FMCG - May 2017

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L E A D I N G

I N D U S T R Y

N E W S

May 2017 – Volume 4 – No 4

OLIVADO GROWING THE OIL CATEGORY

PLUS! WHAT’S HOT

■ CATEGORY INSIGHTS ■ EVENTS ■

NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST FMCG AND LIQUOR AUDIENCE

Sh B fo Sto av ig r B ck er ge IC u C st ®’ p am E s ve pa r ig n!

For the latest RANGE or POS Contact your BIC® New Zealand Sales Representative or call 0800 242 690

contents

May 2017

Up Front

Events

4

Editor’s note

41

C&I Expo 2017

6

Industry news

42

10

In Season Fresh produce in store

Crowne Plaza Christchurch offers new event spaces

43

The Chocolate & Coffee Show is back!

44

New Zealand’s next top butcher

45

Big investment for Expo 2020

45

Events Calendar

46

Social Sphere Industry members spotted out and about

Category Insights 14

Ready Meals & Pies

22

Oils & Spreads

Regulars 12

Gear New technology for work, rest and play

21

What’s Hot New products in store

22

The Shout 48

Editor’s note and industry news

49

Industry news and insights

28

Health & Wellness One stop shop

50

ProWein 2017 A look at the world’s biggest wine fair

32

Feature Retail under the blowtorch

53

Classic and contemporary Chardonnay

56

Rare beer

58

Meet the winemaker

Good Business 34

Industry news

36

Buy NZ Made

37

Profile Rainbow Confectionery

38

Legal advice Is the construction site next door affecting your business?

39

FGC Retail crime hits store owners hard

40

Strengthen your reputation with good privacy practices

32

See the latest product launches - plus gear for work, rest and play in this issue!

58 FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

3

[ editorial ]

Retail revolution

O

ur daily life has never been busier and, as a result, the retail landscape around us is changing rapidly.

Brick-and-mortar stores are only one part of the big retailers’ commerce strategy and their days of operating as the only sales channel are over. Many companies have built back-end processes and smart systems that will allow them to provide the seamless, integrated, omnichannel service experience that consumers have come to expect.

There is clearly an increasing demand for online orders and even smaller retailers, such as Farro Fresh, are now offering home delivery services. Time-poor shoppers also want quick and easy meal solutions for busy week nights, so we are taking a close look at the latest product launches and trends in ready meals on pg 14-20.

After focusing on building and optimising digital channels, retailers are now turning some of their attention back onto the store as they seek to make the most of this relatively expensive asset within the overall multi-channel mix. Countdown for example is embracing health food trends with significant changes in their stores, offering more vegetarian, organic and allergy-friendly (‘free from’) product choices on shelf. We bring you more on Countdown’s new direction on pg 28.

The biggest global game-changer is Amazon. The online retailer is rolling out new products, launching new business platforms and investing massively in fleets of delivery jets and trucks. Amazon has also started opening retail outlets and is coming to Australia soon.

The immense changes we are seeing are nothing short of a revolution, says Lew Bentley, Head of Shopper Marketing Strategy at Energi. He shares some very interesting insights in this issue, and sums up the highlights from the recent US Shopper Summit Conference in New York City for you.

Exciting new technologies and business models will emerge, as online retail is rapidly shifting from simple internet-based catalogues to much more immersive experiences with the shopper at the centre.

Watch this space!

PUBLISHED BY The Intermedia Group Ltd 505 Rosebank Road, Avondale Auckland, 1026, New Zealand ph: 021 361 136 PUBLISHER Dale Spencer dspencer@intermedianz.co.nz EDITORIAL DIRECTOR James Wells The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd AUSTRALIA james@intermedia.com.au HEAD OF CONTENT Tamara Rubanowski trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 027 278 4761 NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Joel Bremner jbremner@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 370 065 SALES DIRECTOR Wendy Steele wsteele@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 300 473 THE SHOUT EDITOR Charlotte Cowan ccowan@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 774 080 THE SHOUT SALES MANAGER Angela Bowes abowes@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 130 6824 ART DIRECTOR Ryan Vizcarra ryanv@intermedia.com.au HEAD OF CIRCULATION Chris Blacklock cblacklock@intermedia.com.au PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au PUBLISHING ASSISTANT Eclypse Lee elee@intermedianz.co.nz

Tamara Rubanowski trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz www.fmcgbusiness.co.nz

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L E A D I N G

I N D U S T R Y

N E W S

May 2017 – Volume 4 – No 4

ON THE COVER See the latest additions to the Olivado range (and find out why NZ supermarkets need to grow their oil offerings) on page 27.

OLIVADO GROWING THE OIL CATEGORY

PLUS! WHAT’S HOT

n CATEGORY INSIGHTS n EVENTS n

NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST FMCG AND LIQUOR AUDIENCE

FMCG BUSINESS IS PROUDLY ASSOCIATED WITH

4

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Eclypse Lee elee@intermedianz.co.nz

DISCLAIMER This publication is published by The Intermedia Group Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by New Zealand and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication.

Copyright © 2017 - The Intermedia Group Ltd

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kaiserbrothers.co.nz Pilsener | ESB | APA | Weizen | Tangerine Dream | Fusion Cider Available in 50ltr keg and 500ml bottles. For more information please contact your Giesen Group representative or phone (03) 344 6270

[ news ]

Pams gets an ‘extreme make-over’ You may have noticed a few recent changes to the iconic Pams brand look, but there’s plenty more to come in what amounts to a makeover of epic proportions.

The 80-year-old brand, which once boasted a small collection of custard and baking powder, now comprises more than 2500 products in fresh, chilled, frozen and grocery. Pams is New Zealand’s largest-selling grocery brand and in 2017 will grow even further with the introduction of a new premium tier: Pams Finest - plus a number of other subbrands such as Pams Superfoods, Organic, Gluten Free and Fresh.

Alex Lincoln, Private Label Marketing Manager for Pams at Foodstuffs NZ, has been flat out refurbishing virtually every aspect of the Pams range with a busy team of product developers and designers.

“Customers are searching out authenticity, quality, clarity around provenance and food which is not only better for them and their families, but affordable and tasty. So, while we are working to reformulate our existing ranges to reduce sugar and sodium content, we’re also introducing new categories for the brands,” says Lincoln.

Pams Finest is a new premium tier of products with a refined look and only the best ingredients. Customers can turn the everyday into special occasions. The new products focus on emerging trends and

flavours, premium items, and natural ingredients with no artificial colours or flavours.

Like the rest of the Pams range, more than 75% of products are made in New Zealand. It’s important to Foodstuffs Own Brands and customers that the Coop supports Kiwi manufacturers, says Lincoln.

Did you know?

Shoppers have voted Pams the most trusted supermarket brand for four years in a row (Reader’s Digest, Most Trusted Supermarket/Home Brand).

PAK’nSAVE comes to Clendon shopping centre Foodstuffs North Island is gradually transforming the New World store in Clendon into a PAK’nSAVE. The first stage of the project was opened on April 26.

“This project involves careful management of the building work, which has allowed us to keep the store open while the work goes on,” Foodstuffs North Island’s General Manager of Property Development Lindsay Rowles says.

“Running a construction project while maintaining food safety standards, keeping our customers safe and providing the same high standards of service is an interesting challenge, but we’re pleased to say that the project is going well. We are due to complete the final stage in the fourth quarter of 2017. We will then officially relaunch this site as a PAK’nSAVE. “We could see there was a great opportunity for PAK’nSAVE to 6

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

come to Clendon to best meet our customers’ needs,” Rowles says.

“We’re very pleased to be able to bring New Zealand’s lowest food prices to grocery shoppers in Clendon.”

[ news ]

FreshChoice City Market for Christchurch A new FreshChoice City Market in the heart of Christchurch at The Crossing is only a few months away from opening its doors. The store will boast a contemporary and artisan offer with a focus of bringing foodie favourites to Cantabrian shoppers.

The new store will have an impressive line-up of local Christchurch products, including Peter Timbs Meats, Theo’s Fish and Divine Cakes.

Christchurch local, and FreshChoice City Market owner, Heather Brown, says that she is excited to be able to showcase and support some of the amazing local artisan businesses.

“We have a lot of amazing producers and suppliers in Christchurch, and I think shoppers will love the convenience of having their products all in one place to enjoy while doing their usual shopping,” she says.

In addition, FreshChoice City Market promises a range of handcrafted artisan breads, hand-picked freshly-sourced produce from local farmers, and a number of fresh dinner solutions produced by their very own in-store chef.

Along with their commitment to freshness and quality, FreshChoice City Market will have a full range of groceries at competitive prices for Cantabrians.

The store will also cater to the rapidly growing business hub in the city, with food and beverage delivery service for businesses, along with a Click & Collect service, which will help make shopping a quick and easy process for those with limited time on their hands.

FreshChoice City Market is expected to open in August.

New town centre planned for Drury

Chris Gudgeon, Kiwi Property Chief Executive

Kiwi Property has acquired land, and has secured agreements to acquire further land, in South Auckland, as a strategic long-term holding to capitalise on Auckland’s continuing population growth.

The three ‘greenfield’ sites, together comprising approximately 51.3 hectares, are located in Drury adjacent to the junction of the 8

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Southern Motorway, Great South Road and the North Island main trunk railway line, approximately 35 kilometres south of Auckland’s CBD. Chris Gudgeon, Chief Executive, said: “Our vision is to develop a town centre, to complement the existing Drury town centre, which would be staged over the next 20 years to coincide with predicted population growth, household formation and employment growth in South Auckland. We will work with Auckland Council and infrastructure providers to secure a town centre zoning providing for commercial and retail uses integrated with high, medium and low density housing – all within walking distance of an integrated public transport node.”

The land’s current zoning is ‘Future Urban’ under the Auckland Unitary Plan. Kiwi Property’s plans for the amalgamated sites will be complementary to an adjacent development being planned

by Stevenson Group. “At over 300 hectares in size, the Drury South enterprise district is intended to provide world-class facilities for logistics, manufacturing and commercial operations, together with community facilities and housing,” said Gudgeon.

Immigration changes for New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has announced a package of changes designed to better manage immigration and improve the long-term labour market contribution of temporary and permanent migration. “The Government is committed to ensuring inward migration best supports the economy and the labour market,” Woodhouse says.

“It’s important that our immigration settings are attracting the right people, with the right skills, to help fill genuine skill shortages and contribute to our growing economy. That is why we are making a number of changes to our permanent and temporary immigration settings aimed at managing the number and improving the quality of migrants coming to New Zealand.”

Changes to permanent immigration settings include introducing two remuneration thresholds for applicants applying for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), which will complement the current qualifications and occupation framework.

“One remuneration threshold will be set at the New Zealand median income of $48,859 a year for jobs that are currently considered skilled. The other threshold will be set at 1.5 times the New Zealand median income of $73,299 a year for jobs that are not currently considered skilled but are well paid,” Woodhouse says.

“The SMC points table, under which individuals claim points towards their residence application, will also be realigned to put more emphasis on characteristics associated with better outcomes for migrants.

“Collectively these changes will improve the skill composition of the SMC and ensure we are attracting migrants who bring the most economic benefits to New Zealand.”

Managing temporary migration The Government is also proposing a number of changes to temporary migration settings to manage the number and settlement expectations of new migrants coming to New Zealand on Essential Skills work visas. The changes include: • The introduction of remuneration bands to determine the skill level of an Essential Skills visa holder, which would align with the remuneration thresholds being introduced for Skilled Migrant Category applicants.

• The introduction of a maximum duration of three years for lower-skilled and lower-paid Essential Skills visa holders, after which a minimum stand down period will apply before they are eligible for another lower-skilled temporary work visa.

• Aligning the ability of Essential Skills visa holders to bring their children and partners to New Zealand with the new skill levels.

• Exploring which occupations have a seasonal nature and ensuring that the length of the visa aligns with peak labour demand.

“I want to make it clear that where there are genuine labour or skills shortages, employers will be able to continue to use migrant labour to fill those jobs,” Woodhouse says.

“However, the Government has a ‘Kiwis first’ approach to immigration and these changes are designed to strike the right balance between reinforcing the temporary nature of Essential Skills work visas and encouraging employers to take on more Kiwis and invest in the training to upskill them.”

Public consultation on the changes to temporary migration settings closes on 21 May, with implementation planned for later this year.

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

9

[ in season ]

Plenty of produce to see us through autumn

T

he last official month of autumn offers a variety of delicious fresh fruit and vegetables.

Here’s a snapshot of what’s good in the produce market right now.

Satsuma mandarins Satsuma mandarins hit peak season in May. Fragrant, juicy and easy-to-peel, Satsumas are one of the sweetest citrus varieties. It is thought the fruit first originated in the former province Satsuma (now called Kagoshima Prefecture), on the southern tip of Japan’s Kyushu Island. In New Zealand, the fruit is mainly grown in Gisborne and Kerikeri.

