SupermarketNews // March 2017

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March 2017 • Vol. 10 No. 3

CONVENIENCE MEALS: Can ‘Convenience’ also be healthy? (See page 20) NEW LOGISTICS CENTRE OPENED IN NELSON Transport Minister Hon Simon Bridges has officially opened the new 13,000 sqm Patterson Logistics Centre in Nelson, as part of QuayConnect, the port’s integrated warehousing, transport and logistics service that was established in February 2016 as a smarter way of distributing goods.

Over its first year, the service managed 80 percent of the South Island’s wine exports and 90 percent of the inbound dry goods.

The second stage of Port Nelson’s development will be the construction of a 9,000 sqm facility to further increase capacity. n

MAJOR REFURB AT ROTORUA STORE

New World Westend, in Rotorua, is undergoing a major $8 million refurbishment—the first in 18 years. Renovations are expected to be completed by November. Changes include a sit-down café area, new covered walkways for the carpark area, new LED lighting, a new produce department and bakery, and a more eco-friendly refrigeration system.

The refurbishment is financed by the store’s owner-operator Greg Dyson, who started his supermarket career as a 15-yearold trolley boy, then went down to owning and selling Four Square Katikati and New World Kawerau. Dyson bought New World four years ago. n

WHY BOYCOTT CALLS ARE WRONG

New Zealand has recently been shaken by Cadbury’s proposal to end manufacturing operations in Dunedin in 2018, with production to move into existing Australian sites. The news has come as a shock to its 362 employees and the local community at large, which has been relying on the chocolate factory for over 80 years.

The move, however, didn’t exactly take the industry by surprise. “The reality is it’s been tough keeping the doors open,” said Katherine Rich, chief executive, NZ Food and Grocery Council. “Over the past 20 years in different roles, I have seen first-hand the people of Cadbury, Kraft and Mondelez try everything to make the numbers work - from market

ideas, reorganisation, innovation to increasing export production and new factory investment. The passion for chocolate-making and the intentions have been sincere, but the reality is no new strategy has worked.”

Certain factors weighed in Cadbury’s decision and, unfortunately, could no longer be ignored. For starters, the facility’s massive footprint required an unachievable manufacturing scale, especially when producing such a lowmargin product.

Secondly, with over 70 percent of products being exported, mostly to Australia, the site’s location in Dunedin has become anything but strategic, which is something any company, no matter

MALL TO GET MAKEOVER Progressive Enterprises has just bought about 94 percent of the Wainuiomata Shopping Centre, and has announced it will revive the site, which already includes a Countdown supermarket.

The sale has the potential to be a ‘game-changer’ for the community. Details are yet to be disclosed, but according to retail experts the company is likely to use the supermarket as an anchor to smaller shops, cafés and takeaways. n

WHAT IS STICKMAN UP TO? As recent industry rumours has suggested, Pak’nSave is piloting a new initiative in the South Island. Details are yet to be released, but Foodstuffs’ head of external relations, Antoinette Laird, confirmed us that something is brewing across the Cook Strait. “It’s a different kind of customer programme, that provides insights to PAK’nSAVE shoppers and personalises promotional offers based on the products they are interested in,” said Laird. “Globally, the media environment is changing and mass marketing - while still an important part of the mix - won’t be enough to inspire shoppers in the future. We’re interested in building a more personalised relationship with our customers based on their shopping behaviour.”

As the programme is developed, she added, more information will be released. n

how large, would need to take into consideration sooner or later.

In this framework, calls to boycott Cadbury products indefinitely sound all the more short-sighted, and doubly so if their aim is to show workers some support. E tū Union has been clear in saying they won’t encourage boycotts if they threaten jobs here and now.

Nonetheless, Cadbury’s decision has triggered an unprecedented backlash.

University of Otago’s professor of marketing Juergen Gnoth believes that Kiwis’ response is due to the nature of the product. “Because chocolate is such a ‘warm product creating comfort from an early age, it takes a special place in people’s minds which extends to the brand.” Kiwis’ fiery, unparalleled loyalty towards locally-made products may have also played a role. The question arises as to whether it would have been the same if a NZ company had decided to close its factory.

However, Cadbury announced it would provide training and relocation assistance while retaining as many of the staff as possible. At present, the company is focusing on consultation, with a final decision expected to be made by April.

Cadbury’s external affairs manager Jake Hatton told us that, to avoid tainting the consultation process, no public comment will be provided at this stage. n

editorialcomment MORE OF THE SAME IN 2017 Peter Mitchell Publisher

On to another new year. Despite the international moves that not only bring new names to the market in both bricks and mortar and online, New Zealand is in for a year of consolidation. You can safely put a dollar on the retail price battle continuing, a reduction in sku’s at retail as the buyers clear out the surplus me too’s and pointless range extensions.

Going local is certainly going to be an issue. A new major study in Europe has found that 60% of customers preferred local brands and that 30% believed origin was more important than any other consideration. So country of origin labeling will become important.

It seems we are back to the old adage OF Think Globally and Act Locally as both our major retail groups are doing, particularly with gresh where our customers link locality with quality and freshness. Provenance eliminates skepticism and without it (and our retailers are already doing a great identifying job) our customers just assume we’ve gone somewhere else to source it more cheaply.

The crystal ball suggests that the overseas giants still won’t make it to these shores this year and the success of smaller local opposition will be strictly limited – perhaps a little fashionable at high prices, but never strictly real competition. Of real interest is the Government’s move on enforcing taxes on the multinationals.

The danger of cutting their returns to overseas masters could on one hand

be lessening of interest in this market and on the other, the opportunity to use the money tax deductably to add more promotion funds at consumer and retail levels and throw in a few more pricing cuts. It’s going to be an interesting year.

It’s been a tough start to the year personally after weeks in hospital, but the exciting part is that Review Publishing goes into it’s 94th year publishing grocery magazines and 47 years since our family took over the business putting us well into the grocery history books.

The bonus of course is the family now fully ensconced and running the business led by the talented Tania and daughters Sarah and Caitlan and son Kieran. And I can just get on with my golf.

MAY 31 2017: ConTech2017, Melbourne SEPTEMBER 2 2017: Grocery Charity Ball, Auckland SEPTEMBER 11-15 2017: PRO FachHANDEL & drinktec, Munich, Germany OCTOBER 7-11 2017: ANUGA, Cologne, Germany NOVEMBER 22-25 2017: SIAL Interfood, Jakarta, Indonesia

DECEMBER 11-13 2017: SIAL Middle East, Abu Dhabi MARCH 20-23 2018: Anuga FoodTec, Cologne, Germany APRIL 24-27 2018: FHA2018, Singapore MAY 2-4 2018: SIAL Canada, Montréal JUNE 13-15 2018: SIAL ASEAN, Manila, Philippines OCTOBER 21-25 2018: SIAL Paris, France

diarynotes MARCH 19-21 2017: ProWein, Düsseldorf, Germany APRIL 4-6 2017: ProFood Tech, Chicago, USA APRIL 27-29 2017: Eu’Vend & coffeena, Cologne, Germany MAY 2-4 2017: SIAL Canada, Toronto MAY 8-11 2017: ProWine Asia, Hong Kong MAY 17-17 2017: SIAL China, Shanghai

contents

04 News 12 International Aisle 16 Hot Beverage 20 Convenience Meals 29 What’s New

9

14 20 27 SupermarketNews is published under license. Please direct all enquiries and correspondence to SupermarketNews. The opinions and material published in this edition of SupermarketNews are not necessarily those of the publishers unless specifically stated. All material in this publication is copyright and may only be reproduced with the consent of the publisher.

Copyright 2016

CHAIRMAN Peter Mitchell, peter@reviewmags.com

ADVERTISING SALES Felicity-Anne Flack, felicity@reviewmags.com

PUBLISHER Tania Walters, tania@reviewmags.com

SENIOR DESIGNER Raymund Sarmiento, raymund@reviewmags.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Sarah Mitchell, sarah@reviewmags.com

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Kieran Mitchell, kieran@reviewmags.com

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 an industry conference that covers industry issues and is addressed by international speakers. The organisation monitors product quality and sets standards for the industry and runs national competitions and awards.

THE NEW ZEALAND BEVERAGE COUNCIL (NZBC) P.O. Box 47, AUCKLAND 1140, New Zealand.

Email: info@nzbc.nz Phone: +64 9 309 6100 DDI: +64 9 302 9932

ATTENTION GROCERY SUPPLIERS The Food and Grocery Council is an industry association for grocery suppliers providing members networking, events, industry information and strong advocacy.

Contact us for information on the benefits of membership: Katherine.rich@fgc.org.nz • Networking • Industry Updates • Conference and Events • Education and Training • Advocacy and Law Reform

ISSN NO. 1173-3365 Suite 9, Level 3, 20 Augustus Tce Parnell, Auckland PO Box 37140 Parnell, Auckland Tel (09) 3040142 Fax (09) 3772794

www.fgc.org.nz

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news

FOOD LOSS AND WASTE SOLUTIONS

NO TIME TO CHICKEN OUT

An online hub, called Further With Food, has been launched in the United States to help realise the national goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030. All groups tackling food waste, including academics, businesses, NGOs and individuals, can share their resources and learn from one another.

The platform highlights proven solutions and innovative ideas alike, allowing people to compare notes and scale the most effective solutions. n

Countdown launched its Egg Producer Programme last year, and the company is now confident enough to announce its commitment to sell only free-range and barn eggs across all of its own-brand eggs by 31 December 2022. According to Nikhil Sawant, Countdown’s merchandise manager of Perishables, the company will be able to find the necessary supply to meet customer demand, amounting to approximately 40,000 dozen free-range and barn eggs per week.

“We are extremely proud of our direct relationships with our farmer partners,” said Sawant, mentioning the success of Countdown’s Egg Producer Programme. “This further announcement enables egg farmers to speed up their plans, and we are delighted that our partner Wholesome NZ has committed to our plans already. We hope our announcement gives further confidence to the egg industry to invest in increasing free range and barn egg supply.” n

NIELSEN

BY THE NUMBERS SMITTEN WITH SMOOTHIES

WEEKLY SMOOTHIE CONSUMPTION AMONGST NEW ZEALANDERS IS UP 78% OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS.

LEFT TO RIGHT: JOHN MULLINS AND VAUGHAN GRANT

FOODSTUFFS TALKS SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATION Collaboration within the FMCG supply chain was the main topic of discussion at the NZ Food & Grocery Council Supply Chain Excellence Forum, held on Wednesday 1 March.

Both Foodstuffs’ general managers of Supply Chain, Vaughan Grant (North Island) and John Mullins (South Island), gave their presentations and talked about how the two co-operatives have created an environment of service excellence, customer focus and collaboration throughout their respective supply chain. Grant highlighted Foodstuffs North Island’s key supply chain strategies, and transformation and modernisation projects underway, while emphasising the importance of collaboration between retailers and suppliers.

“Our purpose is to connect suppliers to stores, safely and efficiently, to meet our customer needs,” he said. “We are agile, efficient, and able to compete now and in the future.” Grant also took the group through the Supply Chain Partnership Framework, focusing on stock availability, transactional efficiency, route-to-market options, and collaborative inventory management.

There was a strong focus on safety, and Vaughn pointed out additional staff training is being provided to ensure

employees go home safe every day.

Speaking on behalf of Foodstuffs South Island, Mullins said there had been successful trading results along with the many challenges associated with a supply chain in an earthquakeprone region. “Our in-built resilience has seen us survive through yet another difficult period resulting in a very satisfactory shift upwards in our market share,” Mullins said, talking about the recent Kaikoura quake.

Meanwhile, the co-operative continues to invest in new strategic openings such as West Melton, Christchurch and Queenstown. The move resulted in significant volume and value growth, which posed a few extra challenges for the security of supply. To reduce product handling and enhance service delivery, the company has invested heavily in new streamlined systems.

“Transport Management is a core focus for us – we’re all about improving transport visibility and understanding where our supplies are to ensure we continue to meet customer expectations.

Additional distribution and system developments include 3PL, Cross Docking along with the major expansion of the Hornby DC Temperature controlled facility (Project Chilly Bin),” said Mullins. n

CALL ME LOYAL 89% OF NEW ZEALANDERS ARE PART OF A LOYALTY PROGRAMME.

KIWIS ARE NUTS FOR ALMOND MILK

MEET ‘THE ODD BUNCH’

ALMOND MILK SALES HAVE DOUBLED TO $14.4 MILLION OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.

A growing number of countries are taking action against food waste by selling misshapen or damaged produce in supermarkets. On the back of this trend, Countdown has introduced The Odd Bunch, a brand-new initiative that makes fruit and vegetables with small imperfections and cosmetic damage available to customers at a low price. Apart from cutting food waste, the move will also help Countdown take more produce from growers and

Contact us as nielsen.com/nz for more information.

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make healthy food more affordable.

“With The Odd Bunch Countdown can help our suppliers sell produce that may not have typically made it to supermarket shelves, and we think many shoppers will forgive a little ugliness to help combat food waste and save,” said Chris Fisher, general manager merchandise, Countdown.

The selection will be based on both the season and supply, with stock varying from store to store. n

SOMETHING TO NOSH ABOUT Competition in the high-end retail space may heat up again, after Veritas Investment successfully sold its Nosh food supermarkets to a company called Gosh Holding, behind which— according to the company’s sole shareholder, Sydney-based Andrew Phillips—are two or three New Zealand investors. Their names are yet to be disclosed, but Phillips revealed they are involved with consumer products in NZ. The consortium has plans to expand the Nosh brand both domestically and overseas, probably starting from Australia.

