia, a popular and more mildly flavoured oil, and the rest is a mixture of Kalamata, Manzanilla, Picholine, Uovo di Pigeoni, and Sevillano.
“As you might see, we have many table olive varieties and harvest these for table olives and oil.”
Whyte and Holland are in it for their shared love of high-quality oil rather than profit, with Holland adding that the pair are in the fortunate position to think this way. This is why Old French Road oils are submitted for award ceremonies yearly. In the 12 harvests the pair have produced, they have earned approximately 50 awards, including best boutique oil and several gold medals.
The Old French Road sets an excellent example of controlling the whole process from hand harvesting to processing and packaging, as it has its press on site and does its bottling and packaging.
As a hillside planted grove, Whyte and Holland said that this makes harvesting more problematic as it is a winter harvest when the ground is liable and wet, with groves of similar size usually contracting harvesting and tree shakers, who would not be able to cope with Old French Road’s terrain. To reduce the risk of slippage on the steep slopes, the pair have planted native New Zealand trees.
“However, the hills and proximity to the sea mean that we do not have to worry about crop loss due to frost as is a risk in much of Canterbury. It is also a marginal climate for oil production, which greatly enhances flavours.”
Under stress, trees (grapes and many other fruits) generally produce more complex and exciting flavours. Whyte and Holland detailed two intensive periods each year. The first is the harvest, which is done between late May and August, followed by pruning.
For the rest of the year, there is grove
maintenance with periodic spraying to prevent fungal and to keep the grass down. At Old French Road, the grass is mowed as the pair prefers this aesthetic.
The most brutal harvest for Whyte and Holland was their second, where there was a combination of inadequate prior pruning, terrible weather and hungry birds, which led to minimal crop.
The best year coincided with the first year of Old French Road having its press, four harvests ago, which was a steep and rapid learning curve, which immediately followed the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant that the person who would usually demonstrate the operation of the press was no available to travel from Australia to teach Whyte and Holland, and to top it off, the instructions were all in Italian.
“There was a huge amount of fruit to be processed. You could say it was our best and worst year.”
The pandemic also drove a significant increase in sales for Old French Road, as people have opted for locally crafted oil options.
As the environment has warmed and gotten wetter, Whyte and Holland said that the focus would be on controlling
fungal disease, which puts heavy emphasis on pruning to very open trees. Contrary to this, warmer and sunnier climates will favour the pair, with increased oil percentages in olives.
Old French Road oils are sold at local Christchurch retail outlets, high-end restaurants, and sporadic amounts for overseas markets.
“Unfortunately, the high costs of freight tend to make this uneconomic. We have had an American buyer, with interests in New Zealand, who has delicatessens on the West Coast of the US take caseloads back as checked luggage. We have also had regular orders from Superyachts calling into New Zealand.”
With both Whyte and Holland in their 70s, the most significant challenge moving forward is making the business and practices as age compatible as possible.
If the pair were to plant an olive grove, they would combine Frantoia and Nocellara, their favourite varieties.
Holland concluded that Canterbury and much of New Zealand produce olive oil of the highest standards by any international measure. The industry is a cottage one, and without the dedication of oil lovers such
as Whyte and Holland, it will struggle to survive, which would be a great pity as it is an exceptional product, as gold medals in the New York Olive Oil Competition have repeatedly shown. n
Owner and managing director of Telegraph Hill, Geoff Crawford, worked in Wellington in the early 2000s in the global sales department of a large company. The company relocated to Auckland and offered redundancy to anyone who didn’t want to go. This resulted in Crawford realising that this would be his opportunity if he were ever to run his own business.
Raised loving olives, Crawford was often disappointed by the supermarket quality of olives available. He began researching options for import and distribution to retailers when he met a New Zealand-based olive grower looking for a business partner.
“Soon after, we set up Telegraph Hill. My business partner was in charge of growing and production, I was sales and marketing,” said Crawford.
Seven years later, Crawford bought out his business partner and took full ownership of the business, finally becoming a grower.
Telegraph Hill olives are naturally processed, where natural fermentation on the olives is conducted after harvest. This
produces a beautiful-tasting olive after six to eight months of fermenting. This process can be sped up by using chemicals. However, Crawford added that this leads to different flavour development.