Satsuma mandarins are best eaten fresh, peel removed and separated into sections – a perfect snack for kids’ lunchboxes. However, they can also be used in salads and team up nicely with flavours such as soy, ginger, garlic, vanilla, honey and olive oil. Fresh Satsuma mandarins should look fresh, bright and shiny and should feel heavy for their size. Store in a cool, dark place for a few days or refrigerate to extend their shelf life up to two weeks.

Persimmons The main persimmon growing regions in New Zealand are Gisborne, Auckland region, Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Hawke’s Bay. The main variety grown here is the Fuyu persimmon with our three biggest export markets being Australia, Thailand and Singapore. The nonastringent quality of the Fuyu means it can be eaten while it is still crisp. Keep persimmons at room temperature to prevent going soft too quickly. However, bagged persimmons should be kept in a coolstore. Once the bag is opened or removed, persimmons should not be put back into the coolstore.

Cauliflower A member of the brassica family, cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that can be used in different ways. Cauliflower is in plentiful supply in May along with other members of the brassica family (Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cabbage). To help protect the cauliflower, leave a small portion of the 10

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

outer leaves intact. Hand stack one deep with stem end down and trim stems daily. Display in refrigerated shelving. Best stored at 0ºC with a relative humidity of 90-100%.

As they are sensitive to ethylene, store cauliflower separately from other ethylene-producing fruit and vegetables. For convenience, offer customers half portions, or bags of florets.

Tamarillos The fruit formerly known as tree tomatoe comes in two varieties – red and yellow – with red being the most popular. Tamarillos were first introduced into New Zealand from Asia in the late 1800s. In New Zealand, the tamarillo is grown mainly in coastal areas of the North Island where risk of frosts is low.

Tamarillos can be refrigerated for up to two weeks or at room temperature for about one week. They can easily be frozen – either whole (remove the skins first) or pureed.

Leeks Leeks are a member of the onion family and are related to shallots, garlic, chives, and spring onions. Look for leeks that are dark green and firm, not limp or dried out. The bulb ends should have fringes of small crisp-looking roots still attached; avoid split or soft bulbs, or those with large blemishes.

When displaying in store make sure the leeks are clean and well trimmed. Lay them side by side with green ends pointing in the same direction.

Keep cool and moist and ideal storage is at 0°C with a relative humidity of 90-100%. The main growing region for leeks is the Manawatu.

Also good in May: Navel oranges, kiwifruit, apples, beans, celery and capsicums.

To become a member of United Fresh, visit www. unitedfresh.co.nz.

TAMARILLOS WERE FIRST INTRODUCED INTO NEW ZEALAND FROM ASIA IN THE LATE 1800s.”

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[ gear ]

Infinity phone: Samsung Galaxy S8+

Pat Pilcher’s monthly round up of all the tech worth knowing about, for work, rest and play.

The S8+ is a striking piece of hardware. Its bezelless display makes it the smartphone equivalent of an infinity pool. Turned off the S8+ looks like a piece of polished Onyx, but powered on it looks amazing. Striking looks aside, Samsung are also building Bixby, their smart assistant into S8+.

At the moment Bixby is limited to intelligently analysing photos shot with the S8+ to provide information on landmarks, language translation, but Bixby will soon have greater integration with the S8’s functions according to Samsung. http://www.samsung.com/nz/ smartphones/galaxy-s8

Say goodbye to bad Wi-Fi reception!

There’s always that one part of the office or the house where Wi-Fi just won’t reach. The NetGear Orbi System uses a system of wireless satellites that link together to banish Wi-Fi deadspots.

Additional Orbi satellites can be used in larger buildings or homes to expand coverage.

http://www.netgear.co.nz/home/products/networking/ orbi/?cid=wmt_netgear_organic

Ear wear: B&O H9 Bluetooth Headphones Tired of tangled cables? High-end audio equipment makers Bang & Olufsen’s latest Bluetooth ear wear has it sorted. Tangle-prone cables are gone as the H9 connects to your phone/digital audio player using Bluetooth. Their active noise cancelling also cocoons your noggin in blissful silence. Hewn out of alloy and leather The H9s are extremely comfy too. https://www.beoplay.com/products/beoplayh9

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

[ gear ]

Watch this space: Samsung Gear S3 Samsung’s latest smartwatch, the Gear S3 not only tells the time, but can also do double duty as a wrist mounted Bluetooth connected speakerphone, allowing you to take calls on the fly and read notifications without having to fiddle about with your phone.

Where most other smartwatches need daily charging, the S3 can run for up to three days and will work with most Android and Apple smartphones http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-s3/

Phone, camera and wallet!

Huawei’s follow up to their hugely successful P9 smartphone, the Huawei P10 is finally here. Packing second generation dual rear Leica cameras, it captures stunning photos that are easily the equal of a high-end point and shoot camera. With NFC built in, the P10 also supports Android pay, making it the smartphone equivalent of a camera, phone and wallet.

http://consumer.huawei.com/en/mobile-phones/p10/index. htm

Viewing in reverse: MiVUE698 dual camera If reverse parking has you breaking out in hives, don’t sweat it. The Navman MiVue 698 dual dashcam lets anxious drivers easily add reversing and dash cameras to their vehicles. A rear cam provides reversing views and the 600’s front facing dashcam footage is viewable on a PC or Mac using Navman’s software, which also handily tells you your location, time, and speed for each frame of video. This may be a real boon in an auto mis-hap. Being able to provide detailed evidence to insurance companies could be the difference between having to pay your own excess if the other driver refuses to admit fault and a co-operative insurance company.

https://www.navman.com.au/products/dashcams

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

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QUICK & EASY Ready meals and pies can be life savers on busy days. Here’s a snapshot of new product launches and best sellers in this popular category.

F

rom the original 1981 beach front bakery that only sold two flavours of pies - the good ol’ bacon and egg and classic mince - to a recipe book of over 200 flavours, Dad’s Pies are now one of the leading quality pie suppliers in NZ. And as competition in the pie industry continues to rise, so does the quality of Dad’s Pies.

Amy Jones looks after marketing at Dad’s Pies. She says: “Consumers are increasingly concerned about what goes into their food. One of the main things we’re focused on at Dad’s Pies is a ‘clean label’. We continuously strive to improve our recipes so they don’t contain any ‘Nasties’.

“As New Zealand becomes more cultured, Kiwis have decided they could get a bit more adventurous with their pie flavours, and Dad’s Pies are here to deliver. From ghost chillies to charred vanilla to purple vegetables, we’re geared up to accommodate any of the upcoming market trends. With 32% of customers driven on taste alone, new and innovative flavours are the way to go (Canstar Blue research March 2017).

“With that said, there’s no going away from the classics. Mince & Cheese, Steak & Cheese & Butter Chicken are consistently in the top three sellers throughout the country,” says Jones.

Over the past 3 ½ years, Dad’s Pies distribution nationwide has increased considerably and with that, so has their Sales Team. From an original team of one to a strong team of seven, Dad’s Pies now have the whole of New Zealand covered.

For more information on the range please contact your regional sales representative or visit dadspies.co.nz.

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

A household name made good When Todd Heller first opened the doors of his Christchurch butchery back in 1985, few could have predicted just how far his new venture would take him.

Today, Hellers is New Zealand’s largest producer of sausages, bacon, ham and smallgoods, employing more than 400 people at their national headquarters in North Canterbury.

The company’s progress has been built on an almost insatiable appetite for innovation which has seen them create a host of incredibly popular product ranges. The latest is My Main Course.

My Main Course is a clever meal solution for time-poor shoppers that combines meat or vegetable bases with a selection of tasty 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.

The My Main Course brand launched with strong above and belowthe-line marketing initiatives, including TV and magazine advertising, supplemented by web, social media, in-store sampling and point-ofsale activity.

Several new additions to the range are planned for winter 2017 on the back of consumer testing, with the company predicting significant, sustainable growth as more and more people become aware of the product. And it seems that growth won’t only be confined to New Zealand, with Hellers receiving considerable interest in the range from overseas markets.

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 ongoing marketing activity throughout 2017 and beyond.

[ category insights ] Pitango Pitango’s General Manager, Mary Boulton, told FMCG Business: “Pitango has a full range of fresh chilled products available nationwide across all major retailers and independent specialty stores, including Pitango Meal Pots, the Pitango Risotto range and of course our original and still incredibly popular Pitango Soup range.

“Pitango is preparing to enter into a whole new convenience food category with the launch of our brand new Pitango Breakfast range. On shelves this May! “Our on-the-go, fresh chilled Pitango Breakfast pots are a ready-to-eat porridge range that consists of two flavours: • Pitango Golden Honey Porridge • Pitango Apple & Sultana Porridge “Our Pitango Breakfast pots are made with organic steel cut oats and are a fantastic source of protein and fibre; to help you feel fuller for longer and get you through to lunch. The Pitango Breakfast pots have no added preservatives, flavours or colours and come in a convenient microwavable pot with a handy spork! A complete breakfast for one, they are so easy and delicious and can be eaten either hot or cold!”

Boulton adds: “Busy lives continue to be a big trend across New Zealand. With the explosion of social media and mobile technology we are finding that people have the battle of less time to cook, but more education on the importance of a healthy meal. Consumers are always on the lookout for an easy, convenient meal that is healthy for their families. They are consistently on the search for healthy foods made from real, fresh ingredients that used minimal processing to bring out the natural flavour, with no added preservatives or artificial flavours. On top of this there is an increase in dietary requirements; with more people searching for gluten free, organic and free range, for example.

“Here at Pitango we make it our mission to be that trusted brand that ticks all the boxes for today’s busy New Zealander,” says Boulton.

Tomorrow’s Meals - new Family Classics Range April 2017 saw the launch of an exciting new range of premium convenience meals made by Taurangabased company Frozen Fresh Ltd. Leveraging the success of the their Tomorrow’s Meals Roast range, Frozen Fresh Ltd are set to launch four new, full meal options under the Tomorrow’s Meals ‘Family Classics’ brand.

Sales and Marketing Director for Frozen Fresh Ltd, Lynley Webb, says: “This is convenience food for the whole family. We have chosen meals that will resonate with a wide target audience.

Our more traditional options - Slow Cooked Beef

Casserole and Lamb Hotpot will hit the spot for older consumers. With the more contemporary options like ‘Sticky Asian Pork Belly’ and ‘Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta’ appealing to a younger audience.

“We are continuing with our commitment to use only real food ingredients and deliver healthy food in the frozen meal category. With a clean ingredient panel, fat content less than 10% and a high vegetable ratio the meals tick those healthy food claims. Once again our meals will deliver high meat protein percentages averaging around 20% compared to industry standard of around half that value”.

The meals were crafted with the help of Masterchef Brett McGregor. “Having Brett on board with this project was invaluable,” says Webb, “he is a fantastic fit for our brand – he is passionate about food, knows how to keep it simple yet delicious and importantly understands what food Kiwis love to eat.”

For more information, contact Lynley Webb, ph +64 21 842 449, or email lynleyw@frozenfresh.co.nz.

Simplot’s Frozen Convenience Brands

PITANGO IS PREPARING TO ENTER INTO A WHOLE NEW CONVENIENCE FOOD CATEGORY WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR BRAND NEW PITANGO BREAKFAST RANGE.” PITANGO GENERAL MANAGER, MARY BOULTON

Simplot has a presence in two of the main freezer convenience categories: Vegetables/Potato and also Frozen Fish with its Birds Eye brand, which offers a broad range of products including: Golden Crunch potato chips, the Deli range of premium chips, Oven Bake fish fillets, Fish cakes and Vegetable snacks.

Julian Ng, Group Brand Manager and Janelle Jowsey, Category Manager at Simplot New Zealand, explain: “The Frozen Vegetables & Potato category is worth $149M in Total Key Accounts, and grew by 5.3% MAT. Frozen Vegetables contributes 55% of total category sales, and grew at 7.2% MAT, FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

15

[ category insights ] whilst Frozen Potato is 45% share of total category sales, growing at 3.1%.

“In Frozen Potato, Premium Chips is driving the category, growing by $538K or +6.6%.

Simplot’s Birds Eye Deli Chips range has been hugely successful, growing at 18% MAT, and adding $358K to the premium segment. Birds Eye Frozen Potato overall grew by 12% to sales of $4.9M. “The Frozen Fish category is worth $40M in Total Key Accounts, and grew +2.4% MAT. The largest segment is Family Fillets, which contributes 51.6% share of the category, and is growing at 0.9% MAT. Premium Fillets at 15.7% share of the category, is driving the overall Frozen Fish category, growing at +22.5% MAT. Birds Eye has a 22% $ share of the Frozen Fish category with growth of 5.5% MAT. Birds Eye Fillets grew 7.3% MAT, adding $480K to the category.”