Meanwhile, the dispute between Veritas and Nosh Constellation franchisee has been settled, with the new owner paying an undisclosed sum to settle all debt, claims and disputes. n

MOSGIEL STORE REPLACED

Countdown Mosgiel much-anticipated replacement store has just been opened, creating 26 new jobs for the local community. “The opening of the new Countdown is an exciting development for the local community and reflective of the steady growth in Mosgiel and the Taieri Plains in recent times,” said Mayor Dave Cull. Store manager Pam Cookson said she was very excited to share the new store with customers. “I am really proud of my team, and the work they have done in the lead up to today’s opening. This replacement store is very exciting for the local community, and now has wider aisles, a more expansive fresh produce department and a full production bakery.” n

FORECAST FARMGATE MILK PRICE CONFIRMED

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has confirmed the forecast Farmgate Milk Price of $6 per kgMS announced last year. The total payout available to farmers is forecast to be $6.50 to $6.60 before retentions. According to John Wilson, chairman of Fonterra, the global outlook for dairy remains positive, and the co-operative expects global prices to continue to hold or gradually increase over the back half of this season. The company is also set to increase the monthly Advance Rates it pays to farmers, due to the overall confidence in the global dairy market. n

AUCKLAND GETS FIFTH FARRO STORE Farro’s much-anticipated newest and fifth store opened its doors yesterday in the Orakei Bay Village. The site is a fully-restored warehouse that formerly operated as a gin distillery. Curiously, it was also the first venue that Farro’s owners and founders, Janene and James Draper, originally chose for their inaugural store, ten years ago, before opting for Lunn Avenue. The spotlight remains on small, local producers, with an improved store layout. “Here at Farro, it’s all about the customer and their experience in-store, so the new

layout has been designed to encourage face-to-face interactions, especially in the deli area,” Janene told us.

As Nosh fell from grace, Farro Fresh has consolidated its position as Auckland’s leading gourmet grocer. The company doesn’t seem to worry too much about Nosh’s new ownership.

“We have already gone into different directions, and with all these changes of ownership I think they have lost their focus,” said Janene. The Orakei’s opening brings the Farro’s family to 450 employees, working across five different locations. n

NESTLÉ BETS ON GLUTEN-FREE Nestlé has opened a new multimillion-dollar facility in its Cambria Park factory in South Auckland, to meet increasing demand for its gluten-free products from both local and overseas markets. The investment aims to create new export opportunities and expand the availability of gluten-free products in New Zealand.

Prime Minister Bill English officiated at the opening and took a tour of the factory with Nestlé New Zealand CEO Veronique Cremades, according to whom ‘gluten-free no longer means compromise’.

“Our international research and development program now allows us to create high-quality glutenfree products that taste great and maintain texture,” said Cremades.

“Careful product development means a wide range of products will be made gluten-free, including a selection of Maggi products sold in supermarkets for at-home use.”

Launched in 1962, the Cambria Park site manufacturers Maggi and Nestlé Docello products, as well as several confectionery items. Its current exports are worth over $60 million, but are now set to increase due to expanded capacity and robust quality assurance systems.

As a testimony to this fact, the gluten-free product range has been endorsed by both Coeliac New Zealand and Coeliac Australia, giving consumers the confidence that each batch of every product has been laboratory tested and found clear of gluten. n

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MUSIC TO YOUR TASTE BUDS Sharing a genuine passion for great-tasting food, Cook & Nelson’s founders Nick Brown and Rebecca Caughey have embarked on a mission to introduce exceptional and exciting brands to the discerning New Zealand market.

Prior to this adventure, Brown used to work in sales and marketing while Caughey was in the music business, running a boutique PR and management company. Both have set aside their careers, and all of their efforts are now going towards their extraordinary range, which includes Huffman’s Sauces, McClure’s Pickles & Relishes, Entube, The Jam Stand, Franjo’s Kitchen and more.

“We are in this because we want to be,” said Brown.

“Our brands are real champions, and they trust us because they know we can maximise their potential.”

As they focus on building strong relationships with like-minded manufacturers and consumers, Brown and Caughey regularly visit every single producer, know everything about their stories and even facilitate mutual collaborations through networking events.

Each brand has been chosen for its uniqueness, something that can be best described as a ‘vibe’. “We always work with chefs and buyers, so we have a real sense of where the potential lies, but we don’t follow a list of characteristics—We have a feeling,” said Caughey. “When you hear a hit song, you instinctively

WHAT’S IN KIWIS’ TROLLEYS?

know it’s a hit; that’s how we choose our brands. And we back up their product launches with strong media campaigns, just like an album release.”

Interestingly, Cook & Nelson’s products all have a feature in common: they don’t replicate anything that is already here. “We would never bring in the country anything that would challenge a well-established Kiwi product, but rather innovative products that are doing something different in the market,” said Brown.

This year, Cook & Nelson will focus on the highend Japanese food space with a product that is ‘too good to ignore’, while also launching an innovative beetroot ketchup at a reasonable price point. For more information, visit www.cookandnelson.com. n

Countdown has presented its third annual Trolley Report, a detailed analysis of NZ’s grocery trends based on the purchasing behaviour of Countdown’s 2.8 million customers. According to data, Kiwis bought an average of 18kgs of bananas per person between October 2015 and October 2016, making them once again the top-selling grocery item, followed by the ever-popular Homebrand $1 bread.

Seventy percent of the top ten list was fruit or vegetables. Kiwis’ favourite meat was chicken, followed by beef mince and beef corned silverside, while salmon was the most popular seafood, followed by NZ live mussels. n (More on supermarketnews.co.nz.)

CONVENIENCE STORES ARE CHANGING Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has recently announced that it will expand its fresh food offering to meet growing customer demand.

According to the company’s senior director of fresh food innovation, Anne Readhimer, consumers are becoming more discerning and increasingly look for higher-quality items. Hence the decision to adapt the store layouts to promote the fresh food and low-cal offerings such as the new 7-Select GO!Smart product range.

Though important, the rising demand of

healthful and fresh products is only one of a few trends convenience stores should consider this year. If they want to stay relevant, they need to deliver real ‘convenience’ by offering meal kits or ready-to-eat dinner options; and not just for singles.

Families are, in fact, increasingly looking for grab-and-go meals too. Beverages are another important aspect that shouldn’t be underestimated. Whether it’s cold or hot drinks (like the popular 7-Eleven $1 coffee), stores must get their beverages sorted, always remembering that cheap, popular drinks are a timeless shoppers’ magnet.

And of course, introducing additional services also increases foot traffic. It could be a classic 24/7 parcel collection service, a bill payment system or even something more ‘adventurous’, for example by investing in new technologies, such as smartphone apps. As new players, like Amazon, are getting into the game, convenience stores need to gear up for a changing landscape. n

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Countdown has been awarded gold, silver and bronze at the latest NZ Direct Marketing Awards for its myCountdown personalised email programme.

Additionally, the company has taken home the coveted Keith Norris – Direct Marketing Organisation of the Year award, which recognises insight-driven direct marketing campaigns that connect with customers and generate business results. Based on customer preference and transaction data, MyCountdown was launched in 2014 to offer a tailored communication of Countdown’s over 5,000 weekly specials, as well as other local store information. n

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‘Whilst all care has been taken to ensure accuracy in preparation of the particulars contained herein, no warranty can be given and interested parties must terefore rely on their own enquires.’

NEW OWNERS WITH A VISION “We wanted to retain a connection to Storelink’s 25-year-long history and reputation, while at the same time injecting a little bit of fun in it. Though in continuity with the past, the new logo clearly marks the beginning of a new era,” said Samuel.

TONY PUPPYN AND ANGIE SAMUEL

New ownership, new brand identity, same commitment to customers’ growth.

This year marks a breakthrough for Storelink, as the sales and merchandising business has just been acquired by its long-time general manager Angie Samuel, business manager sales Tony Puppyn and chairman John Bishop. Therefore, everything is well-set to ensure a seamless transition from previous owners Ken and Karin Hewitt, who had long retired from their operational roles.

“It was a great time to purchase the business and we are ready to push our growth even further,” said Puppyn.

The new commanders-in-chief realised the moment was ripe to breathe new life into the brand and take it to new heights. The Storelink’s logo has

thus been thoroughly redesigned using captivating colours and a ‘family’ icon that better expresses the company’s core value—putting people first. From fonts to colour choices, no detail was left to chance.

Drawing upon the same concept, they have launched their dynamic, eye-catching website, www. storelink.co.nz, featuring all the information clients need to know.

The company’s slogan has also been updated from ‘Your Brands, Our People’ to a more relevant ‘Our Team, Your Brands’ which emphasises the importance of their biggest asset—their team.

With an ever-increasing team of over 400 contract merchandisers and substantial year-on-year growth, Storelink already represents leading FMCG businesses such as Griffin’s, Lewis Road Creamery and Sanitarium, to name a few. This new, exciting chapter couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. n

With new owners and an exciting new website, Storelink is your retail service partner of choice.

When you choose Storelink as your outsourced retail service partner, you can be assured that our passionate team will take that responsibility seriously and represent your brands as if they are our own.

Our services include: • Bespoke field sales and merchandising services • Integrated strategic and tactical planning • Maximum visibility for your brand through high store call frequency • Key Account Management

• Merchandising retail implementation • Display builds • Relays • Compliance reporting • Real time reporting • Demonstrations & Tastings

Read more about the ways in which we can tailor a solution to maximise your sales results at www.storelink.co.nz or call us 09 475 9039.

Alternatively you can email us at enquiries@storelink.co.nz.

March 2017

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news BETTER BEST-BEFORE LABELS

Are best-before dates too arbitrary or excessively conservative, especially with all the food waste being produced nowadays? A number of US and UK food manufacturers seem to think so, and are now settling on a new language for date labels on food, using simpler phrasing to clear up confusion.

In the US, there are no federal rules that set standard ways to date food labels. This has led to a proliferation of different phrases, including vague ‘enjoy by’, ‘display until’ and ‘use or freeze by’. As a result, consumers end up throwing away nearly one-

third of edible products. Now trade groups want the food industry to stick to two labels: ‘best if used by’ or ‘use by’ date.

The former describes a product’s quality and specifies when the product will taste best, whereas the latter applies to highly perishable products and concerns their safety.

‘Sell by’ dates wouldn’t be visible to consumers anymore, as these are just for retailers, though consumers often interpret them as expiration dates.

Things are already much easier in NZ. According to the MPI’s ‘Guide to Food Labelling’, foods with a shelf life of less than two years must have a date mark, which needs to be a ‘use by’, a ‘best before’ or ‘bkd on / bkd for’ for bread products.

In the UK, the Waste & Resources Action Plan (WRAP) estimated that y £1bn a year worth of food waste could be cut by improving packaging and labelling. While a lot has been done, for example changing from ‘use by’ to ‘best before’ labels on hard cheese and pasteurised fruit juices, WRAP said the food industry needed to increase storage time labels and package sizes. They also suggested using the snowflake logo more often, which indicates foods suitable for freezing. n

JOINING THE ‘TAX-FREE TAMPONS’ DEBATE

CALLING ALL ENTRANTS

Entries are now open for the 2017 Peter Jowett Scholarship Awards, the platform for NZACS members to challenge their peers in NZ and globally.

This year, entrants are asked to detail two ‘Bright Ideas’ that they think will ensure the profitable growth of convenience stores into the future.

The two winners will receive a trophy, return flight and accommodation to the 2017 NACS show in Chicago, scheduled for 16-20 October. Employees from NZACS member companies need to select candidates aged between 21 and 36. Registrations will remain open until 30 April 2017, and submissions can be emailed to dave@retailworx.co.nz by 30 June 2017. For more information, visit www.nzacs. com/2017-peter-jowett-awards. n

UK PIE PRODUCER LANDS IN NZ Yorkshire-based bakery The Topping Pie Company has sent its first order of premium pork pies to selected food retailers across New Zealand, thanks to a partnership with food exporter Smylie. The business aims to capitalise on British expats craving a little taste of home, therefore it is likely that its overseas markets will be limited to countries where British consumers live. According to the company, the handmade pies are going down well with expats and Kiwis alike, so expansion plans to other retailers and channels are in the pipeline, including foodservice. The Topping Pie Co. was established in 1961 by Bill Topping and today remains a family-owned business with Bill’s grandson Mark at the helm. Their specialty, multi-awardwinning British pies and quiches contain locallysourced meat and poultry. n

There is no way to dance around this—sanitary pads and tampons are a necessity for half of the world’s population, who on average use them for about a week, twelve times a year, for 30 or more years.

Nonetheless, until lately, they have been taxed like any other beauty product or basic good. Now more countries are considering a tax removal, and New Zealand is one of them. Government agency Pharmac has recently announced that a funding application for the sanitary products is being assessed. If approved, it would lead to either a partial or total removal of the current 15 percent GST. The move has been positively welcomed by NZ charities and is also part of a much wider debate, with campaign and petitions making headlines in a growing number of countries. So far, a few lawmakers

– including Canada – have cut down the ‘tampon tax’, while others have not been as supportive. In 2015, for example, Australia’s state and territories decided to keep the 10 percent GST on sanitary products.

Even though critics have dismissed tax elimination efforts as unimportant, their supporters see it as a symbolic matter as well as a health issue for those who can’t afford to pay extra and resort to makeshift means. n

there isn’t any hazard. Between 1 January 2012 and 13 September 2016, 1185 serious harms were notified to WorkSafe in the retail trade industry, and food retailing was the largest contributors with 553 notifications.