“As a vertically integrated business, we can control the inputs over fermentation and final packaging to deliver premium quality olives to market with the flavour profile we like to eat. Too many olives are super salty and super acidic. These are the signs of a mass market olive.”
Telegraph Hill operates an honesty belief system, where sharing growing knowledge benefits all growers helping this sector become more efficient and profitable.
As a new industry in New Zealand, sharing growing knowledge and learning is the best way to keep trees healthy and increase yields for all growers.
OlivesNZ, the category’s industry body, has completed a six year-growing project to increase fruit yield per tree. This has been achieved through grants from Sustainable Farming Funds and MPI. This has resulted in a best practice model with the IP held by OlivesNZ and shared with all its members. This is the model Telegraph Hill uses to grow its olives.
Crawford explained that Telegraph Hill has a contract with growers in Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa who follow this program, giving them consistent crops year after year.
As a small business, Crawford oversees everything, with hands-on growing work in the olive grove as necessary.
“Often days are split with some hours in the groves and office, where I fill an operational and marketing role.”
Crawford’s most memorable harvest was in 2020 during the country-wide lockdown, where Crawford caught coved on the last day of processing, so he was greatly relieved that it didn’t interfere with harvest.
“I’ve learned over the years that ‘olives are ready when they are ready’ delaying harvest has quality implications.”
As a grower based in Hawkes Bay, Crawford is deeply concerned with the environmental changes that have impacted the region, the severe rainfall and the disruption the area has faced because of extreme weather conditions.
“This year, we have had over the average annual rainfall in the first six months. This rots crops, stops access, slows ripening, and reduces yields.”
Telegraph Hill is sold through
supermarkets and independent retailers all over New Zealand. Its distinctive red packaging can be seen in stores nationwide. Some olive oil is also exported, with drizzle products being trendy in Japan.
The constant development of new products to have an increased portfolio of premium quality products will inspire Telegraph Hill’s customers. Currently, the brand is working with its growers on increasing yields per tree so that Telegraph Hill gets a better olive and the grower gets a better return.
Crawford’s favourite olive is kalamata, and in his grove, he also has a favourite tree for the yield it produces and its general aesthetic appearance. n
The couple grow, maintain, and contract the harvest of trees, as well as the bottling and labelling. All the oil is distributed to wholesale and retail clients and all associated administrations.
Before buying the olive grove 15 months ago, the pair were Sheep and Beef farmers in Weber, east of Dannevirke, for 35 years. Grant and Diana then decided they would try something else before they retired.
After some research, the pair found the olive grove and business for sale and decided it would suit them quite well. The olive grove keeps the pair connected to the land, with Diana continuing that olive oil was a great product.
The olive grove is eight hectares, and we grow 2200 trees. Kapiti Olives grow four varieties of Olives, Frantoio and Leccino (Tuscan), Koroneiki (Greek) and Picual (Spanish). They are grown in six-metre by five-metre grids for maximum light, airflow, and ease of harvest.
The trees in the grove farm are under the best practice sustainable system, with the
Crosse couple using a clay-based spray when required for fungicide control. This is due to Kapiti Olives' more temperate climate.
As a winter fruiting tree, olives are pruned to an open shape for maximum sun and air movement, and when the summer is dry, some irrigation is required.
Kapiti Olives also has free-draining stony soil as the grove is on the banks of the Otaki River. The river's flow minimises any frost, as does the grove's proximity to the sea.
"Olives do not like wet feet," said Diana.
As the owner-operators, Diana and Grant's day-to-day involves checking for orders, preparing them for the couriers and the associated office work. When stocks are low, the pair bottle and label to ensure they have stock.
The actual harvest of olives is contracted out, but the Crosse couple is always on hand in case of breakdown or for decisions affecting
the harvest. Pruning after harvest is essential. This prevents any disease and keeps the trees at a manageable height for optimum fruiting and harvest. Olives can be pruned year-round, branches that become pendulous (olives will not shake from these) and water shoots.
Kapiti Olives deliver locally when it can, which can mean lunch out.
As new owners, the pair have just completed their second harvest. Last year the harvest was delayed for a month by heavy rain, shaking wet-laden trees with olives tends to break the branches. However, they did end up with a large quantity of oil.