Jowsey and Ng add: “The supermarket freezer has always struggled to engage effectively with shoppers. The time spent at the fixture in Frozen is less than half that of ambient food categories as both the cold and the physical barrier of the freezer doors make it a less pleasant experience and more difficult for messages to cut through. Therefore, disrupting the frozen shopper requires a clear, relevant and engaging product offer.” *All data IRI MarketEdge MAT to 26/2/17

SIMPLOT IS LAUNCHING A DELICIOUS NEW RANGE OF BIRDS EYE DELI FISH.” JULIAN NG, GROUP BRAND MANAGER AND JANELLE JOWSEY, CATEGORY MANAGER AT SIMPLOT NEW ZEALAND

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Innovation is key “Product news and innovation above all else, is what shoppers want to see more of in the Frozen Fish category (Shopper Tracker Data Insights 2016),” say Ng and Jowsey. “Following the success of the Birds Eye Deli Chips range (now a $2.3M sub-brand), Simplot is launching a delicious new range of Birds Eye Deli Fish. Made from premium quality wild caught NZ Hoki fillet and available in two delicious varieties - Wholegrain and Sea Salt, and Lemon Lime & Herb, this range will cater to increasingly discerning shoppers looking for a more premium frozen fish offer.”

They add: “Deli Fish is made from all natural ingredients, is MSC certified sustainably sourced and has a 4 Health Star rating. It will also help attract new category shoppers (adult households and SINKS/DINKS) and up-sell existing frozen fish shoppers.

“Today consumers are more demanding of products and brands than ever before, helped along by an endless list of websites, and digital

tools/apps to help them prioritise and select the most suitable items for their needs. As a result, they are increasingly focused on ‘authenticity’ in their food choices. Often this revolves around natural ingredients, but there are also heightened expectations around the responsibility of brands to do the right thing socially, including ethically sourcing ingredients, whilst continuing to provide a quality product that offers real value (Source: Euromonitor Global, 2017).

“Delivering truly value-added product innovation helps to drive increased consumer interest and trial, and at the same time will generate higher dollar per unit sales, and hence category value growth,” say Jowsey and Ng.

New product range from Bakeworks Kirsten Unger and Dave Harris, the founders of Bakeworks, are introducing Home St. - a brand new range of delicious, gluten-free, sprouted seed pizza bases and breads. They explain: “We met 22 years ago in our flat on Home St. and bonded over our love of food. Years later we started Bakeworks to offer a unique range of allergy-friendly baked goods to Kiwis. Home St. has been created to reflect our journey by going back to where we first started. Home St. is made using specially selected ingredients including sprouted and activated seeds we grow in our bakery.

Introducing NEW Birds Eye Deli Fish

Available in two delicious flavours - Wholegrain & Sea Salt and Lemon, Lime & Herb

New Zealand Hoki fish fillets with gourmet deli-style seasonings Succulent, flaky, hand cut fish that’s coated in a delicious crunchy crumb Mouth-watering flavours that will keep you coming back for more!

Ideal FOR SINK / DINK households wanting a more premium frozen meal offer • Opportunity to rebalance a category that currently skews to older HH, (65% of volume)^ ^ Nielsen Homescan data to June 2016

• Drives higher category sales value via Premium Fillets > $20/ kg vs Family Fillets $14/kg* * Nielsen data to 1/1/17

• Birds Eye Deli brand is recognisable to consumers and delivers premium cues and superior quality

NOW at

&

Contact your Simplot Territory Manager for sales enquiries Auckland Central: Robert Marshall / 021 836 218 / Rob.Marshall@simplot.com.au Auckland & Northland: Daniel Hunt / 021 477 018 / Daniel.Hunt@simplot.com.au Bay of Plenty: Joe Pouaka / 021 477 011 / Joe.Pouaka@simplot.com.au Wellington / Hawkes Bay: David Austin / 021 477 004 / David.Austin@simplot.com.au

New Plymouth: Robert Marshall / 021 836 218 / Rob.Marshall@simplot.com.au Manawatu: Robert Marshall / 021 836 218 / Rob.Marshall@simplot.com.au Christchurch: Justine Gardiner / 021 477 013 / Justine.Gardiner@simplot.com.au Dunedin: Sharon Mitchell / 021 442 835 / Sharon.Mitchell@simplot.com.au

Fo r more i nforma ti on p le ase visit : ww w.birdse ye .co .n z

[ category insights ]

NIELSEN DATA Total Supermarkets - CURRENT MAT to 26/03/2017 Val Sales

Val % Chg YA

Total Chilled Convenience Foods

$145,464,702

6.5

Fresh Meat Pies

$51,885,099

8.8

Fresh Soup

$22,651,439

9.4

Fresh Pasta

$19,865,692

4.1

Fresh Pizza

$13,557,001

3.4

Fresh Pizza Bases

$12,642,096

1.3

Fresh Pasta Sauce Excl Pesto

$7,281,326

-3.5

Fresh Pesto

$6,437,895

3.6

Quiche

$6,221,916

2.9

Convenience Food

$3,370,699

43.8

Fresh Sausage Rolls & Savouries

$1,525,847

16.1

Fresh Non Pasta Cooking Sauce

$25,692

-28.4

Total Frozen Convenience Foods

$124,412,990

7.5

Frozen Meat

$30,074,388

14.4

Frozen Snack Meals

$21,446,852

5.7

Frozen Pizza

$18,705,074

1.3

Frozen Full Meals

$16,901,252

1.1

Frozen Sausage Rolls & Savouries

$16,693,028

4.3

Frozen Party Snack

$9,456,074

26.6

Frozen Meat Pies

$6,344,781

-1.1

Frozen Vegetarian

$4,788,553

17.4

Frozen Pizza Bases

$2,988

Val Sales

Val Sales

Val % Chg YA

-13.7 Val % Chg YA

Total Soup

$56,699,580

Canned Soup

$23,919,960

1.7

Instant Soup

$16,707,342

-1.4

Packet Soup

$9,844,255

0.3

Cereal Soup

$3,888,486

-12.7

Soup Mix & Pulses

$2,339,536

15.7

Total Canned Meals

$84,320,787

-0.9

Canned Baked Beans

$31,636,849

-1.3

Canned Spaghetti

$24,722,063

-1.9

Canned Corned Meats

$15,376,370

2.1

Canned Meats

$9,454,273

-2.7

Canned Meals

$3,131,232

2.0

Val Sales

18

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

-0.1

Val % Chg YA

“Why soak or sprout? Our Ancestors figured out that by soaking and sprouting seeds, nuts and grains they become more digestible and provide higher nutritional value. Basically, the nut or seed is bursting into life and this is the optimum time to dehydrate while they are at their enzymic peak and bursting with life force. This means that every slice of Home St. is packed full of an abundance of nutrients and goodness.”

The Home St. range consists of: Sprouted Seed Sliced Bread 470g Sprouted Seed Buns - 4 pack 360g Sprouted Seed Pizza Bases - 2 pack 370g “Home St. has just been launched through Farro Fresh stores and is going nationwide through New World and Pak’nSave stores over the next few months,” say Unger and Harris. For further information contact kirsten@bakeworks.co.nz

I Love Pies The I Love Pies brand consists of a range of large, medium and small gourmet pies and a number of frozen products – sausage rolls, gluten-free pies and sweet fruit pies.

Dene Brosnan, General Manager at The lovely little food co. says: “Last year we launched the Angus Steak and Ale pie made with Tuatara craft beer, which has been very successful. In April this year we launched our first pie with a pork filling – the Free Range Pork, Apple and Kumara pie (pictured above). This continues our strategy of launching limited edition pies as our consumers are open to new variants.

“We also launched a range of frozen sweet pies, which performed really well and have premiumised the category. Another popular frozen launch was our Angus Beef Mince Party Pies.

“We are known for our quality innovations that disrupt categories, excite consumers, and have clear points of differentiation. We are seeing strong growth, and bring increased margin opportunities to trade consumers up.

Scratch Kits

3ple

Sim Steps

Contact: House of Fine Foods 09 410 1066 sales@houseff.co.nz

[ category insights ]

I LOVE PIES ARE AN EASY ALTERNATIVE TO TAKEAWAYS.”

“I Love Pies drove $0.5m of growth in the fresh pie category over the last MAT - that represents 18.1% of the category growth (IRI MarketEdge NZ National Grocery – Value MAT ending 05/03/2017).

“We will continue our limited edition strategy, plus we are currently looking at new sausage roll flavours. We will also launch a product in a new category – more details will be out soon,” says Brosnan.

The consumer trend in this category is ‘Premiumisation’ according to Brosnan. He explains: “Consumers are prepared to pay more for better quality products. They want to understand what goes into their food, but continue to look for convenience. I Love Pies are an easy alternative to takeaways so we are using the #dinnersorted tagline in our communications.

“Our new packaging designs clearly communicate our strong premium positioning: ‘No MSG, No palm oil, No preservatives and No artificial flavours and colours.’ These are attributes that differentiate us from other pie brands.

“We’ve found that the main reason people love our pies is the taste. We continuously receive positive feedback, and people asking where they can find our pies.”

Sachie’s Kitchen Meal Kits Sachie’s Kitchen Meal Kit range was designed

by Executive Chef Sachie Nomura to give New Zealanders the chance to recreate authentic Asian recipes at home, with all the hard work already done. Nomura explains: “I see this as an extension

of my cooking school (the largest and most awarded one in Australasia) - teaching people how to cook though my meal kits and meal kit videos on www.youtube.com/sachieskitchen.

“The flavours we have are Japanese Teriyaki Chicken, Pad Thai, Thai Red Curry, Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken, Summer Rolls, Malaysian Laksa and Indonesian Beef Rendang. The meal kits highlight a combination of traditional Asian meals that Kiwis will be familiar with, and some of my personal favourites.

“Each Sachie’s Kitchen meal kit includes all the base ingredients you need, including pastes, sauces, herbs and spices and noodles or rice, with only a couple of additional perishable ingredients required to create an authentic Asian meal at home.

“The pastes have been prepared locally by myself here in New Zealand, and I have sourced some of the more exotic authentic herbs and spices directly from Asia - meaning the kits provide the best of both worlds by using traditional, authentic ingredients as well as taking advantage of New Zealand’s fresh produce.”

The kits are the perfect solution for time-poor families and New Zealanders looking for an easy, inspiring quick weeknight meal that’s also nutritious and flavoursome. “I’ve done all the hard work, so all you really need to do is throw it all together!” says Nomura “According to our distributor Blue Rock, the number one seller is Pad Thai followed by Teriyaki Chicken and Laksa.” www.sachieskitchen.com

Leader Tony Peterson, CEO told FMCG Business: “At Leader, we produce quick, easy and delicious frozen convenience foods. Our vast product range can be found in the Butchery Freezer under the brand ‘Tony’s’ (Progressive) and ‘Leader’ (Foodstuffs). Our Toppa and Burger Pattie range is commonly found in NZ family freezers.

“We’re are rolling out new products in the next few months, which will bring innovation and growth prospects to category,” reveals Peterson.

He adds: “Our NPD is focused on fulfilling the growing needs of the millennial consumer. By 2025 millennials will be the primary consumer group, so it’s about being proactive and planning for the future.

For example Millennials, prefer to snack throughout the day, as opposed to eating at set meal times.”

The FMCG Business team endeavours to produce a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients, plus a table of the freshest Nielsen data available at time of print. If you wish to contribute news for upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz.

20

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Olivado’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 375ml and 500ml

NEW Birds Eye Deli range NEW Birds Eye Deli fish combines premium fish fillets with gourmet deli-style seasonings.

And the result is spectacular... Succulent, flaky, hand cut fish that’s coated in a delicious crunchy crumb, with mouth-watering flavours that will keep you coming back for more!

Try the delicious varieties: Lemon Lime & Herb, and Wholegrain and Sea Salt.

Available now in New World and Pak N Save stores nationally. www.birdseye.co.nz

Olivado’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is produced using an advanced cold extraction process that preserves the natural goodness of the coconut flesh producing a silky smooth oil tasting like a fresh coconut. Perfect to use for frying, baking and sautéing.

Talk to your Strikeforce rep or email sales@olivado.com to order.

Ph 09-4073080 or visit www.olivado.com

Shave the day with BIC

Piksters Recommended by dental professionals world-wide, these innovative, high quality, dental products are now available in supermarkets!

Piksters Interdental brushes Sizes 1, 3, 5; clean the gaps between your teeth where most dental decay and gum disease begins.

Piksters Wax for Orthodontics and Braces; protect against irritation, pain and ulceration caused by brackets and wires. Twin packs, subtle mint flavour.

Piksters SupaGRIPs; flosser/toothpick in one.

Won’t shred or fray, good between tight teeth where an interdental brush cannot fit.

For information contact your Topline Representative or phone 09 550 5150 www.toplinemarketing.co.nz

From New Zealand’s #1 Disposable Shaver brand comes three options to trade up consumers and boost AWOP. BIC 3 Action trades up laggards in twin blade with a unique pouch offer, Bella Sun-Twist comes with 4 flexible blades and scented handles, while Flex 5 has the best technology in the category with an edging blade for a precise smooth shave.