Supermarkets and grocery stores submitted 481 serious harm notifications.

The most significant risk areas include transport and warehousing, which have the highest rates of workplace deaths and injuries, the most common being serious lacerations and losses of a bodily function.

For people working in retail stores and supermarkets, the main causes of concern are slipping, tripping and falling (including from height); lifting or handling items; repetitive work and awkward postures; workrelated stress, bullying and harassment. From 2011 to August 2016, there have only been three fatalities, including a forklift accident (2015), a shopper who fell backwards down a flight of stairs, and a toddler who was crushed by timber material at a timber yard.

Manufacturing is another matter entirely. In New Zealand, the whole manufacturing sector employs around 240,000 people, who represent 10 percent of the New Zealand workforce but contribute to 21 percent of workplace severe injury claims. Between

2008 and 2014, there were 38 fatal accidents, an average of five a year.

“Every year hundreds of people are seriously injured at work because the machines they work on are not safe,” said Nalter. “[WorkSafe NZ’s] Safe Use of Machinery toolkit is a helpful guide that starts with identifying workplace risks. There is also a handy checklist to help businesses identify any potential risk.”

Tools and information can be found at manufacturing.worksafe.govt.nz. n

tradetalk

WE’RE ONE YEAR SAFER

A conversation with WorkSafe NZ

One year has passed since the new Health and Safety at Work Act came into effect, impacting the F&B industry too.

According to data, every year in New Zealand up to 60 people who go to work never return home. To tackle this issue, the new Act has added clarity around roles and responsibilities, encouraging both businesses and employees to work together towards a solution.

“Health and safety shouldn’t really be about laws and regulations; it’s about looking after people,” said Mark Nalter, WorkSafe’s NZ current chief inspector of the Central Region and former Programme Manager Construction. “The trick is to make sure health and safety is integrated into a business at every level.”

Supermarkets are generally safer than construction sites or industrial facilities—for example, the risk of finding asbestos is very low—but that doesn’t mean

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RECYCLE, WIN BIG, DONATE

New Zealanders can recycle and win big for a good cause, thanks to a new partnership between GLAD and TerraCycle. The GLAD To Recycle Contest offers Kiwis the opportunity to win cash prizes for the school or not-for-profit of their choice by recycling their used Glad food storage products. To win and donate a $1,000 cash prize, participants have time until 14 April 2017 to sign up to the programme for free, and collect and send as many food storage products as possible. For more information, visit www.terracycle.co.nz. n

HUMANISED FOOD ON THE RISE According to a report by Nielsen, posh nosh for pets (or ‘humanised food’) is on the rise, as pet owners increasingly look for options that address the same health concerns currently influencing human food production. Therefore, pet food must be free from unnatural preservatives and genetically modified ingredients.

In the UK, supermarket chain Tesco has just introduced clean pet food products by US company Freshpet, offering meat-rich food featuring plenty of natural ingredients and no nasties.

These gourmet alternatives retail from £3 to £13.50, including eight varieties for dogs and four for cats.

Last year, Canstar Blue rated Jimbo’s as NZ number one brand in pet food satisfaction, mostly due to its high level of pet enjoyment (42 percent), value for money (25 percent) and variety (17 percent).

New Zealand’s dog owners spend between $200 and $4,500 a year, while cat owners spend between $65 and $2,400. However, in recent years Consumer NZ concluded that, if money is tight and unless their pets have dietary problems, are struggling to maintain their body weight or are very active, “[Kiwis] probably don’t need to buy premium pet food.” n

WOOLWORTHS CEO BRAD BANDUCCI

WOOLWORTHS ENJOYS GROWTH IN NZ Woolworths’ NZ supermarkets business, which includes Countdown and Progressive Enterprises’ franchise businesses SuperValue and FreshChoice, has grown 1.6 percent from last year to $3.2 billion. While comparable sales for the half were flat, they increased 1.1 percent excluding bulk gift card sales.

The Australian company has announced its earning results for HY17. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) dropped 4.5 percent year-on-year to $163 million due

to costs associated with the new Onecard partnership with AA Smartfuel, Countdown’s investment in more hours in stores, expenses related to the November earthquake (not all of which were covered by insurance) and the cycling of bulk gift card sales.

In the half, Countdown’s food price index saw a 0.2 percent deflation in, driven by reduced inflation in seasonal produce and lower prices in grocery, with over 3,400 items now being part of the Price Down programme. n

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opmetrix.com

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news PUTTING SMILES ON KIWIS’ FACES Over the past ten years, more than half a million Kiwi babies have received a free Colgate toothbrush and toothpaste at the five-month Plunket visit.

Colgate is celebrating this decade-long partnership with Plunket and the New Zealand Dental Association by extending its programme to help Kiwi again at four years old before they start school.

As part of the Plunket B4

CHRIS QUIN

SKILL SHORTAGES IN RETAIL NZ companies are relying on immigrants to fill a management and technology skills gap, and 84 percent of employers are concerned about the availability of key skills, as a PWC annual chief executive survey has recently revealed. This is also true for the grocery retail sector where, according to Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin, bakers and butchers are two major skills shortages, and transferring retail skills into a digital world remains a challenge.

“In recent months, we’ve found that scarcity has been addressed between the most recent crop of graduates, as well as

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healthy immigration bringing high-tech skills into New Zealand,” Quin said. “We have produce managers with 20 years’ experience, but we need to enhance their skills.” As data and customer information become increasingly relevant, Quin emphasised that cyber-security is a growing concern for the retail industry.

Foodstuffs is also putting a major focus digitalisation, with plans to open a store with only self-service checkouts. “There are plans to make some shops completely self-service checkouts, and it’s all driven by what customers want. If customers think this is convenient, then we will have more of them.” n

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School Check programme, Kiwi kids will be given free toothbrushes and pastes.

“Around 29,000 children in New Zealand had teeth extracted in the past year due to childhood tooth decay, and we’re talking about a problem that is largely preventable,” said Dr Rebecca Schipper, Colgate dentist, according to whom parents often underestimate the consequences of a poor dental hygiene. n

technologynews MULTISENSORIAL PACKAGING

POWERFUL TOOL FOR DAIRY FARMERS

In collaboration with renowned provider of resealable, flexible zipper packages Zip-Pak, Purina has launched its Fancy Feast Duos treats with an audible packaging feature that appeals to both pet and pet owners. This sensory closure system, called Sensus, provides heightened acoustic cues each time the pouch is opened, delivering a mutually engaging treating experience. Unfortunately, Fancy Feast Duo is not available in New Zealand, but Purina told us this doesn’t mean it won’t be. “We review all global NPD with a view to assessing feasibility and desire to launch in New Zealand, based on consumer insight and trends,” said a company spokesperson.

As for Sensus, the innovation is also suitable for other consumer products such as cereal, salty snacks and detergents, elevating point-of-sale impact while providing a more user-friendly experience. Among Zip-Pak’s latest reclosure technologies and flexible resealable solutions are New Soundtrack, a highperformance sensory reclosure that consumers can hear and feel upon application; Vector, delivering a vivid, tactile response; and Fragrance-Zip, design to emit a customised aroma when opened. n

Mike McLeod, Supply Chain Manager Phyllis Smith, Export Coordinator

Fonterra Farm Source and LIC have developed and launched Agrigate, a new online tool that helps farmers improve their performance. The tool, available at www. agrigate.co.nz, combines all the essential farming data together into one platform, enabling farmers to make the most efficient use of their resources.

“The ultimate goal of this project is to support our farmers by giving them a tool to help maximise their on-farm performance, productivity and profitability,” said Miles Hurrell, chief operating officer of Fonterra Farm Source. “As a simple, easy-to-use tool, Agrigate is a great example of dairy industry innovation. It allows farmers to identify areas of their business where they are performing well and areas where improvements can be made.”

Among the useful data Agrigate works on are weather conditions, milk production, animal health,

financials, fertiliser applications and pasture cover.

According to Fonterra, farmers can see the impact of these farm factors and benchmark them on an unprecedented scale. Access to Agrigate is free for Fonterra Farm Source and LIC farmers until July 31. n

THE BEAUTY OF RECYCLING US food photographer Ellen Callaway has created a series called ‘Recycled Beauty’ using plastic, glass, aluminium and paper to build awareness and change how we talk about waste and recycling. While researching on environmental waste diversion, Callaway realised one of the issues was the way recycling was portrayed. She then decided to work on images that could be eye-catching, engaging and understandable, building an emotional connection with the consumers. According to Tetra Pak’s website Groundwork, “[Recycled Beauty] is inspiring several companies and municipalities to illustrate their sustainable efforts through captivating visuals.” n

Jane Smith, Logistic Coordinator San Remo

Corey Apiti, Warehouse Manager Oriental Merchant (NZ) Ltd

Stefan Crooks, Managing Director The Natural Food Company

Lift your productivity with a Loscam NZ pallet.

www.loscam.com shaun.sievwright@loscam.com

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internationalaisle NZ COMPANIES FOUND INSPIRATION

This year’s ISM, held in Cologne from 29 January to 1 February, gathered 1650 exhibitors from over 70 countries, along with 39,200 trade visitors.

The four-day trade fair for sweets and snacks attracted some renowned NZ food manufacturers and importers, among which were William Aitken & Co and its director, Don Graham.

This has been Graham’s 19th successive ISM, and he rated it as the best one yet, based on its inspiring mix of networking, innovation and excellence. Graham was particularly impressed by the expanded display of vegetarian products, accounting for 290 exhibitors, and by the brand-new ‘Cologne Coffee Forum’, offering samplings and presentations of different Italian coffee roasts.

Additionally, he pointed out that the new product showcase had been

enlarged with more than 140 new product innovations and trends.

Mike Fisher, founder of Action Food Marketing, also attended ISM and found that, as in previous ISM events, the networking opportunities were par excellence. “The show is well supported by NZ retail buyers and offers a more relaxed environment to catch up with them as well as suppliers,” he said.]

David Cunningham of Wilson Consumer Products once again headed off to Cologne and noticed that the trends of sugar-free, natural ingredients and premiumisation continue to feature. “Many were discussing the consumer demand for brand ethics and values as well as sustainable resourcing of ingredients,” Cunningham said.

ISM will return in Cologne next year, from 28 to 31 January. n

INNOVATION SHOWCASE AT GULFOOD Now in its 22nd year, Gulfood has recently been held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, welcoming F&B professionals from more than 120 countries and enabling 5,000 providers of raw materials and ingredients to showcase their innovations. Gulfood 2017 has attracted over 95,000 trade attendees, 60 percent of whom are international.

All the major trading sectors were represented, including beverages, dairy, fats and oil, health and free-from, grains and cereals, meat and poultry, power brands and world food.

Buyers looking for world-leading industry innovations found them at the Gulfood Virtual Supermarket, a brandnew interactive feature providing a virtual shop window to stand-out products and cutting-edge technologies. Visitors could browse products in digital format before committing to face-to-face meetings, obtaining crucial product information and locating the selected products through an interactive route planner. Ten New Zealand companies had their stand at Gulfood this year, including Anzco Foods Limited, Spring Sheep Milk Co., Tegel Foods Ltd and the New Zealand Dairy Co. n

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE

Fonterra’s trade stand has received a top innovation award at Gulfood 2017, held from 26 February to 2 March in Dubai. The stand included a 360° virtual Fonterra world that took visitors on a journey across the NZ dairy industry, allowing them to experience the production of dairy ingredients.

“We are keen to use new technology to expand the way we connect with our customers and enable them to see for themselves how NZMP transform farmers’ milk into world-class dairy product for customers around the globe,” said Santiago Aon, Fonterra general manager Middle East for NZMP. To make things even more interactive, in NZMP’s Virtual Store customers could create a virtual product by selecting ingredients, packaging styles and labels. n

ARCTIC PEOPLE ‘OBESE’ DUE TO CONVENIENCE

The globalisation of food is resulting in Arctic people showing the first signs of obesity. Recent research from Russia has found that, ever since remote tribes have been exposed to instant noodles, pasta and other high-carb products, the firstever cases of obesity have been recorded among nomadic Arctic reindeer herders.

NEW PAYMENT POLICY ANNOUNCED

From 1 July 2017, Coles will introduce a 14-day payment policy for its small suppliers that provide up AU$1 million in product each year.

The new system is expected to affect more than 1,000 businesses. “I congratulate Coles’ management for their leadership on this issue, and call on other big businesses to follow Coles’ lead and reduce their own payment times to small business suppliers,” said Kate Carnell from the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO).

According to the ASBFEO, small businesses usually have little power to negotiate their payment terms with larger companies, some of which have even moved payment terms to as long as 120 days. n

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For centuries, these Siberian peoples had eaten only traditional food, mostly venison and fresh river fish. As noodles, pasta, bread and sugar became staples, consumption of venison and fish declined by half.

This might have consequences for their health, as venison helps to avoid frostbite and fish can increase the resistance to cold stress.

Another issue affecting obesity is that herders have shortened the nomadic routes in a bid to stay close to Russian energy company’s facilities to sell their reindeer meat. n

FEW WEEKS LEFT TO GO Eu’Vend & coffeena, the international vending and coffee trade fair, will return in Cologne, Germany, from 27 to 29 April 2017. Several companies have already confirmed their participation, including top players of the vending and tabletop device manufacturing industries, as well as exhibitors from the payment systems and filling products segments. For more information, visit www.euvend-coffeena.com. The website also offers a handy online press accreditation system. n

RECORD NUMBERS EXPECTED www.anuga.com

TASTE THE FUTURE VEERA AKRAPUTTIPORN (THAI BEVERAGE INDUSTRY ASSOC), GEORG MOLLER (MESSE MUENCHEN GMBH), RICHARD CLEMENS (VDMA FOOD PROCESSING & PACKAGING MACHINERY ASSOC), MARIUS MEHNER, GERMAN-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Georg Moller, Exhibition Director, Messe Muenchen GmbH and Richard Clemens, Director VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Assoc were among the guest speakers at the Drinktec 2017 press conference held in Bangkok last week.

