RJ’S – MAKING CONFECTIONERY BETTER

The RJ’s story starts way back in 1995.

Levin local, licorice-loving Roger Halliwell and his son ReganJames (that’s where they got the RJ’s name from!) startedmaking licorice with the belief they could make it better thananything they could buy. After a far-flung trip to North Dakotato source some expert licorice making kit, they returned to NewZealand and quickly set about making the world’s best licorice.By 1998 Roger and Regan had established RJ’s as NewZealand’s favourite licorice. The Kiwis had done it. The factoryin Levin was cranking with tonnes of licorice made daily tosatisfy demand.

RJ’s Founder Roger Halliwell

Even with a booming factory and a team of lolly makersperfecting the recipe, Roger and Regan weren’t done. “Whatif we coated our licorice with chocolate?” they wondered.Marrying licorice and chocolate was no easy feat and ina lightbulb moment (perfected under the sweet aroma ofmolasses) a thought occurred to them…. “what ifwe put the chocolate inside the licorice?”. And so,in the year 2000, this dream came true and thefirst licorice choc logs rolled off the productionline. Global innovation at it finest and thebeginning of what is today an iconic Kiwi treat.

RJ’s continued to grow and in 2018 an opportunity arose to purchase some iconic New Zealand confectionery brands. Overnight RJ’s became the home of childhood favourites such as Mackintosh’s, Oddfellows, Heards, Black Knight and Fabulicious. They were fast followed by Lifesavers and even the legendary Jaffa’s brand. Over the space of 20 years, RJ’s had gone from humble beginnings to the home of NewZealand’s favourite lollies.

Fast forward to 2021 and, with a few more grey hairs, RJ’s is now the No. 2 manufacturer in non-chocolate confectionery and a key driver of category growth over the past five years. With a business almost four times larger than it was back in 2016 there have obviously been a few obstacles along the way but, with the support of their loyal team in Levin as well as much appreciated patience from suppliers and retail partners, they have entered 2021 well poised.

RJ’s remain proudly based in Levin and employ over 120 staff. RJ’s batch make approximately50 million bags each year, of which a large percent head offshore to markets such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

What’s next?

Well, this RJ’s team doesn’t sit still and later this year the business will embark on a significant step change with a focus around ethical sourcing and sustainability.

Jason Clements, GM NZ & International, remains somewhat coy around specifics, but states “we are constantly looking at ways to ‘make it better’ and we listen closely to what consumers, both locally and internationally, are seeking. We are very excited about what we have in the pipeline and look forward to sharing that with our loyal customers later this year.”

If RJ’s are not a household name today – my bet is that they will be in the near future.