Contact your BIC® New Zealand Sales Representative or call 0800 242 690

Parkers Hawkes Bay based PARKERS Beverage Company have grown from their nationwide water brands Ō PURE and PARKERS to now include Pure Plus Aloe and the very exciting Wahaha Iced Tea. Their fully integrated structure and being locally owned and operated means they can adapt instantly to market trends. They will also consider right fit third party brands to distribute through their network. Contact drinks@parkers.kiwi FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

21

PANTRY ESSENTIALS Spreads and oils are staples in most households. The FMCG Business team talked to local suppliers to find out what’s on trend.

22

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

[ category insights ]

A

re you a jam, honey, or peanut butter lover? We all have a favourite topping for our toast, but what retailers really want to know is this: which products will be driving sales in the spreads category this year?

Lyn O’Sullivan, Senior Brand Manager at Prolife Foods says: “Consumers are looking for natural, less processed foods that contain no nasties. With this consumer background it’s no surprise that Mother Earth Honey and Natural Peanut Butter are growing at 74% and 29% respectively*.”

Honey is on trend. Popular as a traditional spread, natural sweetener (e.g. in hot drinks, smoothies), and baking or cooking ingredient.

The difference in flavour between honey types is substantial: clover has a mild flavour, bush honey a bolder flavour, while Manuka honey is strong. It comes down to each individual’s personal choice AND what the end use calls for. For example, in a smoothie you might use clover, and for homemade bliss balls bush honey for a bolder sweetness.

Basically where and when the hives are placed determines the honey’s flavour, e.g. near Manuka trees in their flowering season for Manuka. Bush honey is obviously bush-based hives, but there are many varieties of native trees in the bush giving nectar to bees who finally give us the honey with very different flavour profiles.

O’Sullivan says: “Mother Earth’s new Native Bush Honey is deliciously different: its Rewarewa content gives it a caramel flavour, Kamahi for buttery tones and Tawari for toffee hints.”

She adds: “Mother Earth’s Natural Peanut Butter is made with Hi Oleic peanuts (peanuts with the good fats) and has no additives, preservatives or sugar – just what consumers want. It’s classed as premium, a segment that’s driving category growth. Our Superfoods range is particularly popular: Chia Seed, LSA, and Ancient Grains growing at 68%*.”

Mossop’s supply their 100% natural range of New Zealand honeys, Mossop’s UMF Manuka honey lozenges and Mossop’s Manuka honey fudge. Among their new product launches in the last 12 months are Mossop’s UMF®10+ manuka and Mossop’s propolis lozenges, which have a minimum honey content of 82%. They come in four flavours, are gluten-free and have no added sugar.

“Mossop’s are also planning to launch their new Cough & Chest Elixir with UMF®10+ Manuka honey and Propolis in time for this coming winter,” reveals Venita Fabbro – National Sales and Marketing Coordinator.

She adds: “With counterfeit Manuka honey being such a hot topic, consumers are looking for tried and trusted brands that are transparent and able to prove the authenticity of their product.

“Mossop’s honey and honey-based products are highly sought after in rapidly expanding overseas markets and export growth figures indicate the desirability of their products. Our focus on providing a consistently high quality product, with minimal processing to keep the natural flavours and goodness of the honeys has earned us many loyal customers in New Zealand and around the world,” says Fabbro.

*Source: IRI MarketEdge, Total Key Accounts, MAT 19/3/17

Big milestone for Mossop’s Mossop’s is celebrating 70 years of producing and packaging top quality New Zealand honeys.

Current family owners Wendy and Neil Mossop are proud to see their children now taking over the business as the third generation.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

23

[ category insights ] Barker’s of Geraldine

BUYING CERES ORGANICS MEANS YOU ARE SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED INGREDIENTS AND CREATING A DISTRIBUTION CHAIN THAT IS BOTH ECOLOGICALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE.” MARIANNE WEBER, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, CERES ORGANICS

Barker’s of Geraldine continues to produce their spreads on the original family farm, including Anathoth Farm, which is their traditional recipe, batch made, slow cooked jam. Also Barker’s of Geraldine, which is made with more fruit and less sugar than the traditional jam recipe.

“We are also the proud importers and distributors of Bonne Maman; the superpremium jam from France made with the finest of ingredients,” says Sales and Marketing Manager, Danielle Esplin.

She comments: “With the category in decline, we have not launched any new flavours within Anathoth and Barker’s. The current challenges with consumer’s perceptions on sugar have driven our decision to not launch any new skus. We take the opportunity to continue educating consumers on the point of difference that Barker’s preserves offer, with a more modern approach to jam. The result is a fruitier, more flavoursome preserve, with less sugar - that needs to be kept in the fridge.

“We continue to support the distribution build of our newest jam brand, Bonne Maman. We have recently launched a Cherry and Peach flavour to increase our grocery range of Bonne Maman flavours to nine. After retailer requests, we increased the flavour range to ensure loyal customers can purchase their favourite flavours.

Esplin says: “The jam category remains flat (-0.6%) with most brands in decline unless they are promoting aggressively on price, which is not making an impact on category growth. Despite this, we are delighted to have our loyal customers stay with us, which offsets the category decline that is inevitably happening through the ‘war on sugar’.”

Ceres Organics “People used to buy peanut butter to eat it on toast, or make a peanut butter and jam sandwich if you were really branching out. Today people are buying nut and seed butters for a myriad of uses,” says Marianne Weber, Product Development Manager at Ceres Organics. She sees spreads as an ever evolving market. Consumers are buying jars of the nutty and seedy stuff to enhance baking, smoothies, sauces, ice cream, overnight oats, and more. “In line with this trend we’re also seeing an explosion of nut and seed butter varieties. Think of 24

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

an ingredient and you can probably find a butter that contains it,” says Weber.

At Ceres Organics they’re mainly focusing on classic nut and seed butters. “We think our nuts speak for themselves. They’re the hero of every jar,” says Weber. “Honest butters are still very much in style. More than ever consumers are checking labels looking for short lists of ingredients that they can understand: Certified Organic Peanuts, Sea Salt - it doesn’t get much simpler than that.”

Ceres Organics’ ongoing mission is educating consumers on the additional benefits of organics - besides the bodily ones. Weber explains: “Buying Ceres Organics means you are supporting sustainably produced ingredients and creating a distribution chain that is both ecologically and socially responsible.

“Take almonds: consumers saw a massive price hike when California experienced epic drought. Ceres Organics is doing their part to move reliance away from California to help ensure almonds have a sound future.”

Noel Josephson, the company’s Director states: “Now that almond prices have stabilized; we’ve passed on those price decreases on to consumers. We’re proud to be making efforts to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” It seems not all nuts are created equal.

Alfa One Alfa One is a brand with heritage, having been launched in NZ and Australia back in 2005 as the first Rice Bran Oil brand.

The brand offers a variety of Rice Bran Oils including a Non-Stick Baking Spray, BBQ Grill & Pan Spray, and a Special Reserve Brown Rice Oil. Alfa One also has four Rice Bran Oil spreads, including a new Dairy-Free Coconut Spread, which acts as a complete butter replacement - behaving just like a butter to spread, cook and bake with. All Alfa One products are proud to be palm-oil free.

Claire Broadbent, Brand Manager says: “Alfa One Rice Bran Oil 1-litre is the top-selling oil in the oil category (IRI MarketEdge TKA MAT to 12.03.17). Our Rice Bran Oil is high in natural antioxidants such as Vitamin E and Oryzonal, a naturally occurring plant sterol, which has been shown to reduce cholesterol absorption. Its superb cooking qualities come from the high smoke point, making it ideal for frying, grilling, stir-fries and baking, while also being perfect for salad dressing and baking, as it is light in flavour.”

NUTS. SEEDS. SALT. CRUSH ‘EM. Keeping food real since 1984.

[ category insights ] Pic’s Peanut Butter Pic Picot, Founder and CEO told FMCG Business: “Pic’s Peanut Butter, a simple, all natural spread with a cult like following, has revolutionised the peanut butter category in New Zealand. Despite launching at nearly twice the price of its competitors, Pic’s quickly became NZ’s market leader and now has a 38% (IRI MarketEdge April 2017) market share by value.

The brand has driven a whopping 111% growth in the nut spread category in just four years. A figure that continues to increase as hitherto non-peanut butter eaters NIELSEN DATA Total Supermarkets - CURRENT MAT to 26/03/2017 Val Sales

Val % Chg YA

T.Solid Fats And Liq Cooking Oils

$97,582,713

7.4

Olive

$43,820,238

12.3

Canola

$15,363,223

3.2

Rice Bran

$12,737,500

-1.3

Vegetable/Salad & Cooking Oils

$7,511,050

-1.7

Coconut

$7,123,581

15.4

Solid Oils

$2,248,491

3.4

Sesame

$1,689,983

20.7

Soya

$1,385,895

-3.0

Sunflower Oil

$1,385,783

-2.2

Seeded

$1,301,644

3.5

Avocado Oil

$1,277,949

5.7

Infused Oils

$935,719

68.3

Nut Oils

$801,452

1.0

Other

$207 Val Sales

0.0 Val % Chg YA

Total Spreads

$164,637,201

Honey

$56,889,640

5.7

Peanut Butter

$39,171,586

11.5

Jam

$27,162,288

0.5

Sweet Spreads

$17,270,690

2.1

Vegetable & Yeast Extracts

$16,135,568

-1.2

Marmalade

$6,821,798

-3.6

Savoury Spreads

$1,185,632

24.0

Total Butter And Margarine

$207,359,331

7.8

Butter

$119,805,594

16.8

Margarine (Excl Olive)

$46,942,064

-6.8

Olive Based Spreads

$22,637,952

-0.9

Butter & Margarine Blends

$13,779,184

3.5

Flavoured Butter

$2,780,384

35.1

Flavoured Margarine

$1,414,153

11.0

Val Sales

4.7

Val % Chg YA

discover that not all peanut butters were created equal.

Pic’s crunchy salted peanut butter won a gold star in the UK’s 2016 Great Taste Awards.”

Pics peanut butter comes in four varieties: crunchy or smooth, salted or unsalted, in 195g, 380g and 1Kg jars, as well as the 6-pack slugs (30g snack tubes) and single serve sachets. Pic’s also produces a full flavoured almond butter and incredibly moreish cashew butter.

Picot adds: “Pic’s extra virgin peanut oil is made of the same delicious Kingaroy nuts we use for our peanut butter and is great for cooking.

The light nutty flavour of the peanut oil makes it great in salad dressings, dips and marinades giving food a clean flavour. A bottle of Pic’s peanut oil and a bottle of good olive oil will have you prepared for almost any recipe those glossy food magazines can throw at you, but if you need further inspiration, our mates from Nelson’s Hopgoods restaurant have knocked up some special recipes for us - take a look at our website.”

Fix and Fogg peanut butter Fix and Fogg General Manager Thom Brooks told FMCG Business: “We are still a new brand to supermarkets, only entering the Foodstuffs Exchange and Progressive systems last year. Since 27 November 2016 we have experienced 247.7% growth in NZ grocery dollars (Nielsen).

“We have a new larger jar of our most popular variety - Super Crunchy - coming out soon, it is called Double Trouble and is 750g instead of 375g. We also have another variety to add to our line-up of Super Crunchy, Smooth, Smoke and Fire and Dark Chocolate. We also have a limited release planned for later in the year.”

What are the consumer trends in this category?

Brooks says “Consumers are continuing to look for healthy, interesting flavour combinations in the premium category.”

He adds: “We are really pleased to have been recently selected as a finalist in The Outstanding Food Producer Awards and are also nominated in the People’s Choice Awards.”

The FMCG Business team endeavours to produce a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients, plus a table of the freshest Nielsen data available at time of print. If you wish to contribute news for upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz.

26

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

[ profile ]

OLIVADO

MARKET LEADER IN FOOD TRENDS

E

stablished in 2000 as a pioneer in the New Zealand avocado oil industry, Olivado is now the largest producer of Extra Virgin Avocado Oil globally. This means Olivado (as seen on our cover) is able to meet demand at competitive prices.

The company supplies major supermarkets in New Zealand, such as Countdown and New World, and globally Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Whole Foods and Aldi, to name a few.

Why should supermarkets in New Zealand grow their oil offerings?

Business Development Manager Pip Llewellyn says: “As consumer demand moves away from the purchase of high volumes of traditional, refined cooking oils, Olivado has presented a range of extra virgin/cold pressed oils to take their place. Worldwide, top-shelf oil products are increasing in sales and salad and cooking oils sales are declining. Consumers have moved away from deep frying and heavy oil consumption and are choosing better quality varieties.” This is a worldwide trend.

The addition of avocado oil as a healthy cooking oil in the early 2000’s was quickly followed by the addition of nut and seed oils to the range to provide flavour and nutritional benefits. In the past two years, Olivado has introduced six new product lines.