To be held from 11 to 15 September 2017 in Munich, drinktec 2017 is set to attract around 1,600 exhibitors and more than 70,000 trade visitors, the biggest participation figures in its over 60-year history. This year, the trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry will integrate SIMEI, the international trade show for

winemaking and bottling technology.

Exhibitors will represent the entire process chain, including raw materials, ingredients and logistics solutions. The event is also well-known as a platform for innovations, with the latest solutions and systems being presented in Munich for the first time. As usual, products and services will be showcased through spectacular displays, featuring conveyor belts and filling lines.

Among the key topics will be energy and resource efficiency, water and energy management, hygiene and product safety and process optimisation/flexibility. n

ALL ROADS LEAD TO CHINA SIAL China will return in Shanghai from 17 to 19 May 2017 with a total of 21 food sectors being on display, including four dedicated zones for wine, meat, dairy and beverage. In the leadup to the event, press conferences and promotional events have been scheduled in Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong S.A.R. and the Taiwan Region, while promotional events have been staged in 13 regions and countries across Asia, Australia, Europe and the US. In 2016, SIAL China attracted 2,942 exhibitors and 76,986 visitors, with the

top 10 countries being South Korea, the US, France, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Poland, Argentina, Turkey and Russia.

The strong influx of international attendees is an indication of China’s growth as a major global trading economy, driven by its thriving middle class. For more information, visit www. sialchina.com. n

WASTE FUELS DELIVERY TRUCKS UK chain Waitrose has announced it will incorporate ten new ecofriendly delivery trucks into its fleet, running completely on biomethane gas generated from food waste. In the past, ‘green’ vehicles have used a combination of diesel with methane, natural gas or biomethane gas, having

a range of nearly 300 miles, whereas renewable biomethane costs 40 percent less than diesel and emits 70 percent less carbon dioxide, in line with the EU’s pledge to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 under the Paris Climate Agreement. n

YOUR NEXT DATE: COLOGNE, 07.–11.10.2017 For further information and assistance with travel and accommodation planning Robert Laing Messe Reps. & Travel 09 5219200 robert@messereps.co.nz

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beveragenews THE TRUTH ABOUT BEER

Two of NZ’s leading beer producers, Lion and DB, have just added nutrition information panels on their packaging. Throughout the year, over 450 million beer bottles and cans will carry information on sugar, calories, dietary fibre, protein and carbs.

VITTEL CRACKS A SMILEY Vittel and the Smiley Company are teaming up to promote Vittel’s smaller format bottles through an exciting ‘Vittel The Positive Water’ campaign. As part of Smiley’s 20th anniversary celebrations, this partnership will see 130 million Smileybranded Vittel bottles being launched into the Belgium, French, German, Russian and Swiss markets between February and October 2017.

The joint initiative will feature on-pack promotion and marketing activations, including digital billboard advertising,

The voluntary initiative, launched in partnership with the Brewers Association, is the first stage of a long-term category programme, called ‘Beer the Beautiful Truth’, which aims to communicate nutritional facts and debunk myths about beer.

Recent research, for example, found that most Kiwis don’t know that beer is 99 percent sugar-free.

“Consumers are keen for this information to be made available,” said Kevin Sinnot, external relations director, Brewers Association NZ. “Almost 75 percent of our survey respondents told us that nutritional content should be on alcohol products’ packaging. Having nutrition labels on food is especially important to women, with 83 percent in favour of labelling.” All the nutritional information will also be available at beerthebeautifultruth.co.nz. n catalogue advertising and a social media campaign.

“We have created a range of different and exclusive Smileys to help Vittel position its different formats that include themes aligned to a variety of key consumers being targeted

by Vittel,” said Nicolas Loufrani, CEO of Smiley. The brand created the world’s first digital smileys in 1997, marking the birth of SmileyWorld, the world’s first emoticon-inspired lifestyle brand. The Smiley Company is today one of the top 150 licensing companies in the world, selling more than 130 million products every year. n

MORE HIGH-STRENGTH BREWS COMING

According to Statistics New Zealand, more highstrength beer (with an alcohol content higher than 5 percent) is set to hit our shelves. The availability of strong beer has been constantly rising in recent years, up 17 percent YOY in 2016, and up 38 percent YOY in 2015. This upward trend is set to continue for the next five years. By contrast, availability of low-strength beer (under 2.5 percent alcohol) dropped 3.5 percent in 2016.

Mid-strength beer (between 4.35 and 5 percent alcohol) rose 6.4 percent, and thanks to highstrength beer’s double-digit growth, total beer volumes increased 3.7 percent. Last year also saw a rise of 4.2 percent in the total volume of all alcoholic drinks, whereas in 2015 the category had remained unchanged following a 2 percent fall in 2014. The total volume of wine available to the domestic market, in particular, rose 4.7 percent in 2016. n

Lastly, a special mention goes to Ara Resolute wines, which are produced from a few hand-selected rows and subsequently aged in specific oak barrels.

All-in-all, Ara’s winemaking is a blend of tradition and fresh thinking or, as they put it, “a combination of New World innovation and Old World experience.”

To obtain the best possible product, a great deal of attention is put into sustainability, as they take care to keep their environmental footprint as small as possible. All winegrowing activities are certified to be fully sustainable, and Ara belongs to Sustainable Winegrowing NZ. The winery waste is entirely composted, and a significant investment has been made to establish on-site water treatment.

Exports are also key to the brand. Bought by Giesen Wines from Winegrowers of Ara in 2016, Ara Wines are allowing Giesen to gain a larger footprint in the US and the UK, where Ara has been strategically working for a few years. n Led by acclaimed winemaker Nikolai St George, Ara’s team produce a diverse and a versatile range.

‘Ara’ (pronounced are-ah) is Maori for pathway or track, and captures the brand’s connection with its Marlborough home. The winery operates from a former sheep station owned in the 1840s by Sir David Monro, who went on to become Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament.

The brand’s philosophy has always been about maintaining an adventurous spirit and nurturing a positive relationship with the New Zealand’s environment. As a result, Ara Wines reflect the purity of the place they come from, the Wairau Valley.

“Wedged between rugged mountains on both sides and with two icy rivers cutting a track through, the Wairau Valley is an extreme place,” said chief winemaker Nikolai St George. Despite the valley being the definition of raw, untamed, cool climate, the winery has been able to turn a challenge into an opportunity.

“Digging deep and working in harmony with the

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environment builds strong character, and strong character makes great wines,” said St George.

By letting nature do the talking, Ara Wines are intensely flavoured, vibrant and complex.

Among the wine tiers is Ara Pathway, delivering style and capturing the essence of the region in every bottle.

The same goes for the Mount Ara range, featuring fresh and approachable wines that truly reflect the essence of the nearby Mount Ara, the vantage point across Marlborough’s Wairau Valley from which the vineyards can be seen.

Ara Wines include the consistent, flavoursome Ara Single Estate wines, as well as Ara Select Blocks, which are crafted from wine parcels carefully selected from blocks throughout their vineyards. Grapes are chosen to showcase a selection of soil types and microclimates, and the final product balances Marlborough’s fruit expression with a certain elegance and refinement.

In selected vintage years, Ara Select Blocks also come in a limited-release range.

At the heart

… a fresh NEW look

®

ü Brilliant new freezer presence ü Popular range and choice ü Trusted brand - fresh look ü TKA VALUE ADDED SEGMENT GROWTH u $2.8M/9% valuable sk 1/17 st o m nd to 22/0 growth MAT

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th most valuable 22/01/17 growth MAT to

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Creating excitement at the heart of Kiwi tables … a modern look for two popular favourites.

range‘em... your customers will Love‘em.

Data Source: Aztec scan sales MAT to 22/01/17

For more information about Ingham’s range call our sales department on 0508 800 785.

hotbeverage SPOTLIGHT ON COFFEE Over the last couple of decades, Kiwis have fallen in love with coffee; suffice to say, our country has more roasters per capita than anywhere in the world.

Our love of coffee has its roots in the late eighteen hundreds, 1889 to be precise, when Invercargill-based David Strang applied for a patent for his ‘soluble coffee powder’. Some believe Strang’s was the first-ever commercial instant coffee, although those were pioneering times, and halfway across the world Frenchman Alphonse Allais had patented a similar product in 1881.

Today, New Zealanders drink on average 0.94 cups per day, ranking among the top 20 consumers in the world. And it’s a competitive industry, with at least 200 coffee roasters making their mark. If they want to continue to drive sales upward, however, they need to be able to evolve, and looking at the latest coffee trends can provide some helpful inspiration.

Once again, the first and foremost trend is the Millennials’ focus on

experience rather than price. There are many ways coffee manufacturers can capitalise on this trend, for example by investing in eye-catching, ‘shareable’ packaging; experimenting with new packaging and delivery systems; or showcasing the brand’s commitment to sustainability.

Shoppers are also consuming more gourmet and specialty coffee beverages, opening new opportunities even for brands that have not traditionally operated in the specialty space.

A third global trend is the rise of the canned and bottled ready-to-drink coffee market, fuelled by consumers’ lack of time. In the US, an increasing number of in-store cafés are offering nitrogeninfused coffee, in a bid to attract coffee drinkers in their supermarkets. Poured from a tap, nitrogenated cold brew coffee has a foamy and creamy texture that is difficult, but certainly not impossible, to replicate in an RTD format. A famous Portland-based roaster, Stumptown Coffee, released its own Nitro Canned Cold Brew in 2015.

On a global level, cold brew coffee is performing very well, and retail brands are keen to add cold brew products to their range. n

EXTENSIVE HEADROOM FOR GROWTH Vittoria Food & Beverage continues to drive market growth through innovation, building brands and adding value.

With over 20 years servicing New Zealand, this Australian family-owned business has become the third largest supplier of pure coffee in the North Island market in volume share#.

The pure coffee category has experienced growth of +13.8 percent* in New Zealand driven by the exceptional performance of the capsules segment, with growth of +48.9 percent* over the past 12 months. Whilst just in its infancy, the segment has captured the imagination of consumers seeking café-style coffee at home with the added benefit of convenience.

The capsules segment in New Zealand remains underdeveloped compared to similar overseas markets.

There remains extensive headroom for growth. In order to maximise performance Rolando Schirato, managing director of Vittoria F&B, believes that

“retailers need to start thinking about reducing other underperforming hot beverage segments and allocate appropriate shelf space to capsules. The key to growth is seeding machines and, if retailers are not willing to provide the space, the category’s overall growth is going to be significantly held back.”

Having successfully launched the proprietary Espressotoria capsule system in the market in 2016, Vittoria F&B remains committed to driving growth by launching Caffé Aurora Italian and Chicco D’oro Espresso Nespresso~compatibles products. Individually sealed for freshness, the two products are providing customers with great quality and value.

There is a clear opportunity for a branded entry-level offering for customers to overcome barriers to entry, and Aurora and Chiccocompatibles capsules are well-placed to meet this unmet need in the market. “Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for consumers to trade up from instant coffee to a better quality espresso coffee,” said Schirato. n

# IRI MarketEdge, NZ Grocery NI, Pure Coffee, Volume, MAT to 05.02.2017 * IRI MarketEdge, NZ Grocery, Pure Coffee, Value, MAT to 05.02.2017 ~ Nespresso is a trademark of Societe des Produits Nestle SA. Neither that company nor its affiliates have manufactured or endorsed this product in any way and have no association to Vittoria Food & Beverage.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TASTE ON SHELVES Kiwis can expect to see more Lavazza coffee on shelves from now on, as its sole NZ distributor 18NinetyFive Limited is focusing its efforts on the retail market.

Lorenzo Pollara Milazzo has recently joined the team in the newly-established role of national retail manager. “Our company, which is part of The New Zealand Coffee Co. group, has decided to push Lavazza’s retail side by implementing a comprehensive marketing and promotion strategy,” said Pollara.

18NinetyFive is named after the year Lavazza was founded by Luigi Lavazza, who pioneered the art of blending coffee beans in his small grocery store of Turin, Northern Italy. More than a century later, this name has no need for introduction.

In Italy, where espresso is like a second religion, Lavazza has long been the top coffee brand, and its reach goes

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well beyond the famous ‘boot-shaped’ peninsula. It is distributed to more than 90 countries, being Australia’s second biggest coffee brand.

According to Pollara, 18NinetyFive’s new strategy will ensure a more consistent availability of stock, while also paving the way for the release of new products. Four blends are currently available: ‘Crema e Gusto’, ‘Decaf’ and Lavazza’s top-sellers, ‘Qualità Oro’ and ‘Caffè Espresso’.

“To make life easier for our stockists,

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we are also developing a better, shelfready packaging. Instead of being shrinkwrapped, the product will come in an easier-to-handle box.”

In-store tastings and activities will be a key part of 18NinetyFive’s approach.

