BULLETIN ISSUE 27: Autumn 2020
A WORD FROM TONY This time of year is often a difficult balancing act. We have farmer suppliers desperate for space, the plants stretched to capacity and holidays that seem to get in the way. Each season is slightly different depending on the climate, and this year we have a mix of dry conditions and falling market prices to contend with, particularly in China. This has farmers understandably nervous waiting to get stock processed, and the processing staff are understandably keen to have some time off with the family. Our industry is not for the faint hearted … and sometimes my job is to ensure that everyone is equally unhappy. What impresses me most at times like this is the passion with which each member of our Team argues their corner but equally how we collectively accept that some compromise is necessary … this proves we can be ‘one team’, even when we are all fighting with each other! At the coal face our procurement Team is doing a tremendous job ensuring that our dedicated Greenlea
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clients get space as quickly as possible. We are currently holding our schedules higher than our competitors’ levels in recognition of this loyalty and the year-round relationship we have with our farmers. At the same time, I have been spending some time in both plants seeing first-hand the effort going in to processing the large numbers of bulls and prime currently in the mix. No other meat company in NZ achieves tally as consistently as Greenlea thanks to this commitment. Meanwhile, the marketing team has a mountain of meat to move in a falling market. The Chinese Government intervened to reduce prices prior to Chinese New Year, by releasing 190,000 tons of pork and this had a flow on effect reducing sheep and beef market prices by 15-20%. We have had to weather this storm, but thankfully, the marketing teams’ efforts over many years to build strong relationships with our regular customer base has proved invaluable. It’s times like this that the Greenlea Brand makes a real difference smoothing the dips. So, while it’s a balancing act, as a team, we are being proactive to make the best of the situation.
The Greenlea team look forward to welcoming you to our new site at Fieldays 2020. This year we move a few sites down F street to an even larger space. Our new site at F59 will have more room for our VIP guests, our loyal Greenlea suppliers, where we will continue to serve hot and cold drinks, snacks and our famous beef tastings at lunchtime. This year we will be joined by our ambassador chef, Andrew Clarke, the executive chef at Camarosa here in Hamilton. If you haven’t sampled his fabulous fare at Camarosa, you are in for a treat!