This year, after having pruned heavily and then having had strong wind and rain at pollination, resulted in a 25 percent decrease in the crop. The summer and autumn were short of the long hot days the olives thrive on.
Diana explained that their extra virgin olive oil is obtained by processing the
olives, within 24 hours of harvest, at under 24 degrees, so there's no change in the oil composition. Kapiti Olives' Olive Oil is sent to Australia for testing and certification, so it can carry the red olive mark that designates the oil as Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and a product of New Zealand.
The awards Kapiti Olives has gained affirm the high quality of their extra virgin olive oil. Samples are sent for judging by a panel of New Zealand and overseas judges. Previously, Kapiti Olives also gained gold and silver medals in international competitions.
The pandemic positively impacted business as the public shopping from home increased sales from Kapiti Olives website. They can browse, shop and get it delivered to the door. Many of our buyers have carried on with this trend.
Kapiti Olives' Extra Virgin Olive Oil is sold in New Zealand. Foodstuffs is a
significant buyer of the oil, along with other wholesalers. It also goes into local cafes, shops, and gift boxes. The pair do not have a shop, and their physical presence is at selected markets such as the Kapiti Food Fair and the couple's local Saturday beach market in Paraparaumu. However, they also have an online shop through their website.
Educating the consumer is something Grant and Diana are passionate about.
Diana said that Extra Virgin Olive Oil's versatility was one of its strengths as it could be used to cook with, drizzle on familyfavourite foods, add to soups, salad dressings, and in baking.
Diana and Grant's favourite way to enjoy their oil is with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries drizzled with their Leccino oil. It also has great anti-inflammatory properties and is an excellent source of antioxidants.
She continued that the pair will continue producing high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The plan moving forward is to keep pruning the trees to keep them rejuvenated and producing well should make this happen.
Koroneiki is the Crosse couple's favourite variety to grow. It is not as vigorous, keeps a good shape, and therefore only needs a little pruning. The Koroneiki oil is a favourite of the pair for dipping, drizzling, and cooking steak.
As a fresh New Zealand product, the pair stated that customers can 'taste the difference' with Kapiti Olive Oil. n
Director, grove manager, olive oil maker and marker of Dali, Ross Vintiner established his first trial olive grove in the Wairarapa in the late 1980s, which he later sold to concentrate on his Wellington business.
Around a decade ago, Vintiner returned to the Wairarapa to rejuvenate an olive grove in Martinborough.
"I have always loved growing plants, especially trees, and I adore everything olives," said Vintiner.
Vintiner was a consultant in Wellington for many years. He then studied for a diploma in organic agriculture before purchasing his current grove, committing himself to evidence-based innovations and methods to grow great olives and oil.
Dali has 1100 trees using biodynamic and organic methods, consisting of Tuscan varieties Leccina, Frantoio, Pendolino, Greek varieties Koroneiki, Kalamata, and Spanish variety Picual.
Dali farms with a negative carbon footprint increasingly provide nutrients and other inputs from their diverse property. Vintiner said that principally he farms olives for their polyphenols, which he has coined nature's
antioxidants, as these provide most of the health benefits in olives.
World-leading agronomists agree that living soil and fostering strong microbial interrelationships with plants are essential to thriving agriculture. Which Vintiner said was consistent with biodynamics and the best of organics.
"Our soil is alive, as all soil should be. We always apply microbes with any organic fertilisers, and we are lessening our use of fertilisers and increasing use of home-made fungal compost, vermicasts, sheep grazing."
Dali regularly measures the soil for microbes, nutrients, and plant sugars. Vintiner added that each grove was distinct and that Dali's growing methods were proven sustainable, economic, local, and prosperous and could be widely applied with a sensible transition plan.
The local terroir impacts Vintiner's grove, meaning hot and dry summers and cold winters, with moderately fertile soils, good
sunshine hours, and lush growth. For the last 18 months, the region has had double the amount of its average rainfall, coupled with low sunshine hours. This has resulted in strong vegetative growth with variable fruit sets and crops.
Vintiner said the Tuscan varieties coped better than the Greek or Spanish varieties— these varieties, like the terroir, favour dryer, more stable conditions. Vinter's growing approach was explicitly designed to increase resilience to climate variability.
Day-to-day varies greatly for Vintiner, with the season having the most significant impact on variation.
Dali has just completed hand-harvesting. The trees and soil are now fed microbial food for winter.