“Here in New Zealand we have a fantastic coffee industry, and there’s some stiff competition going on, but Lavazza is the only authentic Italian coffee available on supermarket shelves, roasted in Italy with a real European flavour, which is

a pretty big point-of-difference,” said Duncan Ferens, group general manager, The New Zealand Coffee Co. Lavazza is already in high demand, but more will be done to raise the overall brand awareness. For example, by educating consumers on the benefits of its vacuum packaging. “Unlike many may think, this is the best way to keep the ground coffee fresh long-term and avoid oxidation, because it doesn’t come into contact with air or light,” said Pollara. n

COFFEE CRAZE IN ASIA

The global coffee market is enjoying a steady growth, but it’s Asia that’s receiving the lion’s share.

The Asian market at large is going crazy for coffeebrewing, making up the majority of the world’s fastest-growing coffee markets, whereas in other regions, like Europe and Australia, the growth has been nearly non-existent between 2011 and 2016.

The upward trend is particularly relevant in South East Asia. According to recent research from Mintel, Indonesia is the fastest-growing packaged retail coffee market, with a CAGR of 19.6 percent between 2011 and 2016. Vietnam has had a CAGR of 14.9 percent, little lower than India (CAGR 15.1 percent).

A few factors have contributed to these positive results, such as an overall shift in consumer taste and a surge in innovation of coffee products. From 2011 to 2016, new coffee launches have increased by 95 percent, compared to a much lower 55 percent rise in new tea products.

Mintel’s global drinks analyst Jonny Forsyth attributed this boom to tea-drinking consumers being slowly converted into coffee drinkers. “In 2016, there was also an increasing number of coffee launches which blurred the boundaries between coffee and tea,” he said.

“A tea-drinking culture is the biggest barrier to coffee in Asia, and tea-coffee hybrids can be used to tempt consumers.”

Despite increased premiumisation all over the world, instant coffee still dominates the Asian

NEW

market with 42 percent of all coffee launches in Asia Pacific being soluble coffee granule products.

However, coffee pods are gaining traction globally and are showing strong signs of growth in the Asia-Pacific region as well. Around 13 percent of new launches were, in fact, coffee pods, up from 4 percent in 2011.

Analysts estimate that, once the Asian market will reach its maturity, the so-called ‘third wave’ coffee movement will take over, with a stronger focus on quality coffee, brewing methods and country of origin.

Once again, Indonesia leads the way; 67 percent of Indonesian surveyed said the quality of coffee was more important than how easy it was to make.

COFFEE FACTS

• Worth over $100 billion, coffee is the world’s second most valuable commodity behind petrol, being more valuable than natural gas and gold.

• Coffee farms globally employ 25 million people in around 70 countries.

• The world consumes close to 2.25 billion cups of coffee every day.

• The word “coffee” comes from the Arabic for “wine of the bean”. n

n

CAFFÈ AURORA & CHICCO D’ORO COMPATIBLE CAPSULES

For further information call Vittoria’s Auckland office (09) 984 5675 or speak to your local Alliance Marketing representative. * Nespresso is a trademark of Societe des Produits Nestle SA. Neither that company nor its affiliates have manufactured or endorsed this product in any way and have no association to Cantarella Bros, Cosmo Foods or the Caffè Aurora or Chicco D’Oro brand.

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storecheck

Queenstown

For this month’s Storecheck, we have headed West of Auckland’s Queen Street and visited some of the most strategically placed stores in the city. Unfortunately, not all of them lived up to our expectations, with one store in particular needing an overall refresh.

STORE EXTERIOR (Max 30 pts) INCLUDING: Outside of the building and grounds tidy, well signed, adequate trolley bays; Windows and exterior clean, tidy; Signage well presented and up to date; Car Parking number of spaces well marked; Trolley condition.

nb: In store pharmacies are not included in storecheck.

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 28 21 29 24 30 25

STORE INTERIOR (Max 30 pts)

COUNTDOWN DOMINION ROAD: B

EVENING: The carpark is spacious paired with a good number of trolley bays. The trolleys are clean and in good condition. Walking into the Countdown, the store is open, well-lit and thefresh range of baked goodsare welcoming. The floor in the fruit and vegetable section was dirty and in the same area, a lot of products needed merchandising.

Highlights of this store were the wide aisles and the update on the front half of the store. Another highlight was the large international aisle which featured a good selection of products including some artisanal products. Staff were friendly, helpful and wore clean uniforms. Overall, store was spacious.

INCLUDING: First impressions; Flooring, type, upkeep, clean? Lighting/heating, is store heated/cooled?

Lighting adequate and/or task specific? Instore signage; Promo/seasonal products; End of aisle promotions; Condition of fridges, freezers and chilled shelving, condition and layout.

STORE LAYOUT (Max 20 pts) INCLUDING: Layout of store, Aisle width; Shelf edge labels/ticketing; State of store, shelving, clean, no damage, neat & tidy; Sufficient number of trolleys/baskets available given shopper numbers.

NEW WORLD GREEN BAY: B

AFTERNOON: A little local store that really is more of a ‘grab some milk on your way home’ type store. The layout is very tight and you really would be only able to find things if it was your local. Despite that, the staff are very friendly and helpful and the store manager was on the floor at the time of visit. The fridges are looking a bit tired and may need replacing soon. The ranging was small, but adequate for the size of the store, all of the basics were there. Overall, despite the store being on the smaller side, it is a great local shop for Green Bay residents and the staff really make the store.

NEW WORLD NEW LYNN: A

AFTERNOON: This store had ample parking and was easy to see and access from the main road. Trolleys and baskets were well stocked and the entrance to the store well signed, clean and tidy. Fresh produce section was well-stocked and wellpresented. Meat section well stocked with good lighting and refrigeration. Floor was clean and well-presented. Deli was stocked and fully staffed. Shelves were well merchandised and there were little to no out of stocks around the store. Overall the store was a quality New World and the right size and ranging for the location.

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CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 17 18 20 18 16 15

PRODUCT RANGING, AVAILABILITY, CONDITION, FOR SIZE OF STORE (Max 25 pts) INCLUDING: Range, stock levels, condition of packaging, use by expiry.

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 21 21 21 19 24 20

GENERAL MERCHANDISE (Max 15 pts) INCLUDING: Range, stock levels, condition of general merchandise, including newspapers, magazines and cards.

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 14 13 14 10 15 13

STAFF & CHECKOUTS (Max 30 pts) INCLUDING: Staff uniforms and name badges, attitude to customer including acknowledgement, thanks; Adequate checkouts open considering the time of day and number of customers; Speed and efficiency; Checkout area, tidy, merchandised; All counters staffed to levels compatible with customer numbers.

COUNTDOWN NEW LYNN: B

AFTERNOON: Although there was a 90-minute express carpark for shoppers, it was full at the time of our visit. A good idea for a busy mall supermarket. Signage was adequate with enough trolleys and baskets for customers. On first impressions, the store had a tired and dirty floor with low to no stock of fruit and veges so it seemed very unappealing. A good selection in the meat department but the fridges and lighting was a bit worn, however the general store lighting was good. Overall, the shelves were poorly merchandised and had low stock levels. Store layout was temporarily out of order and planograms were on all shelves. Confectionery aisle was one of the best, but again low stock. Click and collect is available from this store. A revisit has been scheduled as the aisles had been temporarily moved around.

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 24 22 26 20 28 13

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 25 28 28 24 29 22

FRESH (Max 30 pts) INCLUDING: Variety and appeal, stock levels/merchandising of fresh products, including produce, meat, fish, deli, bakery.

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 22 23 28 24 30 25

INTERNATIONAL CUISINE (Max 5 pts) INCLUDING: Range, stock levels/merchandising.

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 4 3 6 5 4 5

FOUR SQUARE MT ALBERT: A+

AFTERNOON: Walking into this Foursquare, you are welcomed by a display of fresh flowers and plants. The trolleys are clean and in good condition. The bakery section was ideal for a Foursquare, but could probably rework the corner space. Upon inspection, the ceiling was very dirty, but not noticeable as this Foursquare is visually one of the best. New clean fridges showcase a range of meats and cheeses, including some artisan players. The large section for woven gift baskets was at first confusing, but then seemed an excellent pair for the large range of wine and alcohol. The staff were not only friendly, but very knowledgeable and in clean uniforms. A highlight in this Foursquare was the wide range of local artisanal products.

ARTISAN/GOURMET/INDULGENCE (Max 5 pts) INCLUDING: Gourmet, Indulgence, Local or Artisan products range and stock levels.

SHOPPER EXPERIENCE (Max 10 pts) INCLUDING: From carpark to entry to exit - overall shopper experience.

PAK’NSAVE MT ALBERT: C

AFTERNOON: First impressions count and unfortunately it did not go in favour of this PAK’nSAVE. The terrible exterior layout as you drive in caused unnecessary traffic that was not guided by any specific signs. A lot of this was from the poorly placed pedestrian crossing. Despite this, the carpark is large with friendly trolley boys working hard. The next problem was the entrance, where customers must walk past a long line of busy checkouts just to get in. Confusing food pairs bombarded customers as they walked in, for example chocolate cake and pork sausages. The best selection was the large and low cheese fridge which displayed a vast selection and price point of cheeses paired with complimenting condiments. The deli staff were friendly and the section had a good range. Outside a large blue sign advertised PAK’nSAVE’s Fish Week. Once in the fish section, it was crowded and extremely dirty. Lots of staff out merchandising the large supermarket, however they weren’t friendly or helpful.

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 3 3 4 2 5 2

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert SCORE 8 8 8 8 10 6

HOW THEY SCORE (Max 200 pts)

SCORE

CD NW NW CD FS PnS Dominion Rd Green Bay New Lynn New Lynn Mt Albert Mt Albert 166: B 160: B 184: A 154: B 191: A+ 146: C

TOP SCORE

A+ Exceeded shopper expectations to provide the gold class of shopper experience A

Meets all shopper expectations across areas rated

B

Meets most of shopper expectations across areas rated

C

Basics covered with some extras but not all shopper expectations met, improvements required

D Attention needed to areas rated, poor overall shopper experience E

Poor level of achievement in shopper expectations across areas rated

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conveniencemeals CAN ‘CONVENIENCE’ ALSO BE HEALTHY? More than their parents and infinitely more than their grandparents, Millennials are a generation of influencers.

Potentially, everything they do, eat or think can be turned into a post, an Instagram picture or a reviews—the line between exposure and personal recommendation is blurred.

Now, as Millennials inevitably age and start their own families, their expectations and habits are reshaping the face of the F&B industry.

We know from retailers that healthy eating and convenience are key considerations for modern consumers, and traditionally the two factors have always been seen as mutually exclusive. What if they are not?

We’re used to the idea that eating healthy requires commitment and cooking skills; that time-saving meals are necessarily less likely to be healthful.

However, as more women enter the workforce and modern consumers become more time-poor, they want to incorporate as many beneficial products as possible into their diet without spending hours at the stove. They are also willing to pay premium for this, as

SHOPPERS WANT EASY CHOICES

other categories have demonstrated.

In this landscape, food companies offering nutritious and convenience options can win their hearts, hands down.

Striking this balance is anything but impossible.

Snackable produce items, like single-serve portions of fruit and vegetables, are just one example of ‘healthy convenience’. Slowly, manufacturers are responding to this emerging trend by lowering sodium, fat and

Convenience is still a massive trend, whether that’s food or services which help make people’s lives easier like online shopping, and Click and Collect, or more offerings in store such as pharmacy and NZ Post pick-ups. Basically anything that saves time.

We’re seeing convenience food options continuing to grow, and I’d expect to see more product development being created similar to products we already have in our supermarkets such as pre-prepared dinners, sliced apples, pre-made guacamole, cheese sticks, sliced cheese, pre-packed cheese and crackers, and simple, quick recipe inspiration like Countdown’s Feed Four for $15. Meal solution options are also broadening out to breakfast and lunch as

BY NIKHIL SAWANT, MERCHANDISE well as dinner. Whether it’s for MANAGER, COUNTDOWN one, or multiple-serve options, customers are wanting easy choices across the day.

Healthy meal options continue to be a big driver for customers. Pre-packed salads, single and multi-serve soups, pre-cut vegetables, and ready meals such as snap frozen fish, frozen meal chicken dishes, pizza or family sized pies, are very popular with customers. Kids are also engaged in convenient meals including single-serve yoghurt, sliced apples, and cheese sticks proving to be a very popular lunch-box or snacking options.

There is a lot of new innovative products coming to the market catering for increasing customer demands. We are working with a lot of small and medium suppliers to drive innovation in this category and we encourage more suppliers to come and see us. n

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sugar content, as well as getting rid of artificial colours and flavours. Snack-friendly, on-the-go formats (i.e. resealable pouches) are also on the rise. Even the frozen food sector has worked hard to shake off its not-so-healthy reputation by adding trendy healthy ingredients like quinoa to their formulations.

This space is still in its infancy, but signs suggest that convenience food is going to become a lot more convenient. n

THIS IS WHAT YOU’LL SEE NEXT As our lives are getting busier, and time becomes the new luxury, our customers are looking for more convenient meal solutions. In addition they are increasingly seeking healthy, hearty, fast options (less than 30 minutes from door to table). And naturally they expect great value and amazing flavours.

We have seen non-traditional competitors, such as out-of-home (take away/café) options and online subscription meal services respond to the growing consumer need for better at-home weekday meal solutions.

Over the next few years, consumers will start seeing the supermarket category really transform its meal solution offer. The category is wellpositioned to be able to deliver to this consumer trend, thanks to an always-on supply of fresh ingredients.

So, what can we expect to see from supermarkets?