Llewellyn says: “This month we deliver the latest additions to the range, which we look forward to seeing in both our major supermarkets in NZ and all good food retailers: • Natural Avocado Cooking Oil – 50% lower $’s per ml for everyday use – Avocado goes mainstream • Olivado is one of the largest suppliers of Coconut Oils in NZ. As this category matures we have identified another gap in the NZ market.

• Natural Liquid Coconut Oil - over the last 18 months Olivado has sourced/developed a premium Liquid Coconut oil. A convenient and nutritious option for our coconut oil loving customers

• Worldwide trends show consumer interest in this product is high and demand is in a growth phase as the coconut oil category sales plateau.”

Good oils, bad oils “Good oils offer health benefits; bad oils are health risks. Consumers need to understand what to look for in a good oil,” says Llewellyn.

“The best oils are cold pressed, extra virgin. They must be bottled correctly and must be stable. The bottles should be glass (or of a material impervious to oxygen) and coloured dark green or brown to keep light out.”

She adds: “The stability is also important. Unstable oil quickly becomes rancid, and rancid oils not only taste bad, they are unhealthy.

Quality cold pressed oils cost more because they are more difficult to produce. Llewellyn says: “Olivado sources its excellent quality olive oil from Spain because we can rely on every drop being the best cold pressed extra virgin oil, with low acidity and high smoke point and most important the highest polyphenols.

Why are cold pressed extra virgin oils necessary for a healthy diet?

Llewellyn says: “The body does not naturally produce omega 3 or 6, which affect brain development, the immune system, and general functioning of our organs.

Essential oils are as important to the body as an adequate intake of water.”

For daily use, the Olivado team recommends: • Good quality cold pressed extra virgin avocado oil for high heat cooking, meat, fish, seafood, vegetables and salads.

• Good quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for low heat cooking, salads and vegetables.

Each oil has different health benefits: The best olive oils contain high polyphenols (forheart health); avocado oil has the highest levels of beta-sitosterol (to reduce cholesterol and improve heart health), Vitamin E, lutein and lycopene (helping reduce prostate cancer and macular degeneration). A balanced diet can be achieved by using both oils, with excellent health benefits.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

27

Countdown’s new-look Health Food sections.

T

ONE STOP SHOP

he days of driving around and hunting through various specialist stores for supplements, remedies, vegan options and health food are over. Good supermarkets are now offering a comprehensive range of products for their customers, from over-the-counter medicines to vitamins, protein shakes, energy bars and glutenfree ingredients.

At a recent seminar for suppliers and media, the Countdown team revealed that they are on a mission this year to help customers make healthier choices. The supermarket chain is keen to be seen as “the green pantry” for local shoppers and is working hard to expand the Health Food, Wellness and ‘Free From’ product offer in stores. In addition, their private label grocery products are in the process of undergoing a nutritional review and some will be reformulated to reduce fat, sugar and salt contents.

Australian-owned Countdown is already seeing sales of health foods and vegetarian foods in double digit growth – these categories are worth $150 million to the retailer and growing three times faster than the rest of the products in store.

At least 65 Countdown stores have changed their layout to position dedicated health food sections at the end of the fresh produce aisle and the retailer will continue to roll out these health and wellness sections in its stores over the next year.

Meanwhile, shoppers looking for over-the-counter medicines in their supermarket will also find some new options on the shelf.

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Consumers save money by buying generic medicines In these times where consumers are constantly looking to save money, a clear option is to choose a generic medicine, says Deejay O’Dowd, Grocery Key Account Manager for Multichem.

He explains: “Consumers are faced with an extensive range of medicines in supermarkets, with a wide range of prices. Consumers may feel that the cheaper medicine offerings aren’t as good quality as the more expensive medicines, but this is not correct. This is due to the cheaper medicines being generic medicines.”

A generic medicine is an exact copy of a certain medication. Generic medicines will usually be cheaper than the original brand name version. Costs are lower because the company selling the generic version didn’t pay for research and development, and marketing of the original brand name medicine.

It’s important to note that generic medicines are exactly the same as the version originally developed by a big brand; the authorities require them to be what is termed ‘bioequivalent’. Bioequivalent means that generic medicines have the same active ingredient, take the same amount of time to work, are delivered to the body in the same way, and result in the same therapeutic effect (and side effects) on the body as the original medicine.

In New Zealand, all medicines that come into the country are regulated by Medsafe, which is a branch of Ministry of Health.

Medsafe ensures that any medicine reviewed by them in New Zealand

[ health & wellness ]

About 50,000 pieces of free fresh fruit are given away to kids in Countdown stores each week.

goes through the same quality and safety checks before the medicine can become available. Because generic medicines are bioequivalent, people can be assured that the generic medicine will act in the same way as an original/branded medicine.

Examples of generic medicines in New Zealand supermarkets are the ‘Ethics’

range, or private label medicines such as Pams in Foodstuffs, or Signature Range in Countdown.

O’Dowd says: “Generic medicines are highly regulated, safe to take, and work in the same way as the original medicine whilst giving consumers considerable cost savings.”

GENERIC MEDICINES ARE HIGHLY REGULATED, SAFE TO TAKE, AND WORK IN THE SAME WAY AS THE ORIGINAL MEDICINE WHILST GIVING CONSUMERS CONSIDERABLE COST SAVINGS.” DEEJAY O’DOWD, GROCERY KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER FOR MULTICHEM

Ethics offers quality products and excellent value for money.

• Ethics over the counter (OTC) products are formulated from top-quality ingredients, as are the heavily advertised brands.

• Ethics has a high degree of brand capital amongst consumers, as it was the first New Zealand medicinal brand to match the quality of the premium brands, at value for money prices.

• For the retailer Ethics offers an established and trusted medicinal brand with consumers.

• Ethics is marketed and distributed by Multichem, a New Zealand owned and operated company with over 50 years of experience in the New Zealand pharmaceutical industry.

• Available at selected New World, 4 Square and Pak n Save stores nationwide.

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RETAIL UNDER THE BLOWTORCH

Lew Bentley, Head of Shopper Marketing Strategy at Energi, sums up the highlights from the US Shopper Summit Conference.

O

ver three days in March the best American shopper marketers and agencies got together in New York City to discuss the state of the craft. The strong message to come through from many of the speakers was that retail is under the blowtorch.

Online sales are growing by 15% per year, and the penetration of purchasing online has increased from 22% to 79% since 2000.

Meanwhile, the number of retail stores in the US is declining massively. Since 2000 the number of retail destinations has dropped by an incredible 30%. Recent media reports featured the wholesale closure of stores across the country, including Macy’s (68 stores), Abercrombie & Fitch (60 stores), Guess (60 stores), RadioShack (552 stores), Rue21 (400 stores) and JC Penny (138 stores).

Perhaps the most dramatic news is the imminent demise of retail legend Sears (and K-Mart) being predicted*. While conducting my own retail research I visited Macy’s flagship store on Broadway in the garment district. There was a storewide 40% off sale in progress, although I was told I could get up to 80% off some items. A lady I spoke to had worked there since 1979 and confessed that she had never seen such desperation from management.

The brand that was repeatedly cited as the biggest game-changer was Amazon. While most traditional retailers were struggling, Amazon has been rolling out new products, launching new business platforms and investing massively in fleets of delivery jets and trucks. And they have started opening their own retail outlets.

A revolution in three parts The conference key-note speakers and workshop case studies painted a vivid picture of immense change that is nothing short of a revolution. A revolution made up of three inter-dependent parts.

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1. Rapidly advancing technology The conference showcased a dizzying array of new technology that is impacting on the shopping world on both the supply and demand side. Some of the highlights were: •T he rise of mobility as a means to empower how we can live and what we can do, whether it be placing the wearer at the centre of the world, or empowering things around us.

•T he shift of search from keyboards to voice activation, visual search and AI personal experts that are beginning to enrich our lives.

•T he internet of things is beginning to enter our lives in the form of Amazon Dash powered products that can re-order simple products automatically.

•D igital tools in-stores are allowing people to interact with products and promotional information in new and innovative ways.

•A ugmented and virtual reality are slowly emerging from technical novelty to genuinely valuable ways to enhance customer experiences.

•T he ability to identify, track and influence shoppers is becoming ever more sophisticated.

2. New business models The traditional notion of the store (or storehouse) packed with carefully laid out store keeping units is essentially a 200-year old concept.

Conventional assumptions and delivery infrastructure have perpetuated this operating model.

However, now the times are truly changing, and the emerging technologies are breeding new and disruptive business alternatives.

As one of the conference speakers, the ‘Retail Prophet’, Doug Stephens put it: “This is the end of the beginning of e-commerce”.

Online business is rapidly shifting from simple internet-based catalogues to a much

more immersive experiences with the shopper at the centre.

The emerging approaches are blurring the traditional constructs of location, media and paths to purchase. These are becoming less fixed, less linear and less defined by marketers for shoppers.

[ feature ]

Nowadays the store is everywhere, media is more immediate and paths to purchase are fluid, multi-dimensional and individualized.

Examples to illustrate these exciting new business models include: Amazon Go – the grocery store in Seattle in which you activate your app entering the store, choose what you want and then leave without queuing or consciously paying.

‘Just walk out’ technology tracks your shopping and records the transaction in your Amazon account.

Click & Collect – the new method of moving online store delivery to where and when you need it that is starting to appear here in New Zealand. It shifts the place of receiving goods bought online to one that is convenient to the shopper – at a pick-up kiosk, or lockers placed near transport hubs.

Robotic delivery – experiments are under way for ‘last mile’ delivery methods such as drones, driverless vehicles and robots.

Complementary collaborations – where complementary brands create new levels of value, such as Jaguar’s collaboration with Shell and PayPal allowing Jaguar drivers to fill up and drive away.

Subscriptions – services that disrupt traditional ways of buying things. My Food Bag is a local hero in this space, but there are many others emerging. Rent the Runway is one that lets shoppers rent expensive gowns and accessories for that big night out.

3. Changing shopper behaviour The changes in technology, and the new business models that are emerging are creating change in how shoppers behave.

Key-note speaker Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL gave a presentation on the new shopper. The ugly truth is that a great deal of retail is mediocre, and that shoppers are no longer putting up with poor experiences.

Today there are new, exciting, innovative and more satisfying alternatives available.

Today’s shoppers are much more in control due to a higher quality of information available and the availability of genuinely better shopping alternatives.

Evolving shopper demands expect more value. By this they don’t just mean dollar value. Value is increasingly being defined in terms of alternative currencies such as time saving, or easing the load, or learning, or happiness, or conscious consumption, or social equity.

Within this context there are new success stories that don’t adhere to the traditional rules. There is a rise in ‘ankle-biter’ brands that offer something refreshingly different and better. They appeal to niche quality and integrity, rather than

mass-market compromise. Craft beers, or boutique food brands are cases in point.

Where a brand name has traditionally been a guarantee of quality, now other factors are seen as strong contributors to trust. For example, Trip Advisor has disrupted the travel market and is driven by the transparency of user ratings. Reviewer ratings speak to the truth of customer experience and can exert enormous influence. Joanna D. is the #1 Amazon hall of Fame Reviewers. She is personally linked to $36 million in sales.

So what is the future for retail?

Despite the stern dose of pessimism, there was a bright ray of hope in the conference for retail. But a new way of thinking about retail; not more of the same old mediocrity that encourages people to buy online.

The vision for the future of retail is within the context of multiple channels that work together in a complementary way. Retail stores can do what other channels can’t: provide physical customer experiences.

The vision presented for the future was that retail stores transition from inventorydriven places designed to convert sales into environments that create brand converts through inspiration and story-telling. Where people might fall for the brand or product in-store but purchase online if it is more convenient to do so.

The challenge is to expand the measurement of retail success from hard transaction metrics only, to the addition of more digital media metrics of unique and repeat visitors, dwell time, product interaction and the perceived quality of experiences. * https://www.businessinsider.com.au/searsproblems-loom-large-2016-12?r=US&IR=T

Some big questions to ponder The trends portrayed at the conference are not fantasy. As William Ford Gibson said: “The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.”

New Zealand business owners need to consider what is starting to happen and ask themselves three challenging questions: 1. W hat are the disruptive influences that are likely to hit our category, and how futureproof are we?

2. What are we doing to challenge mediocrity in our category?

3. H ow is shopper behaviour evolving in our category, and what are we doing to enrich their experiences?

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

33

[ good business ]

Four Square gives St John a very square deal

Photo credit: Bennie Builders

Six years of generosity from Four Square stores has culminated in more than $750,000 worth of support for St John – enabling free shuttle transport for South Islanders to essential services. April 27 saw the latest instalment of $115,000 being given to St John, which will cover the purchase of two new shuttles for residents in remote communities.

Steve Alexander, Four Square Group Manager says it is a privilege to continue the Four Square South Island and St John relationship.