"It's time to coppice, chip our Italian Alders, and make copious amounts of beautiful fungal-dominant compost. Then lambing and pruning."
Dali's best award was for being in the top 25 olive growers in the world for the production of top-quality olive oil and table olives. The global award, Best Luxury Olive Oils of the World, recognised Dali's growing method, innovation, fruit and soil quality, as well as its leadership in the polyphenol space and Dali's marketing.
Vintiner said that most olive awards focus on oil flavour. To Vintiner, this only partly defines quality.
"Olive oil is as much about health as it is about flavour."
He continued that the past two years had been highly challenging due to the weather. Copious rain and lack of sunshine
hinder excellent olive oil, which is rich in antioxidants and flavour. Dali has persevered, Vintiner stating that its soil and trees are in great shape.
Dali grows Wairarapa's only commercial Kalamata table olives; the trees grow well in the region but do not always yield fruit, yet Dali has Kalamata olives each year. Vintiner said this was because the trees were planted with the benefit of added microbes, and comfrey grows underneath, providing a rich microbial environment with nutrients supplied. The grove also has a half-hectare indigenous wetland. He added that Dali has 100 Italian Alders planted within the grove, and there is a mixed sward of clovers, plantain, and other plants to support grove diversity.
Dali oils and olives are mainly sold in the Wellington region. However, they are also sold nationwide and supplied to the global wellness industry.
Vintiner stated that Dali was a leading innovator, pioneering a harvest timing method that measures plant sugars to determine harvest date and likely polyphenol level for each variety. Another important innovation was fermenting olive pressing 'waste' or pomace, producing a high nitrogen and potassium mix for olives. Dali has developed a successful fungal ground drench with biodynamic preparations, Italian Alder compost, and vermicasts.
Dali has several other innovations under trial currently also.
Vintiner's favourite variety is Kalamata, with it being the first to ripen and being hand-picked, which often is a family affair. n
Andrew Liley co-owns Juno Olives with his wife, Helen Liley. Originally born in the UK, Liley qualified as a doctor in 1986 and trained as an anaesthetist for 20 years as a consultant at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and in New Zealand at Starship with an interest in paediatric cardiac anaesthesia and acute pain management.
Liley had wanted for a long time to be involved in the primary industry, and in 2020, he retired early from the health system and bought Juno Olives, which was a good fit for his background in medicine of being able to grow and produce a product that had been shown to have positive health benefits.
Liley aims to produce olives sustainably, minimising fertilisers by returning the solid waste from olive oil production to the grove, improving canopy management to minimise fungal spraying, and having olives harvested and pressed by local contractors.
He continued that Juno Olives agrumato oils are flavoured using local New Zealand produce, including rosemary and some blood oranges from Liley’s garden.
“Growing olives is a carbon sink which also minimises our carbon footprint,” said Liley.
Liley follows the guidance from a project undertaken by Olives New Zealand, which innovates canopy management to improve olive yields and try to minimise biannually
what is a problem with many pip fruit.
“Whilst we have not yet got rid of the tendency for some of our olive varieties to have an on and off-season, we are slowly seeing an increase in the overall volume of olives taken off the grove, and some varieties are showing more consistent olive fruit production.”
He explained that olives do not like ‘wet feet’ and Juno Olive has been fortunate to have a well-draining soil type, which Liley said had been robustly tested this year.
The harvest of 2023 has been both Liley’s best and most challenging harvest; the heavy and large amounts of rain made keeping the fungal disease in the grove under control very difficult, and yet Liley has had the biggest harvest in his grove since it was established 20 years ago.
However, the oil yield has been meagre, meaning the high fruit volume had not translated into litres for Juno Olives.
Liley added that on top of the wet weather, olives also need cold periods over winter to stimulate fruit the following year. Therefore, general warming temperature threatens groves such as Juno Olives.
“If you look at the northern hemisphere, they have had several years of drought, and Spain has produced only half of their normal volume of olive oil.”
Juno Olives sells its oils through its online shop, the groves on-site shop, Farmers
Having only been in the business for three years, Liley is just beginning to understand how different varieties produce very different-tasting olive oils; he added it was that any variety would produce a differenttasting oil each year, which he assumed was due to changing weather conditions, but also by when growers are forced to harvest.