A shift to meal solutions across the store, with greater use of on-the-ground in-store nutritionist and passionate ‘foodie’ experts, to keep supermarket offerings on trend, fresh and seasonal Cross-category merchandising and off-location displays will feature at front of stores FMCG suppliers operating in the fresh space will increase new product development for convenient meals and

BY EMILY BLUMENTHAL, HEAD OF CX STRATEGY AND DATA INTELLIGENCE, FOODSTUFFS NZ

we will see interesting new partnerships forming Meal kits will extend into the in-store environment, moving beyond the online subscription channel A deli evolution – we’ll see a step up in quality and presentation in this department with meals at the heart.

More fresh, hot ready-to-eat and heatat-home meal options that fit with the time of day shopped i.e. breakfast / lunch on the go/ tonight’s dinner The traditional supermarket format design is being challenged by the need for speed and ease. Store design 2.0 will have the consumer at its centre. Faster grab-and-go meals will be a key driver of store design Mobile technology will play a leading role in helping to increase speed, for example users will pre-order and pay for meals tonight and pick up straight from store. n

NEW! My Main Course makes nutritious, homemade meals quick and easy.

Mince in a savoury sauce is ready to just simmer. Add spaghetti and have a perfect bolognese in no time.

Find the full range in the food chiller.

mymaincourse.co.nz Proudly made in New Zealand by Hellers.

conveniencemeals A HOUSEHOLD NAME MADE GOOD

When Todd Heller first opened the doors of his New Brighton, Christchurch butchery back in 1993, few could’ve predicted just how far his new venture would take him. Today, with over 400 employees based out of Hellers’ national headquarters in Kaiapoi, some 20 minutes north of Christchurch, the Hellers name is a byword for quality and variety.

Todd is the latest member of a family line of butchers stretching back to the 1880s, when Gorg Heller began plying his trade in Arrowtown, Central Otago.

Hellers is now New Zealand’s largest producer of sausages, bacon, ham and smallgoods, headed up by CEO John McWhirter.

The company’s progress, from

generation to generation, has been built on an almost insatiable appetite for innovation. My Main Course is but the latest example of the customer-focused, progressdriven approach of Hellers. My Main Course is a new category development for supermarkets which, after several years of rigorous research, including sourcing long-life packaging from Germany, brand design and consumer testing, launched in-market in November 2016.

My Main Course is a clever meal solution for time-poor shoppers that combines meat or vegetable bases with a selection of tasty, on-trend sauces. All customers need to do is heat the My Main Course ingredients and add rice, pasta, salad or whatever they prefer, to make their meal. As John McWhirter sees it, it’s just like homemade, without the hard labour.

The My Main Course range includes Savoury Mince, Thai Chicken Curry, BBQ Pulled Pork, Mexican Chicken, Green Lentil Dahl and Slow Cooked Baked Beans. The My Main Course brand launched with strong above and below-the-line marketing

communications support, including television and magazine advertising, supplemented by web, social media, in-store sampling and point-of-sale activity.

Several new additions to the range are planned for Winter 2017 on the back of consumer testing that has indicated My Main Course is a meal solution that the market wants. As more and more people become aware of the concept (Hellers has planned increased Food Show presence over the course of this year), the company confidently anticipates sustainable growth. It seems that growth won’t only be confined to New Zealand either. Hellers has received significant international interest in My Main Course. In markets where there are already many ready-to-make meals on offer, it’s exceptionally heartening for John McWhirter and his team to see the way My Main Course has been so enthusiastically welcomed.

As it stands, though, the future looks bright at home with Hellers planning to further support the brand and the company’s supermarket partners with sustained marketing activity throughout this year and beyond. n

CHANGING THE FACE OF CUP NOODLE

Trident’s artistic, vibrant and healthy take on one of the more boring and unwholesome products on supermarket shelves is going to challenge everyone’s perception on what a cup noodle should be. The entire range is glutenfree, low in fat and sugar and comes in three deliciously authentic flavours; Vietnamese Style Pho Chicken, Vietnamese Style Pho Beef and Thai Style Creamy Tom Yum. Trident is committed to bringing authentic flavours from the streets of Asia for New Zealanders to enjoy at home. Pho Chicken has a light, fragrant broth with flavours of coriander and basil, Pho Beef has a broth infused with the rich flavours of basil and soy. And the heat dial is turned up with Thai-style creamy Tom Yum, which is an authentic spicy, tangy soup made with chilli, spring onion and kaffir lime.

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INSTANT NOODLES TO EVERYONE’S LIKING

Although commonly seen as a quick snack, instant noodles are often the base for a ready meal.

With so many instant noodles to choose from, people often ask, “Why we need so many?”

The best company to answer it is Oriental Merchant, representing six of Asia’s leading instant noodle brands in NZ. “Yes, there is a wide choice of instant noodles and, although it sounds like we sell too many, each of our brands has a unique reason for why consumers enjoy them over other brands,” said Oriental Merchant’s general manager, Chris Hutton, who has been marketing instant noodles for nearly 20 years.

Among the brands sold by Oriental Merchant is Mi Sedaap from Indonesia: their Mi Goreng noodle with its five-flavour sachets becomes a fulfilling snack with the addition of a fried egg (the traditional way of eating it).

The world-famous Nissin Ramen noodles are also available through Oriental Merchant.

Nissin invented both the packet and cup noodle last century and changed the world’s eating habits. Their soup-based noodles are easily turned into a fulfilling ready meal, but it is the Nissin Cup noodle that is the cup of choice for many airlines.

Oriental Merchant sells Korea’s famous Nong Shim noodles as well, with their range of ‘spicy’ dried noodles in packets, cups and bowls. In addition, the Obento Noodle bowls offer total convenience and are the perfect ready meal on the run.

Lastly, Oriental Merchant has been recently given the IbuMie agency, a famous Malaysian brand of instant noodles whose White Curry noodle takes the consumer back to the streets of Penang. n Trident Rice Cup Noodles are a convenient meal option for busy, healthconscious people as they only require boiled water to cook and are ready in four minutes. Consumers no longer have to stand for boring noodles with ugly bright yellow packaging. Once they try Trident’s deliciously cool noodles, they can finally say, “I love eating cup noodles.” n

A FRIEND IN THE FRIDGE Husband-and-wife team Natalie and Andrew Vivian started Tasty Pot six years ago in South Auckland. Fiercely passionate about making good eating easier, their wanted to create a range of meals consumers can trust will always be delicious, convenient, affordable, healthy and natural—a friend in the fridge for people who enjoy cooking and eating well, but don’t have the time or energy to do it themselves.

“Our vision is to be NZ’s favourite little fresh meal company; to create a company we can be proud of, and have a bit of fun along the way,” said Andrew. The chilled meal category is one of the fastest growing segments in NZ

grocery, and global trends suggest this is just the beginning.

Tasty Pot continues to be a major contributor to this growth, responsible for 20 percent of all category $ growth in 2016.

By using only the freshest ingredients, the company produces 13 award-winning, gluten-free meals and soups that taste homemade and are a perfect option for lunch or dinner.

Tasty Pot is about to release two new soups, NZ Fish Chowder with New Zealand cod, potato, corn, cream and dill; and Boost, a Paleo-friendly option with carrot, coconut, turmeric, ginger and honey. Both are gluten-free, high in fibre, low in sugar and provide 2+ of daily recommended veg.

Recipes are packed into pots instead of pouches, resulting in a more convenient packaging option for consumers as well as a higher-quality homemade taste and texture. All-in-all, a quick and affordable way to feed the family. n

FRESH FOOD PRODUCT INNOVATORS Westie Food Group manufacture, market and distribute affordable savouries, pies, family meal solutions and ready-to-eat snacks for NZ families. Formerly known as The Natural Food Company, under the ownership and guidance of managing director Stefan Crooks the business has expanded significantly. “We have achieved a 37 percent growth year-on-year, and we are still having fun,” Crooks said.

The company identified an opportunity in the pie market to position the category in a new and fresh way. The result was the highly successful Westie Pies range, which is promoted using a ‘Community Connect’ marketing programme involving sports clubs and school sports.

Building upon its ability to create new products and deliver them extremely quickly to market, Westie Food Group continues its growth plan with the acquisition of the

existing manufacturing plant and a $3.5 million building and equipment upgrade.

Now riding on the success of its Westie products and La Baguette range of fresh, chilled savouries and quiches, the company has created a new range of heat-and-eat snack meals for supermarkets. The Café Style product range delivers pure convenience, customer flexibility, longevity of shelf life and no waste. Each snack meal is individually wrapped in breathable film suitable for reheat and is contained in a dish foil tray to ensure even reheat and maximum taste.

Having been at the helm of the business for the past three years, Crooks is satisfied with the company’s performance and growth, which has been reinvested into the business and its staff. “I personally couldn’t be prouder of our people, our brands and what we stand for. All-in-all, we are excited about the challenges ahead,” he said. n

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conveniencemeals HEARTY GLUTENFREE OPTION

CAPTURING THE WORLD’S FLAVOURS SunRice was built by the Australian rice industry over many decades, and today is one of Australia’s leading branded food exporters. They manage close to 30 brands and a broad portfolio of subsidiary businesses.

SunRice’s history dates back to the establishment of a single rice mill in the Riverina region of New South Wales in 1950. Today they have operations – including state-of-the-art processing, packing and value added food plants – across Australia, the USA, the Middle East and Papua New Guinea.

“We supply close to 60 countries with diverse, innovative and nutritious rice food products,

and through our successful food ingredients and foodservice divisions, contribute to thousands of other brands and businesses,” said Peta Thomas, brand manager for Ready Meals. “We strive to deliver insight driven innovation, with careful consideration around our product launches and flavour extensions.”

SunRice’s Street Snack portfolio was launched in 2015 as an extension to their already successful Ready Meals business, capturing the flavours of the world in a convenient and novel portable takeaway box that is ready to heat and eat in just 60 seconds. The Street Snack range is a tasty, convenient light meal or snack. Having won “The Product of the year award in 2016” for the heat and eat snack category, the products are recognised as a successful innovation to the business.

“The launch of our latest two flavours, Teriyaki Chicken and Spaghetti Bolognese, have proven to be incremental sales to the range, delivering on the taste, quality and variety that consumers are seeking. We have a through the line communication strategy and support these both in store and through digital amplification.” n

Marketed by Wilson Consumer Products, King Traditional Soup has been cooking in Kiwi kitchens for over 60 years and it is still proudly made in New Zealand. Being economical, comforting and versatile, it is easy to see why consumers love it.

While many of them enjoy it as a soup, adding water on their own vegetables/meat, it is also a popular hearty base for casserole/slowcooked meals.

Over the last 12 months, Wilson has successfully launched two new products, namely Gluten Free Vegetable and King Beef and Vegetable.

“We have been delighted with the positive

CONVENIENCE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY April 2017 will see the launch of an exciting new range of premium convenience meals made by Tauranga-based company Frozen Fresh Ltd. Leveraging the success of their Tomorrow’s Meals Roast range, Frozen Fresh is set to launch four new, full meal options under the Tomorrow’s Meals Family Classics brand.

“This is convenience food for the whole family, as we have chosen meals that will resonate with a wide target audience,” said Lynley Webb, sales and marketing director, Frozen Fresh Ltd.

“Our more traditional options, Slow Cooked Beef Casserole & Lamb Hotpot, will hit the spot for older consumers, while the more contemporary options like Sticky Asian Pork Belly and Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta will appeal to a younger audience.”

Frozen Fresh is continuing

with its commitment to use only real food ingredients and deliver healthy food in the frozen meal category.

With a clean ingredient panel, fat content of less than 10 percent and a high vegetable ratio, the meals tick

those healthy food claims.

Once again, their meals will deliver high meat protein percentages averaging around 20 percent compared to industry standard of around half that value.

The meals were crafted with the help of Masterchef, author & food presenter Brett McGregor.

“Having Brett on board with this project was invaluable,” said Webb. “He really is passionate about food, knows how to keep it simple yet delicious, and importantly understands what food Kiwis love to eat. He is a fantastic fit for our brand and we are looking forward to working with him in the future.” n

BRETT MCGREGOR

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response for our new variants adding over $200,000 of sales to the range since launch*,” said Susan Harvey, marketing and business development manager, Wilson Consumer Products.

“Customers had requested a gluten-free variant for a while and it’s been great to add this to the range.

It is the same price as the rest of the range too, making it an affordable option, which is often not the case for gluten-free products.”

Additionally, King Gluten Free Vegetable took out the Healthy Food Guide 2016 award for best free-from allergy-friendly product. Recipes are available at kingsoup.co.nz. n *Source: IRI-Aztec MarketEdge – TKA Grocery King Gluten Free Vegetable and King Beef and Vegetable soups $ sales 6 months to 18/12/16

HEALTHY FOOD ON THE GO Fresh To Go is a Kiwi success story serving freshlymade salads and healthy snacks to thriving food retailers nationwide. With their offer of healthy, delicious and nutritious products, they keep your customers coming back for more.

What makes their products so special is their commitment to fresh. They only use the best, highquality ingredients, prepared six days a week by their fantastic team in Penrose.

A lot of Fresh To Go’s products are Cold Pasteurised™ (high-pressure processed) so that freshness is naturally preserved without additives or preservatives. All the flavour and nutrients are retained, but you get up to 21 days shelf life when kept refrigerated in their packaging, eliminating expensive waste.

All of their products are convenience-focused, from their bulk supply salads that are ready-togo—all you need to do is pop them into a serving bowl—to their delicious, new grab-and-go salads that are perfect for Kiwis on the run. Fresh salads are a staple, but with Fresh To Go ready-made salads you are guaranteed quality produce, far less preparation time and radically reduced wastage.