Increase

your

candy sales

“We both share very similar values of looking after all our locals throughout the Mainland. We are very proud of the past six years’ support to St John directly from our members and look forward to the future.”

St John Health Shuttles provide and essential service to communities in the South Island. It is a free transport service for people who have appointments with hospitals, doctors and other health-related services.

The gifting and dedication of the new health shuttles took place outside Four Square Arrowtown (pictured). There are 280 Four Square stores across the country, offering a range of groceries, fresh produce, meat, chilled beer and wines.

Did you know?

St John is a charity that has existed in New Zealand since 1885 and is part of a global organisation known as the Order of St John, which is active in more than 40 countries.

with...

Mentos brand growing at 13.4% vs YA*, ahead of the category

1 in 3 confectionery shoppers are looking for something new monthly** Strawberry Mix has the highest purchase intent and most likely to be incremental*** Source * AZTEC Confectionery MAT Data to 26/03/17 ** Shopperpedia Confectionery Deep Dive 2016 *** Harvest Insights Research 2016

NEW STRAWBERRY MIX AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME Contact your DKSH New Zealand Limited representative for more information.

[ good business ]

A helping hand for Kiwi communities Fonterra got right behind our national communities they live and work in,” bird last year - supporting the he said. conservation efforts of the Whakatane Whakatane has come to be known as Kiwi Trust. By funding special track the ‘Kiwi capital of the world’, with the surveillance cameras Fonterra Grass trust playing a vital role in protecting and Roots Fund has allowed the trust to growing the district’s Kiwi population. help keep watch of their feathered Fonterra Grass Roots Fund also helped friends 24/7. the trust buy predator traps to keep Now for hundreds more New Zealand bringing down numbers of stoats, ferrets community groups and organisations, and other harmful predators in the Young Kiwi “Terra” now has special monitoring help is on its way from our largest dairy scenic Whakatane Kiwi reserves. thanks to track surveillance funded by Fonterra. company. The Fonterra Grass Roots Every year, the Fonterra Grass Roots Fund has received a record 914 applications for its latest round of Fund supports more than 300 community initiatives that help funding. Fonterra Global Sponsorship Manager Kane Silcock says maintain vibrant, healthy and safe communities, enrich people’s there has been a pleasing increase in applications, especially from lives and benefit their local communities. Grants range from $500 rural safety groups such as Volunteer Fire, Surf Life Saving, Search to $5,000 for projects that fit into one of three categories: ‘Bringing and Rescue, Coastguard, and all the Rescue Helicopter services. communities together’, ‘caring for our environment’ and ‘making our “This is one of the ways our farmers give back to the heart of the communities safer’.

NEW CHUPA CHUPS BUBBLE GUM FILLED LOLLIPOPS AVAILABLE NOW Contact your DKSH New Zealand Limited representative for more information.

[ Buy NZ Made ]

Picking the best: the value of single origin food labelling

K

Trina Snow Manager Buy NZ Made www.buynz.org.nz

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

A similar percentage of people indicated a nowing where their food is grown, made clear preference for buying produce that is or packaged is becoming increasingly New Zealand grown. important for consumers. They want Their reasons ranged from a desire to support to make clear, informed decisions about what local producers and our economy, to ethical they’re buying and eating. So for those businesses providing the goods, it makes sense to have a clear reasons such as protesting working conditions in a particular country, or avoiding system in place – and to use it. the environmental impact of Now is an especially good importing goods from overseas. time to be considering the And of course, there is always a value of food labelling, with question of quality. With reports the Consumers’ Right to Know of some imported foods such as (Country of Origin of Food) tomatoes being irradiated and Bill currently before parliament.

71% OF KIWIS sold with no clear labelling and If passed, the Bill will make it frozen berries carrying Hepatitis mandatory for the country of ARE ACTIVELY it’s little wonder customers are origin to be identified clearly on LOOKING TO SEE A, looking for a qualified mark they fruit and vegetables, and other WHERE GOODS can trust. single component foods at the Whatever the motivation, the point of sale, so customers can HAVE BEEN demand is clear – and we’re not instantly tell where their food GROWN AND the only country to be looking items have come from. closely at what that means for That system has been available PROCESSED.” suppliers and retailers. for some time through the Buy Our neighbours in Australia NZ Made campaign, with an are one of a number of countries who have already instantly recognisable symbol for products that are introduced mandatory Country of Origin Labelling grown, processed and created locally. for their food products. Their system means What’s especially important for producers and consumers can tell at a glance how much of the retailers to understand is that customers genuinely produce is Australian made, even if only one of the want this information. A recent study conducted ingredients is local.

by ConsumerNZ and Horticulture New Zealand This process can be complicated where products showed 71% of Kiwis are actively looking to see are sourced from several different places and where goods have been grown and processed. the company is required to show what percentage is from Australia.

However, it shows the level of transparency that consumers both want and deserve.

Thankfully, the process is a lot simpler for single source products such as fruits and vegetables. And considering how frequently those items feature on shoppers’ lists, you could argue it would be short sighted not to.

Put simply, having a product that is 100% grown, processed or made entirely in New Zealand is a major drawcard and one that it makes sense to embrace, regardless of legislation. The customers are lining up to grab them.

All you have to do is add the Buy NZ Made label, so they know.

[ profile ]

R

Rainbow expands

ainbow Confectionery, manufacturers of branded and private label confectionery, recently completed a multimillion dollar expansion of their Oamaru factory.

The Oamaru factory currently pumps out more than 3,000 tonnes of sweets every year, including 10 million marshmallow Easter eggs.

This latest investment will enable the company to boost production capacity and create further employment opportunities with the expected continued growth in sales. Rainbow Confectionery currently employ nearly 80 permanent staff peaking to around 120 during seasonal periods, a major contribution to North Otago’s economy.

The company’s product portfolio includes branded product such as ‘Rainbow’, ‘Regina’, and ‘Awesome Value’, as well as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas products. Rainbow Confectionery also supplies the route and food service channels.

Rainbow Confectionery are proudly New Zealand owned and believe in the importance of offering New Zealanders locally made confectionery. ‘Awesome Value’ is a well-established brand that plays

a category role of high volume and high margin for stores while “keeping it local”. This strategy saw the brand grow by +6.4% in value during 2016 (TKA, MAT to 01/01/17).

Similarly, the new ‘Awesome Naturals’ range is designed to encapsulate Kiwi lolly nostalgia, while equally catering for today’s lifestyle preferences e.g. containing no artificial flavours and colours and is also gluten free. ‘Awesome Naturals’ are packed full of fun surprises, such as Milk Bottles - made just the way Milk Bottles should be made - with 50% real NZ milk (as opposed to many brands of Milk Bottles that are now dairy free). Other highlights within this new range include ‘Rattlesnakes’ with a sour apple sting in the tail, ‘Fizzy Bottles’ with moreish flavours based on favourite fizzy drinks including a tangy fizz, and ‘Nuts n Bolts’, shapes that can be eaten by themselves or fitted together (RRP $2.79, supported by competitive promotions and instore support).

For further information, call 03 4371847 or email sales@rainb0w.co.nz. www.rainbowconfectionery.co.nz

[ legal advice ]

Is the construction site next door affecting your business?

E

Katie Lynch-Watson is a Barrister and Solicitor at Steindle Williams Legal specialising in the area of litigation and dispute resolution.

STEINDLE WILLIAMS LEGAL LIMITED www.swlegal.co.nz

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

nduring a big development going on next door to vehicles or other property. Any damage caused by works on a neighbouring development is the can be a very difficult situation for a business developer’s responsibility and they are liable to fix it owner. The issue becomes more complex to without delay. resolve as property owners are dealing with not one If you are concerned the construction site person, but a minefield of contractors, companies, is dangerous then your first step should be to and developers. document whatever is going on, including taking A development must be granted resource consent photos if relevant, then speak to the Site Manager before undertaking significant building works, and head developer to ensure the activity causing particularly in the case of large apartment or office danger ceases immediately. In the case of serious blocks. Resource consents are publicly available, incidents, these should be reported to Worksafe so contact your local Council if you would for the record regardless of whether the underlying like to read over the restrictions set down for a issue has been resolved. neighbouring development.

Each Council has specific noise limitations which specify Airspace what time noisy construction A property owner owns the airspace works may start in the morning, above their property up to an what time they must end, and undefined height. Any building what days of the week have works which cross over into the reduced construction hours. space above your land, including ANY DAMAGE Each development will also be cranes and scaffolding are treated issued a resource consent which CAUSED BY by law as being on your land and will usually specify maximum developers cannot undertake such WORKS ON A decibel readings for the activities without your express construction noise, and often consent.

NEIGHBOURING will even include obligations You cannot be unreasonable in DEVELOPMENT IS withholding to do decibel readings every so your consent to access, THE DEVELOPER’S as your neighbour is entitled to apply often to ensure the developers are sticking to the regulations. to the Court under the Property RESPONSIBILITY Law Act to get permission to access your airspace or land temporarily.

Works blocking access AND THEY ARE to your shopfront LIABLE TO FIX IT.” The Courts will assess whether it is reasonable and fair, while taking Construction works in front into account the public good of the of your building can have a development, to allow the developer to temporarily significant impact on customer access and parking.

Developments as a general rule cannot utilise public use your airspace or land to complete their development. The Courts will usually order a sum land such as pavements or berms in front of other of money be paid to the property owner in return people’s private properties, however this can change for use of the airspace or land, so it pays to try and if their resource consent allows such use, or if the come to a mutually beneficial agreement with the development is being run by the Council. It always developer before getting the Courts involved. pays to carefully check the resource consent to check whether they are keeping to the confines of what has been approved.

Resolving issues The most important factor in resolving any kind of neighbour dispute is to ensure there is an open Debris and ongoing dialogue with your neighbours. On a This comes under nuisance laws and your construction site the Site Manager is the person to neighbour is not entitled to have excess debris or talk to, however it is important to speak with the water caused by their building works coming on to developers directly as they are the ones who hold your property. the ultimate control and liability. It is very likely you Debris coming from a construction site can often will be asked for various favours throughout the cause staff or customer vehicles to become covered construction period so it is important to know what in construction dust, or in the worst cases of your rights are and what you do and do not have to overzealous hydro demolition, painting, and other put up with. construction activities can cause serious damage

[ FGC ]

Retail crime hits store owners hard

T

against the shopkeeper, if not an actual assault ON he supermarket owner summed it up in two the shopkeeper. sentences: “I simply wouldn’t operate the Anecdotal evidence from FMCG retailers to the store without having the guards, nowadays.

Food and Grocery Council backs the reasons for This is now a business cost that we just have to non-reporting. I have also heard from both the factor in.” major supermarket chains that it’s more often than This had nothing to do with keeping the peace not about organised gangs going through stores in a in his car park, or anything like that. Rather it was real routine. about his response to the rapidly growing incidence of retail crime.

From the day the store opened he has had a What to do? security guard on duty from 7am-10pm, seven Retailers are doing what they can, but it’s an days a week. He also has had CCTV cameras in expensive business and not everyone can afford it. his store, with the footage reviewed weekly by a Police also do their best with the resources they have, security company. and most agree their focus must remain on threats to All this costs him more than $100,000 a year – life and limb, and crimes against the person. money he would rather be putting Retail NZ has ideas to tackle the into lower prices and supporting the issue: more resources for a Police local community. But he accepts it’s Retail Crime Taskforce that sets just another cost of doing business, targets and attacks the issue; a like employing cleaners or paying his social investment programme that fire insurance. encourages people to respect the law, These measures are not just there to and understand the impact of crime IT’S REAL deter amateur opportunists who stuff and the importance of property rights; goods into bags or under oversize an infringement notice regime for AND IT’S jackets, but also for those who look to offences that works like speeding THREATENING petty cheat their way through self-checkout tickets, where Police impose fines.

LIFE AND kiosks by scanning a $12 bottle of The Food and Grocery Council wine twice when one is worth $50. endorses the report and the ideas in LIMB AND It’s also there for the organised gangs it. Though retail crime is not a cost to INCOMES.” who embark on large-scale theft. suppliers, it’s clearly hitting retailers It’s a sad indictment that retail crime is forcing hard, and Retail NZ’s ideas are worthy of exploration retail businesses to take such measures to and consideration. protect their livelihoods. And it’s not just the big We cannot brush this issue under the carpet supermarkets – it’s also the corner dairies who because, to retailers who have their doors open suffer awful attacks, but which are too small to every day to people off the street, it’s real and it’s employ guards. threatening life and limb and incomes.

Retail NZ detailed the scale of the problem in a report that concluded retail crime is increasing year-on-year to such an extent that it’s having a significant economic impact up and down the country. When credit card fraud and e-crime is added in, it’s an impact that’s estimated at a whopping $1 billion a year.

Retail NZ says retailers frequently don’t report incidents because Police don’t treat them as a priority, and because the prosecution process is cumbersome and time-consuming. The Government says it’s going down because there are fewer convictions.