“Last year, my favourite was our Picholine, and I am favouring our Frantoio this year.”
As a relative “newbie” to the olive growing and oil-producing scene, Liley wanted to thank the many people who had helped with advice and practical support along his three-year journey.
“They are too many to name individually, but I would like to thank them all.” n
Olivo is a small olive grove and oil business based in Martinborough. Helen Meehan manages the overall operations, crafting the infused oils, conducting in-store tastings, and carrying out the marketing and social media of the brand. John Meehan is the finance director, head of dispatch and the tasting room manager.
“We outsource some of our regular jobs such as spraying, pruning and pressing, bottling and labelling,” said Helen.
Helen and John decided just over 20 years ago that they needed to do something different with their lives. John was a partner at PWC, and Helen worked as a senior executive for Telecom New Zealand in the IT space. Originally hailing from Manchester in the United Kingdom and having been in New Zealand for 20 years already at the time, John remained at PWC for another eight years as Helen worked to build up the business.
The pair were one of the first to make infused oil in New Zealand and have always been clear that they wanted to prove that Olive growing could be a fully commercial
business, which has been the case since the business’s second year.
The Meehan's aim is to create the best quality olive oil, with the business brand values being boutique, artisan, and gorgeous, which Helen said her accountant husband said for gorgeous read profitable.
New Zealand’s small market in the global
olive oil industry has made it difficult to produce in bulk. Therefore, Meehan’s focus is on quality. Helen said that one of Olivo’s points of difference from other olive growers and brands was its suggestion that good olive oils can be used across the food range.
“We supply some of the top restaurants in NZ and have had medals just about every year since our first harvest in 2003.”
The Meehan’s also focus on providing top quality, responsive service and personally know their regular customers, which Helen added was, of course, not unique. Still, it is something that she said takes time and effort.
Helen explained that four key things can affect olive oil. Firstly, the type of olive. Just like grapes, Frantoio oil (Tuscan) tastes different to Koroneiki oil (Greek) or Barnea oil (Israeli).
Secondly, the time of picking olives. At Olivo, they pick the olives when they are a third green, a third black, and a third just changing, which usually produces mediumintensity oil.
Thirdly, the terroir.
“Like grapes, New Zealand olive oil is green and grassy and herbaceous because we grow our olives in grass pasture, and the taste is reflected in the oil.”
Finally, weather. Hotter summers generally produce a more potent oil, and wetter summers produce milder oils as the olive is full of water that must be pressed out. The 2023 season has been a particularly challenging one for this reason.
The day-to-day life of an olive grower is ever-changing, with Helen stating that every day can be different. One day Helen met an Italian olive grower who visited Olivo, started organising which oils Olivo would be available for 2023, and sent out food safety certificates. On another day, she will taste new oils, decide how and if Olivo will blend, and consider new infusions.
Olivo’s best harvest was in 2021 when the
brand won two gold medals and silver on international stages and harvested a good yield with substantial oil. This last season has been the toughest, leading Helen to hope that the olives will be fine with hotter, dryer weather for the upcoming months, with enough rain, as too much is also not ideal.
The pandemic was some of the best years for the Olivo business as New Zealanders decided to travel their own country, leading them to places such as Martinborough, renowned as a wine village, and this led many to visit Olivo as well.
“People became more familiar with shopping online, particularly if they had visited us here.”
Olivo can be found in fine food stores across the country. Some of the brand’s oils are exported to Singapore and found in one of the country’s top fine food stores, Little Farms.
For the future, the Meehan's will continue to focus on absolute top quality. Olivo produces nine different infusions, which is enough when a producer wants the quality to come through.
“I am having fun playing around with our new lavender-infused olive oil, enabling me to market it with food.”
Helen has a soft spot for Barnea Olive because it’s what she learned on and off the infused range; she loves Olivo’s porcini oil because it was her first infusion.
Adding valuable tips for those looking and wondering what olive oil can be used for other than a drizzle on salad, Helen said that the oils were perfect over soups, cooking fillet steaks and an excellent dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian ingredient.
“It is lovely in cakes because it keeps them moist and lasts longer. That is before we start on its health properties. Extra virgin olive oil is one of the bases of the Mediterranean Diet, often touted as one of the best diets in the world.” n
It’s no secret anyone operating a forklift needs a pretty decent level of spatial awareness to accurately judge distances and weights, not to mention your required path to deliver the load, but what about controlling your workmates working around you when at the controls?