Convenience continues to sing through their breakfast, healthy snack and cut fruit ranges, ensuring ease for both you and your customers.

The market has shown an increased demand not only for healthy food options, but convenient products too. This has led Fresh To Go to develop their delicious layered salad range that have and continue to be a huge hit, and the company has more fresh convenient foods to come.

Fresh To Go: 100% fresh, 100% convenient, 100% delicious. Order yours today! n

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conveniencemeals STEAMING HOT INSPIRATION You could go a long way to find bao buns this good, but thanks to United Food Co. you won’t have to. This new range of traditional steamed buns is inspired by the exotic aromas and hustle & bustle of Asia’s famous street food markets. Perfected over generations, these lightly steamed buns are ready to fill with fresh, punchy flavours. A huge trend in restaurants right now and so easy to prepare at home, they can be filled with ingredients like crispy fish, prawns, pulled pork, fried chicken or braised short rib. So why resist? Offer your customers genuine Asian inspiration now. Steamed or microwaved, they’re an easy go-to snack or meal the whole family can enjoy. To order or find out more about this great new range of authentic, ready-to-serve products, contact United Fisheries Marketing team and follow them on Facebook - United Food Co. n

ON-TREND MEALS FOR ALL SEASONS Naked Kitchen continues to perform very strongly as the market leader in Chilled Meals growing at 26.9 percent vs. year ago (Aztec data to 5/02/17). “We love the fact that Kiwis are so passionate about locally-made food, we develop recipes that are inspired by people and places whether it be from local provenance or exotic places around the world,” said Vicki Sew Hoy-Willis, senior brand manager, Life Health Foods NZ Ltd. “It’s this journey of discovery with delicious food that we want to share with New Zealand.”

Japanese Miso Noodle Soup and Indian Spiced Cauliflower Kedgeree were launched into the range last year and, on the back of their success, Naked Kitchen has created some delicious new on-trend meals just in time for winter. Firstly, there’s a Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup with mint, coriander & lime made with mushrooms, crunchy water chestnuts, carrots, spinach and includes both rice noodles and sweet potato noodles.

Balanced with fragrant herbs mint and coriander and finished off with lime juice, this delicate soup is set to be one of Kiwis’ winter favourites.

Naked Kitchen’s next new meal is their California Wellness Bowl. Inspired by the California Big Sur and the yoga well-being movement, it’s a hearty mix of red lentils,

green beans, butter beans, tomato, carrot, fennel, parsnip, spinach, ginger and turmeric.

A vibrant warming combination that will make foodies feel good inside and out.

“We’re also launching a new soup into our market-leading chilled soup range,” said Sew Hoy-Willis. “Naked Locals delicious soups are made with local vegetables sourced from New Zealand’s best-growing regions. Our newest local to the range, East Coast Sunshine Pumpkin Soup with Turmeric and Ginger, is packed full of pumpkin, kumara and naturally sweetened with Apple. The aromatic vibrant spices will have you coming back for more. All three of our new launches are gluten-free and made with no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours. Look out for them in-store!” n

• Bulk supply salads • Grab & go salads • Prepack breakfast range • Healthy snacks • Cut fruit

SUPPLIED NATIONWIDE Fresh & delicious, healthy & easy.

0800 272 523 • sales@freshtogo.co.nz • www.freshtogo.co.nz

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These are just some fantastic artisanal producers that have been featured as part of 'The Producers' series online. If you would like to be featured please contact sarah@reviewmags.com. To find more producers visit www.supermarketnews.co.nz

BLUE FROG

Unimpressed with the available breakfast options out there, Blue Frog’s founder (and former food technologist) Scotty Baragwanath decided to boost breakfast out of the ‘boring’ box, and give consumers outstanding, nourishing food experiences that catered to a wide range of dietary conversations. In fewer words, products that were ‘worth waking up for’.

Now with a handful of NZ Food Awards to skite about, and a clear and cohesive vision, there is no stopping him. The Blue Frog range consists of five super premium adult cereals, two

zesty syrups, and three premium kids crunch popped buckwheat cereals launched in late 2016.

A healthy and irresistible choice for kids of all ages, this premium Blue Frog Crunch range of cereals has been developed in partnership with like-minded food brands such as Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter, OOB Berries and All Good Organic Bananas.

The range is baked with organic buckwheat, baby oats and chia seeds, and boasts no refined sugar, low salt and less than 4g of sugar per serving.

Lastly, Blue Frog’s Zesty Syrups are the ultimate flavour-booster for drinks, salads and desserts. The line-up comprises of the recentlylaunched Zesty Raspberry Syrup and the award-winning Zesty Orange Syrup (2016 NZ Food Awards’ Artisan Producer of the Year).

Following a complete brand redesign, all Blue Frog products bring bold and colourful pack designs that scream taste and bring to life the ingredients inside the pack. The company is now rolling into stores throughout New Zealand with very strong promotional and brand support, and a focus on in-store sampling and display.

For any sales enquiries, contact Scotty at scotty@bluefrogbreakfast. co.nz.

TIO PABLO

American-born Faine Alexander launched Tio Pablo in 2006 to create and import authentic Mexican food. Eleven years on, Tio Pablo’s offering has extended into a full range of Mexican products, sourced from Mexico, California and New Zealand. Their primary product remains the corn tortilla, which they bake in three different sizes to meet customer demand.

Additionally, Tio Pablo crafts spice mixes, chilli salts, salsas, roasted nuts and seeds and spicy hot chocolate. At the end of last year, the brand launched three new, chilli-infused corn tortillas, and introduced spicy rockmelon seeds, roasted with chilli, hibiscus, lime, garlic and cinnamon.

Another salsa is now in the pipeline, and there are new prospects within manufacturing and import thanks to a larger facility.

ZAM ZAM CULTURAL FOODS Zam Zam Cultural Foods has been an immediate sensation since it was launched by Farhia Ahmed last year. The startup produces a delicious range of samosa and Somali hot sauces, each based on traditional recipes and fine-tuned for the New Zealand’s market. As Farhia had no prior business experience, she sought advice from Business Trust Marlborough, and the free business advisory service helped her work through the financial and legal side of starting the company.

She soon realised that her products were unlike any other hot sauces available—the point-of-difference lies in their unique, traditional Somali recipe. Currently, Zam Zam Cultural Foods produces Somali hot and mild sauces, made using fresh, locallysourced ingredients. The sauces are gluten, dairy and nut-free, and she’s considering an option to produce a diabetic-friendly product.

In the short term, the company is looking to increase both supply and availability through the national supermarket chains.

(more Artisan on page 28)

THE CO-OP AND THE COMMUNITY – IT’S WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE

I reckon I have a pretty fresh perspective on why the Foodstuffs co-operative model continues to deliver for customers the length and breadth of New Zealand.

In the role of GM Retail for Foodstuffs North Island since 2014, and hailing from the UK, I’m constantly astounded by how the close relationship between hundreds of owner-operators and their customers is delivering stellar results.

Our owners walk the floor and talk to customers about what they want from their local store, and then they turn around and deliver it. They are rewarded with an exceptional level of loyalty.

Our owner-operator structure is fundamental to the ongoing relationship that we have with our customers.

Stable local ownership and management adds significant value across all aspects of the business whether it relates to a customer, team member, supplier or even the local sports, social club or food bank. Local relationships and long-term commitments benefit thousands of community groups each year.

There’s something else that’s very interesting about the co-operative model. While each banner and channel has a vein of likeness running through them to maintain a brand position and consistent product and service delivery, every store can easily adapt to reflect local needs. Servicing the community well and authentically is equally important as brand compliance. It’s a hard thing to get your head around at first, especially coming from a more corporate background – but once you understand the balance needed, it makes so much sense and gives our stores an edge in meeting customer expectations.

Retail is under increasing pressure from more informed and engaged consumers. They can search out everything they need to know about a brand or product; they comment on and share their views in a heartbeat on how a brand executes their promise and they want more convenience and value.

Delivering on our customers’ expectations will ensure that we continue to win in a very competitive space.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen first-hand how the co-operative is such an important part of the Kiwi business landscape. I’ve seen every day how the model plays to the New Zealand sense of entrepreneurship and ingenuity. A co-op is very much a long-term game, ensuring we deliver for customers now and have a strong, competitive business for the future.

One thing which has been a welcome surprise to me is how the business is eager to invest in growth. I had the misconception that capital investment would be a challenge in the co-op. The reality is that we have a group of highly engaged owners who are actively investing in their businesses to ensuring that they are fit for the future and can make strong contributions to their communities.

New Zealand is a great place to be retailing, it has a solid yet vibrant economy benefitting from a growing diverse population. I’m excited to be part of a team which is embracing shoppers’ increasingly high expectations and changing needs. n

Doug Cochrane

GM Retail, Foodstuffs North Island

March 2017

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LINE’S KNÆKBRØD

Knækbrød is a traditional flat crackerbread from Scandinavia, coming in different variants depending on which country you’re in. The seeded version is very popular in Denmark, and that’s the version Line Hart brought to New Zealand in 2011. Hart trained in fine dining in her native Copenhagen and has always been a foodie.

As soon as she started baking Knækbrød for her friends and family here in New Zealand, she realised people loved it. “That’s when I had the idea for the business,” she said. Five flavours are now available; Original, Cumin, Rosemary with sea salt, Rye with fennel and poppy seed, and a Beer flavour made in collaboration with Hallertau Brewery.

“We used the leftover mash from the brewing process and their No. 3 Copper red Tart Ale, and combine it with our recipe. It’s become a real hit, and it’s also a good, sustainable use of a by-product.” All flavours are unique and their formulation true to the real Scandinavian taste. Full mechanisation isn’t on the horizon yet, so everything is still handmade.

A big focus will now be on upscaling production and supply capacity, and the company is also in talks with ‘a branch of one of the big Kiwi supermarkets’ (as she put it) to possibly expand the products’ domestic reach. Hart is also looking to export to Australia, Asia and—as a way of closing the loop—Denmark itself.

MR POPS ICE BLOCKS

Nathan Meyer started Carrello del Gelato in 2004, first with carts at weekend’s events and later, as demand for the product rose, into restaurants and delis.

In February 2016, the company launched Mr Pops Ice blocks, which gave them the opportunity to offer a freezer full of healthy natural frozen goodness. Mr Pops’ range includes Bursting Blackberry, Orangey Orange (with Gisborne Valencia oranges), Juicy Apple (with Greytown Royal Gala apples and no added sugar), Creamy Salted Caramel (lightly sea salted), Belgian Triple Chocolate and Flat White Block.

Their flat white and juicy apple flavours were Highly Commended products at the 2016 NZ Food Awards, Artisan category. “We have been a finalist in the NZ Food Awards for the last three years with various products, so it was good to finally get one product over the line,” Meyers said, Expansion plans are in place both domestically and into Asia; the company has recently started exporting to Singapore.

A LOT OF APPROACHES TO A COMPLEX PROBLEM because it contains details on obesity and other factors influenced by what we eat and drink.

The summary included these findings: • Most New Zealanders report being in good health.

• The smoking rate has decreased since 2006/07. The most substantial reduction in current smoking since 2006/07 has been for 15-17- yearolds, 6 percent of whom smoked in 2015/16, compared with 16 percent in 2006/07.

• Child obesity rates have stabilised to 2011/12 rates.

• The hazardous drinking rate has increased since 2006/07.

So, what did the news media report?

Just one article, in one daily newspaper.

And even then it was mixed. It mentioned the decrease in smoking, and certainly didn’t miss the increase in the hazardous drinking rate. But what about the figures showing that one of our most pressing health issues – childhood obesity – had decreased? That rated a brief mention halfway through.

The figures showed that the obesity rate for children 14 and under has

Katherine Rich

Chief Executive NZ Food & Grocery Council

So often the mainstream news media – newspapers, television news, and radio news – miss the opportunity to report positive news about food-related topics.

A recent example is the Ministry of Health’s 2015/16 NZ Health Survey, which covers all aspects of health – status, conditions, oral, and access to care. The section that interested me most was the section ‘Health status, health behaviours and risk factors’,

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dropped to 10.7 percent, down from 10.8 percent in 2014/15 and back to the 2011/12 level. It’s a small decrease, but it is progress, and surely the fact that it’s not on the rise (like adult rates) was worth a much wider mention.

The decrease can be put down to a combination of Government initiatives, continuing support by industry for school and community programmes, and product reformulation starting to take effect. It’s also because many consumers are getting the message of the importance of a healthier lifestyle.

When you take into account the range of approaches the Government is taking to this issue, you can perhaps believe that they cannot but help to have an effect, especially around children.

They include: • The Childhood Obesity Plan – contains 22 initiatives in three themes: targeted interventions for those who are obese, increased support for those at risk of becoming obese, and strategies to make healthier choices easier. There is also a public awareness campaign to encourage healthy lifestyle choices.

• Raising Healthy Kids – a target that relates to referrals for children identified as obese at the B4 School Check.

• Healthy Families NZ – the Government’s flagship prevention platform and a key part of the wider approach to helping people live healthy, active lives.

• Green Prescriptions funding initiative – helps increase advice and referrals from a doctor or practice nurse for people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

• Weight management guidelines.

• Breastfeeding encouragement through DHBs – breastfeeding helps to reduce obesity and diabetes in later life.

• Eating and Activity Guidelines for Adults, the Health Star Rating system (labels on more than 3000 products), Fruit in Schools, the urban cycleways programme, and the Community Sports Strategy.