It seems to me that, in addition to Retail NZ’s claims, retailers are also shrugging their shoulders because the law has no teeth. They often don’t confront suspected shoplifters because physically restraining them can result in a claim of assault

Katherine Rich Chief Executive NZ Food & Grocery Council www.fgc.org.nz

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

39

[ good business ]

Strengthen your reputation with good privacy practices

P John Edwards Privacy Commissioner privacy.org.nz

rivacy in business is a bit of a doubleedged sword. Good privacy practices can be a valuable asset, as people will be more inclined to work with businesses that they trust. On the other hand, poor practices can be a liability, not just because of the expense of paying a settlement or a judgement, but also because of the potential for ongoing reputational damage.

Reputational damage has become particularly relevant over the past couple years, as our office has created a “naming policy,” where we publicly name agencies that breach people’s privacy. We reserve this step for particular circumstances, such as when a privacy breach is particularly harmful, when an agency doesn’t engage with our investigation process, or when we need to warn consumers about non-compliance or risky practices.

The following two cases are examples of agencies we’ve named in the past, and both have relevant lessons for any business owner or employee.

Don’t mislead customers

WHEN YOU COLLECT INFORMATION, THE PRIVACY ACT REQUIRES YOU TO GIVE A REASON FOR COLLECTING THAT INFORMATION.”

When you collect information, the Privacy Act requires you to give a reason for collecting that information, and prevents you from using that information for reasons other than the reason you originally gave.

Expressions Sessions is a photography business. It offered a woman a free photo shoot for her children, after which she had the option to purchase the photos from that photo shoot. She took them up on it, and ultimately declined to purchase the photos.

Two years later, she saw the photos used in a variety of advertising materials, including a large print poster in a mall.

We found that this was a serious breach of the Privacy Act, because when people give information to agencies, they need to be able to trust that those agencies will respect that information. Expression Sessions misled the woman about almost everything – how long the photos would be stored, who would see them and why they were taken in the first place.

Looking after information The Privacy Act requires agencies to safely store personal information, and to give people access to their own information when asked. This issue often comes up in disputes.

This was the case when an employee left TD Drilling, and filed a complaint with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) not long after. In order to support his complaint, he needed some information that TD Drilling held about him. He asked for the information, but received no response.

40

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

When we investigated the case, TD Drilling told us that the information had been lost. We found that this was a serious breach of the Privacy Act, as the information had a direct impact on the man’s ability to argue his ERA case. We publicly named TD Drilling because of its serious negligence and its poor conduct throughout our investigation.

What can you do?

The best way to avoid being named is to avoid a complaint in the first place. We’ve developed a variety of tools that can help you develop strong privacy practices: • AskUs: This is interactive FAQ on our website that has hundreds of privacy questions and answers. We’re constantly adding new content, so if you can’t find the answer to your question, there’s a box you can fill out to let us know.

We’ll use your response to write new questions and answers that solve your issue. Check it out at privacy.org.nz/ask • Online training: Everyone in your organisation should have at least a basic understanding of privacy. Our online training is free, accessible from anywhere, and you can do it at your own pace. The Privacy 101 module is a good place to start for any business. We also have a module that is focussed specifically on employment coming soon, so keep an eye out. You can access the online training at privacy.org.nz/e-learning • Priv-o-matic: If you collect personal information (and almost every business does), you need a privacy statement telling people what you’re collecting and why you’re collecting it, along with some other information. This can be an effort to write from scratch, so we developed a tool that writes one for you in five minutes. All you need to do is answer a few questions. Go to Privacy.org.nz/ priv-o-matic.

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[ events ]

CROWNE PLAZA CHRISTCHURCH OFFERS NEW EVENT SPACES

T

he new Crowne Plaza Christchurch is setting itself up for business success – with the launch of four modern and versatile event and conferencing spaces. The eagerly-awaited property is now open for bookings and will be the largest upscale hotel in the Christchurch CBD with 204 rooms.

Crowne Meetings Manager Phoebe Zwarts said the hotel was “delighted” to bring additional business event capacity to central Christchurch. “This hotel offers a range of inspiring workshop or brainstorming places to meet and connect, all delivered with our signature Crowne Plaza service,” she said.

“We’re offering four spaces specifically designed to ensure the success of any client’s business function, with the flexibility to accommodate a range of events from smaller meetings through to largescale presentations.”

Located on the first floor of the landmark hotel there are three separate boardrooms featuring views of the Victoria Square parkland, and a larger premium meeting space. The Golden Fleece room seats up to 150 theatre or cocktail style, or 90 banquet style, and includes dual projection screens and built-in audio.

The Ellis, Gartner and Oram rooms cater for 10 to 14 guests boardroom style. Groups can combine two or all three of the rooms for a medium-sized space filled with natural light.

The names of the meeting spaces pay homage to the early history of Victoria Square. One of the city’s first hotels, The Golden Fleece, once occupied the site of the new Crowne Plaza.

The brand new rooms and meeting spaces offering the latest technology are online now for bookings from 1 August 2017, and Zwarts said they would be “a great step forward” for the regenerating city.

Other spaces within the hotel available for event bookings include Café 1851 on the ground-floor, the stunning 80-seat Market Place Restaurant or even the cosy first-floor hotel library.

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

An artist’s impression of Crowne Plaza Christchurch’s exterior view from Victoria Square.

Photo credit Weir Architecture

The new Crowne Plaza Christchurch will add four flexible event and conferencing spaces to the city.

Photo credit Designworks

Groups staying at the hotel are guaranteed a great night’s sleep – with new beds in comfortable ‘zen-like’ rooms and a range of flexible Executive, Deluxe and Superior configurations.

Conference guests can stay connected throughout the hotel with free WiFi. Guest room technology includes Samsung smart TV’s with Bluetooth connectivity, mobile device mirroring and USB docks.

The new hotel’s central location means guests can step out of the front door with city attractions, shops and entertainment, and Hagley Park’s green open spaces on the doorstep.

Conference or meetings bookers are recognised and rewarded for choosing

CROWNE PLAZA CHRISTCHURCH IS SETTING ITSELF UP FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS – WITH THE LAUNCH OF FOUR MODERN AND VERSATILE EVENT AND CONFERENCING SPACES.” Crowne Plaza Christchurch with the IHG Business Rewards programme. Points can be redeemed for free room nights, gift vouchers and an extensive range of other offers.

With the opening of the new Crowne Plaza Christchurch, IHG will operate six properties in New Zealand including Crowne Plaza hotels in Auckland, Queenstown and Christchurch, two Holiday Inn properties in Rotorua and at Auckland Airport, and the InterContinental Wellington.

EVENT DETAILS Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th September 9am – 5pm, The Cloud, Queens Wharf, Auckland

The Chocolate & Coffee Show is back!

NEW DATES, NEW FEATURES, NEW COMPETITIONS AND A BRAND NEW LOOK FOR 2017

The 4th annual Chocolate and Coffee Show is a purely consumer event dedicated to showcasing the talents and successes of these and related businesses. It is an annual extravaganza of indulgent tastes, textures and aromas to surprise and delight the many thousands of visitors that attend.

New features include a dedicated Barista Zone presentation area, Artisan Marketplace, lounge, kids area plus new competitions and presenters to be announced in the popular Demonstration Kitchen.

The consumer audience tends to skew Female with a 25-54 age group‌and they

have money to spend on their favourite indulgences. So you can focus your efforts on introducing your products to a targeted and interested audience.

Any related offerings of indulgence are welcome at the show including beverages such as tea, milks, flavoured milks and liquor through to cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, gelatos, homewares through to florists, gift baskets and much more.

A comprehensive consumer advertising and PR campaign leading into the event will drive over 6,000 visitors over the weekend. Our social media followers exceed 10,000 alone!

For stand options and pricing head to www.chocolatecoffeeshow.co.nz/exhibitors

STAKE YOUR CLAIM NOW FOR A GREAT POSITION AT THE CHOCOLATE AND COFFEE SHOW 2017 To discuss bringing your brand to life at The Chocolate and Coffee Show, please contact

FROM ONLY $325.00 + GST in the new Artisan Marketplace through to larger 3m x 3m stands at $1800.00 + GST

Angela Bowes abowes@intermedianz.co.nz 021 130 6824

Dale Spencer dspencer@intermedianz.co.nz 021 361 136

[ events ]

New Zealand’s next top butcher

T

he knives are out as the search begins for the best butchers in New Zealand, with entries for the 2017 Alto Butcher and Competenz Butcher Apprentice of the Year officially open.

Stalwarts of the industry now have their chance to showcase their skills as the age requirement has been dropped from what was previously known as the Alto Young Butcher of the Year. Head Judge, Matt Grimes has been involved with the competition for over 10 years and thinks the changes to this year’s event will make it even more competitive.

“I’m hoping that butchers who have been in the trade for years will jump at the opportunity to sharpen their knives and step up to prove their skills against the fresher faced of the industry,” says Grimes.

Entrants in both categories, will first compete in one of three regional heats with the top butcher and apprentice in each area moving on to the Grand Final. In each category, another seven butchers will be selected nationally, based on their regional scores to produce ten finalists. During the regional heats, each butcher must complete a practical cutting test in which they will have two hours to turn a whole beef sirloin, pork shoulder and a size 20 chicken into a display of value-added products.

The 20 butchers who make it to the Grand Final will be put

NZ butcher Jeremy Garth in action.

through their paces once again in front of industry who will be interested in the potential of what these butchers bring to the table.

The Grand Final will be held at Shed 10 in Auckland on Thursday 31 August, with the overall winners, who will each receive an international study tour, being announced at a black-tie dinner following the competitions.

Entries to the competitions close on Wednesday 31 May 2017.

The dates for the regionals are: South Island - Saturday 10 June Lower North Island – Friday 16 June Upper North Island - Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July

Competition Entries Now Open 27th - 30th July 2017

www.nzchefs.org.nz

Over 70 individual competitions from Kiwi Kids Can Cook, Dilmah High Tea, The Curry Cup, Senior Lifestyle, Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef and Junior Pastry Chef of the Year, Commis and Training Chef of the Year as well as Service Person, Cocktail Champion and Barista of the Year, plus many more.

All competition details and entry forms now available on www.nzchefs.org.nz NZChefs thanks all our sponsors including these key supporters for our Of the Year Awards: • Moffat • Southern Hospitality • BlueRock • Hospitality Business • Equagold • Bartercard • Hospitality Training Trust • Orb Coffee Many other companies support this event, for the full list please visit our website and be sure to support the companies that support our industry.

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Big investment for Expo 2020

E

conomic Development Minister Simon Bridges has announced that the Government will spend $53 million to showcase New Zealand at Expo 2020 in Dubai, in an attempt to boost trade in the region and beyond.

Expo 2020 will contain three thematic areas: opportunity, sustainability and mobility – and New Zealand has been invited to participate in the sustainability precinct.

Bridges says the New Zealand pavilion would allow Kiwi businesses to highlight their innovative products and services and open doors to new export markets. The last New Zealand display at an international Expo was in Shanghai 10 years ago.

Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has been one of the fastest growing markets of the past decade.

New Zealand is close to completing a free trade agreement with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Dubai organisers expect about 180 nations to participate and New Zealand is among the first to confirm attendance.

New Zealand has strong air connections with Dubai through Emirates’ daily flights from Auckland and Christchurch. Qatar Airways has also begun daily flights from Auckland to Doha, across the Gulf from Dubai.

International Expos trace their origins back to the Great Exhibition in Crystal Palace, London in 1851.

Strong presence is vital Having a strong presence at World Expo 2020 in Dubai is a vital part of New Zealand’s strategy to diversify and to strengthen other growing markets for food products and services, says NZ Food and Grocery Council Chief Executive Katherine Rich.

“Showcasing New Zealand at the Dubai 2020 Expo gives our country another great opportunity to tell our story to high-value consumers. Appearing at such an expo has to be done well because it’s a sophisticated market with very high expectations. If we are to continue to offer quality products and services to the world then we have to present our country with a quality presence that impresses and resonates.

“World Expo 2020 will attract premium travellers from all over the world, so it’ll be a fantastic opportunity to showcase our products and services to that part of the world,” says Rich.

“I know that many members of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council will welcome the announcement of New Zealand’s participation, and will be working hard to make sure New Zealand’s involvement is to the benefit of our economy and all Kiwis.”