Rodney Grant Chief Executive NZFIA
That’s what a traffic management plan is for – not just for you but others who may be in the ‘work trenches’ with you.
I’m starting to sound like a broken record now but, again, the Forklift Industry Association of New Zealand’s new Forklift Good Practice Guidelines (GPG) has some handy (and, just as importantly, up-to-date tips) on this.
The best way to reduce the risk of forkliftrelated injuries is to separate pedestrians and forklifts.
That’s where your traffic management plan comes into play; it is a set of rules for managing the safest and most efficient movement of traffic at a workplace.
Ensuring one has covered all the practical, workable controls – as well as all vehicles, not just forklifts – is an effective way to control and eliminate all the risks, specific to the workplace.
If that’s not feasible, then you might have
to consider other risk minimisation measures.
So, what things should you keep in mind when considering and deciding on potential control measures? The GPG has a helpful the Hierarchy of Control that sets out a priority order:
Elimination (most effective control)
• e.g., consider options to eliminate the use of forklifts or the requirement for pedestrians or workers on foot to be excluded from the area
• Physical and engineered separation barriers between forklift and pedestrian areas
Substitution
• e.g., use the right type of forklift. For areas with high traffic flow or pedestrian movement, consider a forklift that affords the operator maximum visibility
Engineering/redesign
• e.g., use speed limiting devices on forklifts
• lighting
• pedestrian proximity warning systems
• proximity warning systems
• cameras with AI
• Layouts that allow re-movement of the forklift but provide safe pedestrian movement also.
Administration
• e.g., task-specific SOPs i.e., trucks only unloaded once the operator has removed all forms of load restraint, chocked the truck, removed the keys and moved to a designated area
• training for everyone including pedestrians
• warning signs
Personal protective equipment (least effective control)
• e.g., high visibility vests
As fun as it might be for some to operate forklifts, speed plays a vital role in your traffic
management plan.
Known stopping distances are particularly useful when implementing speed limits, forklift routes and an overall traffic management plan. A hazard management process will determine the speed limits appropriate to a workplace.
So, consider the stability of the forklift under braking, its stopping distances and environmental factors. Some sites may elect to have laden and unladen and/or areaspecific speed limits in place.
For example, to bring a fully laden 2.5-tonne forklift going 6 kilometres per hour to a stop, it will take 3.2 metres. The GPG has a great table with other examples that you can check for further information regarding reaction and total stopping distances.
Keep in mind, that example (and those in the GPG’s table) are in optimal conditions –so, results may vary depending on where and when you’re operating your forklift.
The distance at which a forklift can stop is affected by:
• the speed at which it is travelling
• the weight of the forklift and its load
• its mechanical and tyre condition
• the road or floor surface
All of the aforementioned will not only be useful to you on a daily basis, but also to the PCBU managing a work site where there are vehicles or mobile plant operating, or whose workers carry out work at a work site where there are vehicles or mobile plant operating.
PCBUs should monitor compliance with traffic management and speed limits and ensure that they are observed and enforced. Forklifts with speed-limiting devices help to ensure that site-specific speed limits are observed.
At the end of the day, getting a job done shouldn’t come at the cost of your safety – or anyone else’s, for that matter. n
The head of retail at Z Energy, Tim Bailey, has worked within the retail sector for the past 20 years, half of which has been with Z Energy.
y earlier career included working at Icebreaker during its transition from wholesaler to retailer, as well as New Zealand Post and Foodstuffs,” said Bailey.
Although Bailey has a finance background, his interest lies in the generalist role, leading the retail team at Z to support the 16 retailers who operate over 190 sites across New Zealand and manage around 2000 site staff across Z’s service station network.
more than just what the retailer offered but also how it was offered. Leveraging digital tools such as the Z App to offer a pre-order feature for customers to order their coffee before they arrive at a Z Energy site to ensure the coffee is ready and waiting for them.
Tim Bailey Head of Retail Z ENERGYConsumers are increasingly searching for convenience. Therefore having the basics, such as the availability of good food and coffee, is a significant and integral part of what the retailer supplies to customers.