That’s a lot of approaches to a complex problem. Our obesity rates are way too high – across all age groups – but we should take any progress, however slight, and see if we can turn it into a trend.

As initiatives involved with the Childhood Obesity Plan become more a part of our everyday lives, and as companies continue to innovate and reformulate, I’m confident we will find the downward trend we’re looking for. n

Naked Continues To Thrill

Innovative Brew

Available for five months only, Mac’s debut honey mead, Love Buzz, is a new exciting alcoholic drink, made by fermenting honey with water and 100 percent gluten-free. Coeliac consumers, or simply those wanting to indulge in something unique, can try this subtly sweet, sparkling, golden-coloured mead. “The biggest misconception about mead is, because it’s made from honey, it has to be overly sweet, but that’s not the case,” said Kurt Gross, brewer and Lion Beer ambassador.

“Love Buzz has a slight sweetness upfront, with a classic dry finish. It’s also completely gluten-free, something that we’re really excited about.” Love Buzz is 5.5% ABV and contains Kamahi honey and a touch of Manuka honey. Available in four-packs at an RRP of $14.99.

Naked Kitchen continues to innovate in the Chilled Meals section launching a Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup with mint, coriander & lime made with mushrooms, crunchy water chestnuts, carrots, spinach and includes both rice noodles and sweet potato noodles. Balanced with fragrant herbs mint and coriander and finished off with lime juice. As well as a, California Wellness Bowl, inspired by the California Big Sur and the yoga well-being movement it’s a hearty mix of red lentils, green beans, butterbeans, tomato, carrot, fennel, parsnip, spinach, ginger and turmeric. Both are available in 500g pouches.

New Gluten-Free Sauces

Lee Kum Kee has introduced two tasty new sauces – Gluten Free Soy Sauce and Panda Brand Gluten Free Oyster Sauce.

With the gluten-free category showing year-on-year growth, these new sauces are perfect for meeting the demand of gluten-free and health-conscious consumers. They’re ideal for adding delicious flavour to stir-fries, marinades or drizzling over Asian greens. The Oyster Sauce is available in 255g and 510g sizes, and the Soy Sauce comes in a convenient 250ml size. For more information, contact Acton International on 0800 699 090.

Crafted To Perfection

The story of Heartland Potato Chips is about as home-grown as it gets: a Kiwi farmer, a Kiwi farm and a great Kiwi potato chip, which often arrives at the supermarket later on the same day the potatoes were dug from the ground.

Heartland’s latest creation is their Premium Crafted Crisps, a range of kettle-style chips, batch-cooked in a special blend of all-natural oils.

Gluten-free and containing no palm oil, trans fat or hydrogenated fat, they’re available in a variety of classic flavours like Southern Sea Salt, Apple Cider Vinegar, Kiwi Backyard BBQ and Crispy Roast Chicken.

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To order, contact Regional Health on info@regional.co.nz or 0508 734 466.

MARCH: RESULTS AND OTHER WINS It’s been a really busy start to the year at Countdown, with the business announcing several new initiatives in partnership with our suppliers.

We’ve also announced our half-year results, which has the business tracking well.

Dave Chambers

Managing Director Countdown

In late February we launched The Odd Bunch. This is a new initiative, out of our Produce team, which offers imperfect fruit and veg to customers at a reduced price. It’s designed to help cut food waste, take more produce from our growers, and make healthy food more affordable for customers.

This has been extremely well received by our customers and our farmers so far. Let’s hope Kiwis really take to this concept, so we can get more fruit and veg on dinner tables, at a cheaper price.

We have also just announced our commitment to go cage-free range and barn egg in all our private label eggs by the end of 2022. To meet this goal, we will need to find approximately 40,000 dozen free-range and barn eggs extra per week. That’s 25 million eggs per year.

This is an ambitious target, however, we are confident it is achievable, because of the success of our Countdown Egg Producer Programme for Free Range and Barn Eggs. Freerange and barn eggs are a fast-growing segment of the market.

We are seeing more suppliers invest in free-range and barn egg production, and we want to continue to support this investment. This announcement enables these farmers to invest with confidence. For instance, we are

delighted that our partner Wholesome has started construction to go entirely free-range and barn by October 2017.

Last month, the Woolworths Group announced results for the first-half of the 2017 financial year. New Zealand Supermarkets sales including Countdown, SuperValue and Fresh Choice, in the first half were $3.2 billion (NZD), an increase of 1.6 per cent from last year. Comparable sales for the half were flat, but increased 1.1 per cent, excluding bulk gift card sales.

EBIT declined 4.5 per cent on the previous year to NZ$163.0 million driven by the cycling of bulk gift card sales in the first half of FY16, costs associated with the launch of the Onecard loyalty programme partnership with AA Smartfuel and uninsured losses relating to the

It’s designed to help cut food waste, take more produce from our growers, and make healthy food more affordable for customers.

November earthquake.

In the half, we have invested more hours into service in our stores which has been very well received by our customers. We are continuing to see customer satisfaction scores track up which is really important for all of us, as we head into the next six months of the financial year.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our next Supplier Update on 14 March. n March 2017

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Kid-Approved Fruit And Veges Liquid Easter Treat

H2go has released a limited-edition chocolateflavoured NZ spring water. Low in sugar, this product can be an alternative to traditional chocolate Easter eggs and treats. Lifestyle water H2go is part of Frucor’s portfolio of brands and was the first spring water to be bottled in a sippertop pack in New Zealand. The range includes still, no-sugar flavours like Boysenberry, Lime and Summer Fruits, as well as Zero Sparkling water flavours like Lime and Raspberry Lemon. H2go Chocolate water comes in 300ml bottles.

New Flavours Available

Annies is introducing its new Fruit Bites, coming in two flavours; Mango Passion and Mixed Berry. Perfect for school lunches, on-the-go snacks or as a baking and cooking ingredient, the product is presented in a handy resealable 200g pouch, retailing for $6.99. The range is free from additives, concentrates, gluten, dairy, nuts and added sugar.

A popular seller for over 30 years, Annies is owned by Kono, a premium Maori brand representing high-quality food and beverages.

Getting vegetables into kids’ lunchboxes just got easier, thanks to Mother Earth’s new snack range. Designed for children’s taste buds, Mother Earth’s Vege Fruit Sticks are available in three variants, each featuring a different vegetable: Beetroot, Apple and Berry; Spinach, Apple, Blueberry and Banana; Carrot, Apple and Orange. These sticks are made with real vegetable puree, instead of using juice or concentrate, and contain more veges than fruit in the filling, with no artificial colours or flavours. The filling is wrapped in a soft dough and baked, and come in convenient, individuallywrapped portions. According to Colmar Brunton’s consumer insight, Kiwi kids who sampled it loved its taste.

Each pack includes eight bars and sells at an RRP of $3.79.

An innovative range of high-quality premium ready-made meals has been introduced to the market by Manly Park Kitchen. Best described as meals with real ‘home cooked’ flavour and appeal, MPK Meals are individually handcrafted to produce a product that sets a new standard for ready-made meals. Available as a fresh chilled product (with a 12day shelf life) or as a frozen product, in a range of 14 different meals including Chicken and Pesto and Beef Lasagnes, Pork and Chicken Roasts, Smoked Fish Pie, Cottage Pie, Pan Fried Dory. For more information, contact MPK KITCHEN on (09) 428 4549.

CHECKOUT MANAGER, Pak’nSave, Dunedin

Born-and-raised in Dunedin, 25-year-old Alyse McDonald is following in the footsteps of her grandparents and has found in the grocery industry, and Foodstuffs in particular, a fertile breeding ground for her career.

Supermarkets are microcosms in their own right, a well-established part of our everyday life, and quite often even a sort of family tradition passed down through generations. Most importantly for all of our local communities, supermarkets offer young New Zealanders a chance to work hard and prove their worth.

Alyse started at Dunedin Pak’nSave in 2005 after school and on weekends, stacking strawberries and bananas in the lead-up to Christmas. Over the following months and years, the company provided her with the necessary training to move into different departments — to name a few, produce, lotto, grocery assistant, and finally checkout.

Her younger brother Adam works in the industry too, and so did their

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First Light Foods is a small NZ grass-fed Wagyu and Venison business, based in Hawke’s Bay. All of their animals are 100 percent grass-fed on free-range pastures, as nature intended, so the only ingredients in their meat are fresh water, clean air and sunshine. First Light’s is also the only Wagyu available for retail in New Zealand, guaranteed to be 4-5 grade and with marbling clearly visible to the consumer. These 170g ribeye steaks fall into the premium category, and the company is expanding its portfolio to meet demand.

Setting A Higher Standard

ALYSE McDONALD

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grandparents before them.

“They started a small Four Square store in 1967 and worked incredibly hard to make their business successful,” Alyse said. “I have always gone to them for advice and think that they offer a perspective on the business that I wouldn’t normally see. They have always supported me in my career.”

Inspired by this example, McDonald focused on consistently improving her skills. After a few years at checkout, she trained as a checkout supervisor, completed her LCQ (Licence Controller Qualification) test and received her Duty Manager’s Licence.

A year later, she took a job as seafood manager and there remained for around two years, before becoming a second in charge of the service deli. When the manager retired, McDonald applied for that job and was deli manager for eight months, then finally moved to her current role as checkout manager.

All the while, she completed a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Business Management and a minor in Entrepreneurship at Otago University.

“I have also attended many courses provided by Foodstuffs including Deli and Seafood Retailing, as well as the Foodstuffs Management Academy in 2016 and, through this, I received a Diploma in First Line Management.”

Business wasn’t her first choice, but it turned out to be the right one. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be Judge Judy!” she said. “Her outgoing personality and decisiveness seemed to match me

perfectly, I guess, and this is what led me to take first-year law. But I decided that I preferred business to law.”

Working with people is her favourite side of the job. “We get the chance to say thank you or chat to customers as they leave, so we can ask them how their shopping experience was and solve any problems that they otherwise would have taken away with them.”

She is also enthusiastic about being part of a growing co-operative company with plenty of chances to move across the business. On that note, she said shifting from deli to checkout hadn’t been easy.

“I had around two weeks to learn everything about managing 110 staff versus the 27 in the deli. New names, bigger rosters and a lot more interaction with the public were the biggest hurdles. But every day it got easier.”

She strives to have a really open communication with all the staff, rolling up her own sleeves and taking them through the decision-making process.

Besides all this, her passion for cooking came in handy when she was in deli and seafood. Her Deli Retailing course required to design a new product for Foodstuffs. “Other stores were asking for my recipe so they could trial it there as well. It was successful, and I was thrilled when it was added to the Foodstuffs catalogue for all Pak’nSave stores in the South Island.” n

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Charlotte Sullivan HEAD OF MARKETING Westland Milk Products

Like most of the things in life, career paths can be unpredictable. Sometimes, once a direction has been set, it takes the form of a ‘calling’. This is what makes Charlotte Sullivan the right person to manage the marketing side of Westland Milk Products and help grow the Westgold brand with Kiwi consumers.

Sullivan moved her first steps in the dairy industry in 1995, when the NZ Dairy Board recruited her to their technical graduate training programme.

With the ink still drying on her Food Science and Human Nutrition Degree, she found the dairy industry offered graduates a wealth of opportunities. In 2000, Sullivan moved to the UK and spent the following two years working for British home improvement retailer Homebase as a category planner, and Sara Lee Household and Bodycare as a category manager.

In 2003, however, she answered the call of the dairy industry again and took on the role of customer marketing manager with leading British dairy products company Dairy Crest.

“As a science and technical graduate, a marketing role didn’t sound like a natural choice, but in the UK I have found fantastic opportunities, along with strong mentors that helped with this transition and enabled me to work my way up,” Sullivan told us. She remained at Dairy Crest until 2011, all the while occupying different positions within the company— from trade marketing manager to group brand manager and marketing controller.

The combination of dairy and marketing inevitably brought her close to retail, and five years ago Sullivan seized the chance to bring her skills back home, becoming Westland Milk Products’ head of marketing. The 80-year-old company is quite a special case in New Zealand. Up until last year, when its Westgold butter won a NZ Champions of Cheese award, the dairy co-operative had been focused

on its key overseas markets, whereas little was distributed in New Zealand apart from a few dairy ingredients. When a decision was made to raise the company’s profile locally, Sullivan was ready to take up the challenge.

“We had already been working with a number of great distributors around the world, selling 12 million blocks of Westgold worldwide annually. The thing we needed to understand was how we could be successful domestically, as New Zealand is a bit of different creature.

We had to make sure our proposition was sustainable and appealing to both retailers and consumers.”

As part of this approach, the coop has invested in a UHT plant in Christchurch, producing milks and creams. Meanwhile, in less than a year, the Westgold brand has enjoyed rapid growth, achieving sales of around 500,000 units and securing distribution to more than 210 stores across NZ. Westgold’s first-ever

advertising campaign, ‘Cream Heart and Soul’, contributed to this positive momentum. When asked about the best compliment she had ever received, Sullivan couldn’t help but think of the past twelve months. “I think that being congratulated on delivering something meaningful, like what we achieved this year, is absolutely great.”

Upon returning to her hometown, Christchurch, she was impressed by how many innovative companies had arrived in NZ to foster creativity in the primary sector. Besides her long work experience and strong project management skills, creativity is something that Sullivan values greatly. For her, nothing triggers the creative thinking like swimming, exercising or walking. On the opposite, travelling overseas for pleasure has become less important. “I often fly to China to meet our team, and my job entails so much travel that, for the most part, I just enjoy being here. I feel like I’m still reacquainting with my country.” n

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