However, Bailey said there had been a shift to fresh and on-the-go food that could be consumed within 10 minutes of purchasing.
“Our customers want to be able to fuel up and grab a bite to eat, something to drink or do a small shop of essentials and avoid the supermarket all in one stop.”
Z Energy offers hot food, beverages, and other essential items like milk and bread.
He continued that convenience was about
Coffee has continued to be an area of growth for Z Energy, with the convenience of being able to grab a coffee and fuel up working well for many of our customers, coupled with the ability to pre-order coffee via the Z App so that it’s ready on arrival.
Following the pandemic, Bailey said Z Energy continued to see a rise in demand for healthy snacks, beverages, and on-the-go items.
“Z continues to respond with our expanding offer of fresh on-the-go food and drink options. Our new store design, which we are rolling out across many Z sites, is modular, allows us to be dynamic, and offers greater flexibility to adjust our stores as consumer behaviour evolves.”
However, with coffee being the retailer leading category, Z Energy has invested a significant amount into the category,
including the selection of a new blend of high-quality coffee beans, as well as new coffee machines at its site, whilst also retraining baristas to ensure the coffee quality consistency no matter where it is purchased.
Z Energy has also invested in offering new, convenient options for New Zealanders to cater to consumer demands for affordable lunch options and on-the-go meals, from pies to sandwiches. However, the retailer believes more opportunity exists in this space and is committed to growing its offering.
Bailey added that Z was committed to a low-carbon Aotearoa and supporting the country’s energy transition.
“As we continue to sell the fuel our customers need today, we’re also investing in low-carbon technology to support our customers through the energy transition. One of the ways we are doing this is by rolling out a network of EV chargers, which we plan to have across 20 percent of our network by the end of this year.”
Z Energy's uniqueness in the on-the-go EV charging market is to leverage its existing network of conveniently located, well-lit,
safe, and reliable service stations to grow its EV charging network.
The retailer recognised most EV charging will be done at home, catering to this by preparing to launch a home charging offer targeted at EV owners as Z Energy is committed to providing a safe, reliable onthe-go network for its customer, which Bailey described was just as essential to supporting customers looking to transition away from an ICE vehicle.
The declining categories are tobacco and print media. Bailey said that Z continues to invest in diversifying high-quality convenience retail offers to ensure it adapts to these changes in consumer behaviours.
When discussing the future of the convenience industry, Bailey said that he believed New Zealanders wanted a trusted network that gets the basics right, including excellent customer service and a safe environment to shop.
“Z works hard at this already by investing in our people to ensure we retain great staff and making significant investments in safety and security to ensure our people and customers feel safe in our stores and forecourts.”
The increased consumer demand for plantbased and health-driven products has led to a 40 percent increase in the demand for Z Energy’s vegan bakery items and a 30 percent increase in health snack products.
Challenges for the industry currently revolve around safety, with Bailey explaining that ensuring customer and staff safety at Z Energy sites was a top priority. As a nationwide retailer, there is the reality of retail crime, such as fuel theft or burglaries, which Z Energy has seen an increase over recent months.
In the last five years, Z Energy has invested
$24 million in safety and security measures to protect its sites, staff and customers.
“This includes reinforcing doors and windows, installing fog cannons, establishing safe rooms, giving our people safety pendants and all the alarms they need to keep themselves safe, and the appropriate training to manage these situations.”
Statistics have shown the difference the security measures have made, with a 65 percent decrease in recordable robberies recorded at Z service stations from 2018 to 2022.
The second challenge facing the industry is the energy transition. As New Zealand’s largest fuel retailer, Z Energy recognised it was part of the problem and therefore needed to be part of the solution.
Bailey said that as the retailer continued to meet customers’ fuel needs now, it was also investing in low-carbon infrastructure such as EV chargers and diversifying its convenience offers to ensure it remains relevant to our customers in the future.
“I see great opportunities to learn from overseas markets and adjacent industries as there is no simple solution here.”
One of the most significant business operation changes created through the pandemic is the retailer’s pre-order coffee functions within its Z-App. It has continued to be a valuable and highly used resource for customers, and since then, Z Energy has also evolved to deliver food to customers’ homes via delivery Apps.
“Digital innovation was invaluable through COVID and is something Z looks to leverage as greater developments are made in this area.” n