For more information visit: http://expo2020dubai. ae/#expoDubai2020

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Events 2017 MAY

AUGUST

20-21 Healthy Food Guide LIVE! Incorporating the Gluten Free Food & Allergy Show North Shore Events Centre, Auckland www.healthyfoodlive.co.nz/ directory/gluten-allergy-show/ auckland/

23-24 C&I Expo Co-located with AACS Convenience Leaders Summit, AACS Peter Jowett Convenience Industry Awards Judging and AACS Gala Awards Dinner Sydney, Australia www.candiexpo.com.au

26 NZ Ice Cream Awards Auckland, New Zealand www.nzicecream.org.nz 26-28 THE FOOD SHOW WELLINGTON Westpac Stadium Wellington, NZ www.foodshow.co.nz

31-1 JUNE The AACS Downunder Study Tour https://secure.eventswithmoore. com.au/aacs/2017/

JUNE 4-5 Naturally Good Expo ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre Sydney, Australia naturallygood.com.au

JULY 28-31 THE FOOD SHOW AUCKLAND ASB Showgrounds Auckland, NZ www.foodshow.co.nz

15

30-1 SEPT. Anufood Peking, China www.anufoodchina.com

SEPTEMBER 2 Grocery Charity Ball The Langham Auckland, NZ 23-24 The Chocolate & Coffee Show The Cloud, Auckland www.chocolatecoffeeshow.co.nz

OCTOBER 7-11 Anuga Cologne, Germany www.anuga.com 28-29 Healthy Food Guide LIVE! Incorporating the Gluten Free Food & Allergy Show Pioneer Recreation & Sport Centre, Christchurch www.healthyfoodlive.co.nz/ directory/gluten-allergy-show

Visit the websites and contact the event organisers for further details and updates.

To have your event listed in FMCG Business email: trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

45

[ social sphere ]

Out & About

m (GM ell and Francie Needha StarJam CEO Mary Ans the 2017 event in Auckland for an at y) rap The ce Dan Foundation.

Newman’s Own charity beneficiaries of Paul

American consumers picked the New Zealandborn Envy apple as their favourite in a consumer competition run by the U.S. Apple Association.

iness - starting in its 120th year in bus to Thailand) T&G Global celebrated King (NZ Ambassador Ben R) to (L d. ilan Global T&G h Bangkok, Tha wit er) sion (NZ Trade Commis ren Drury. and Karen Campbell ah McCormack and Dar Sar ers nag Ma l era Executive Gen

SNAP & WIN! 46

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

The judging panel at the 2017

Has your team moved to new premises, or been part of a fun event, great harvest, or promotional activity? Send us your favourite snapshots to be in the draw to win a Hubbards Granola and Creamy Porridge prize pack (value $45) featuring their new Apple & Cinnamon and Banana & Almond Creamy Porridges. Wake up to a warming winter breakfast from Hubbards. For more information visit www.hubbards.co.nz

Just email your high res image with a caption to trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Golden Lamb Awards, aka the Glammies.

RARE BEER

PROWEIN 2017

■

CHARDONNAY

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MEET THE WINEMAKER

NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST LIQUOR AUDIENCE

[ editorial & news ]

The Shout at ProWein 2017!

The Shout Editor Charlotte Cowan

EARLIER THIS year, more than 6,500 exhibitors from 60 countries, including more than 70 separate New Zealand wineries, headed to Düsseldorf to take part in the world’s largest wine fair, ProWein 2017.

Intermedia Group Publisher James Wells flew to Germany to get the lowdown from the Kiwi and Aussie contingent showcasing their varieties on the world stage – take a look at what they had to say on pgs 48-50.

Also in this issue, award-winning beer writer Neil Miller takes a look at the rarest and most expensive beers in the world – beard beer anyone?! And Cameron Douglas shares his insights on a few charming Chardonnays.

For more of New Zealand’s leading liquor news, head to www.theshout.co.nz and sign up to our dedicated fortnightly eNewsletter and make sure you ‘like’ us on Facebook @theshoutnz.

Albariño tipped as the new Sauvignon Blanc TWO OF New Zealand’s most respected wineries - Villa Maria and Babich – have named Albariño as one of the next big white varietals, following the blazing trail set by Sauvignon Blanc.

Villa Maria Chief Operating Officer, Richard Thomas, has confirmed he will be introducing Albariño to Australia later this year, after successfully selling it into the New Zealand domestic market, as well as the UK market.

“We are continuously increasing our plantings of Albariño as we believe it has a really interesting future as a major white varietal from New Zealand. We are still only in the early stages, but each year we sell everything we make so we see great growth potential,” he says.

“The question for us will be which channel in Australia will be interested, and which partners will want to take it. We are still yet to have these discussions, but it is a great opportunity for the right buyers.

“Albariño is a Spanish grape that has really good fruit characteristics. It is for people who have enjoyed Sauvignon Blanc but perhaps are wanting something different. They may not be comfortable or ready to move on to Chardonnay, but they still want a wine with a distinctive flavour,” says Thomas.

According to Babich Wines General Manager, David Babich, the 2016 vintage of his Albariño is one of his favourite wines.

“We feel as though we have nailed the 2016 vintage. You know you have a wine right, when you are drinking a lot of it. This vintage has given us a lot more confidence with Albariño, my feeling is it is going to be niche, but then again we thought Sauvignon Blanc was going to be niche too, you just don’t know.”

Back in black!

PUBLISHED BY The Intermedia Group Ltd 505 Rosebank Road, Avondale Auckland, 1026, New Zealand ph: 021 361 136 MANAGING DIRECTOR-PUBLISHER Dale Spencer dspencer@intermedianz.co.nz EDITOR Charlotte Cowan ccowan@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 774 080 SALES MANAGER Angela Bowes abowes@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 130 6824

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

STEINLAGER HAS released a limited edition all black Steinlager Classic can in support of the All Blacks vs Lions rugby tour next month.

Michael Taylor from Steinlager says: “The Brits will be loud and proud when the Lions arrive, faces painted, chanting and waving their red flags. We’re calling on all Kiwis to black out this June. We’re excited to have the new-look black can available and hope New Zealanders will enjoy it too!”

Expected to sell out fast, the Steinlager Classic black cans will be available from 1st June in 12-can supporters packs, RRP $24.99.

[ news & industry insights ]

World’s most admired wine brands revealed!

GLOBAL BEVERAGE journal Drinks International has revealed its annual list of ‘The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands’ and five New Zealand wineries feature in the top 50.

More than 200 wine industry experts - including writers, buyers, Masters of Wine, journalists and wine educators vote for the brands they most admire in the publication’s annual survey. More than 100,000 brands are considered worldwide – from highly-expensive iconic wines, to commercial brands stocked at supermarkets - and they are judged on consistent and/or improving quality; reflection of its region or country; marketing and packaging; and appeal to wine consumers.

Spanish wine producer Torres was named number one on the list, pushing Treasury Estate’s iconic Penfolds brand from its 2016 top spot.

Penfolds now claims number three, with Chile’s Concha y Toro moving into two and New Zealand’s own Villa Maria grabbing the fourth spot.

“Villa Maria remains New Zealand’s most respected wine producer,” says Editor of Drinks International, Christian Davis.

“It is up there with the best of them - rightly so. I know what I am getting when I buy a bottle of Villa Maria - and that is the essence of good branding, consistency and quality, at the appropriate price.

“George Fistonich is not only a fine winemaker but he’s a talent spotter,” says Davis. “He has nurtured some of New Zealand’s top winemakers. I reckon there are producers in other countries that would grub up their vines to be in the position that New Zealand and Villa Maria are in the global wine world.”

The other New Zealand wines to make the list include Felton Road (13), Cloudy Bay (24), Brancott Estate (42) and Oyster Bay (46).

Villa Maria

FOR MORE INDUSTRY NEWS FOLLOW US ON

New Zealand Pilsner: The next big thing?

LAST MONTH beer writer Gordon Strong visited New Zealand to attend the National Home-brewers’ Conference in Nelson.

Gordon’s a big deal back home in the USA. He’s the president of the Beer Judging Certification Program, he’s written two influential brewing manuals, and has collected the US’s top home-brewing prize, the Ninkasi Award, an unprecedented Martin Craig three times.

Brewers Guild of Gordon gave the last session New Zealand of the conference, and the last www.brewersguild.org.nz question of that session was simple, “What brewing trends to you see developing in the States?”

“Pilsners,” he replied. “But not just Pilsners – New Zealand Pilsners are going to be the next big thing.”

Possibly the world’s most popular beer, Pilsner is named after the Czech brewing centre, Plzen, where it was first produced in the mid-19th century. It’s a hoppy lager, and the New Zealand versions are hoppier than most, and display local hops’ distinctive flavours and aromas.

Our hop exports are an international success story. This is based on several new hop varieties, bred from traditional Northern Hemisphere strains but bred to suit local conditions. New Zealand hops are in great demand with craft brewers in Australia, North America and Europe, where they’ve earned a reputation for producing distinctly aromatic beers.

New Zealand Pilsners are built around these distinctive hops, and have been described as ‘crisp and clean, distinguished by a firm bready/biscuity malt base with a heavy load of fragrant New Zealand hops and a clean and bitter finish’ and ‘a popular and delicious take on a classic’.

Most New Zealand brewers include a Pilsner in their range, but they’re often seen as secondary to the bigger, hop-forward IPAs. That’s a bit ironic, because our brewers and drinkers are certainly not hop-shy, and many New Zealand Pilsners are at least as hoppy as other nations’ IPAs. So when an influential visitor like Gordon Strong notices our take on the classic Pilsner, and predicts US brewers picking up the trend, you can also predict it will be good news for our hop growers.

Martin Craig is a beer writer, journalist and publisher of www.Beertown.NZ

CHECK OUT THESHOUT.CO.NZ FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

49

PROWEIN 2017: WORLD’S LARGEST WINE FAIR SETS NEW RECORD More than 6,500 exhibitors from 60 countries were represented at the world’s largest wine and spirits fair in Düsseldorf in March. The Intermedia Group Publisher James Wells shares his experience as one of the 58,500 attendees.

Avram Deitch from Yealands

THE WORLD’S largest wine trade fair, ProWein, has set a new record for visitors and exhibitors with more than 6,500 exhibitors from 60 countries represented, including more than 70 separate New Zealand wineries. The number of trade visitors attending the event shot up from 55,700 last year, to 58,500 from 130 countries in 2017.

ProWein organisers, Messe Düsseldorf, confirmed that one in two visitors attended the fair from abroad and at least two-thirds of all visitors were decision-makers.

“ProWein is an incredibly intensive trade fair,” said Hans Werner Reinhard, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf. “For three days very concentrated and effective business goes on here.

Visitors particularly included key players [such as] important importers and representatives from large international commercial chains,” he said.

“Again this year the sector showed how strong and capable it is. An extremely high number of orders were placed and a great deal of new business ideas were discussed.”

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Chris Yorke from New Zealand Winegrowers

[ feature ] Exhibiting at the New Zealand Winegrowers stand were 28 separate wineries, including Allan Scott Family Winemakers, Babich Wines, Coopers Creek, Esk Valley, Giesen Wines and Pernod Ricard.

Also attending ProWein on their own stands were Yealands, Villa Maria and Marisco Vineyards, as well as several other brands exhibited by distributors.

Going global According to New Zealand Winegrowers Global Marketing Director, Chris Yorke, ProWein represents the most important global wine fair alongside its own events held in London, Ireland and Stockholm.

“We have now reached $1.6 billion of exports, continuing the record year-on-year growth for the last 15 years and we are heading towards our target of $2 billion by 2020,” he said.

“What we are particularly proud of is a really important recent milestone, and that is becoming America’s third largest imported wine country by value behind Italy and France and now ahead of Australia. We still feel as though there is still a lot of growth left in the US market, driven mainly by Sauvignon Blanc.

“We remain flat in Australia, but Aussies drink 15 times the amount of New Zealand wine than Americans do on a per capita basis while the UK market has continued to grow and represents around 15% over the last three years,” said Yorke.

Babich Wines General Manager, Dave Babich, told James Wells: “One market where we are looking for a distributor is Ireland. After the GFC, Ireland had a lot of disruption and it changed the profile of the market too. What we were doing was not working for both us and our distributor, as they were new into wine. We agreed we should stop doing this and step back and come into it fresh.”

Pernod Ricard Global Wine Ambassador for New Zealand Brands, Jim Robertson, said ProWein is an opportunity to introduce New Zealand wine to other markets. “There are markets where our Pernod Ricard companies are not ready to take on wines, so we might look to talk to a third party and this is an opportunity for us to engage with some of our affiliates,” he said. “I have also had people [come through] from Pernod Ricard in Sweden, Finland, Belgium and Netherlands – I can take them around here and they can taste other New Zealand wines and begin to realise and see how good our range is and develop their confidence.”

Giesen Wines Export Sales Manager, Rhys Julian, said that despite attending the fair for 10 years, 2017 was the first year the company saw more international customers attending. “We have been managing to conduct business with our distributors in America, the UK, Canada and Singapore, so I guess there is a lot of cost savings to be able to do all of that business in one place and it saves travelling to those individual markets,”

Richard Thomas from Villa Maria

he said. “It feels like this fair is appealing to a broader base with new business opportunities this year from some Japanese and some Koreans as well.”

Villa Maria Chief Operating Officer, Richard Thomas, said that while ProWein is a great way to meet people and exchange ideas, he maintains that the domestic market is just as important as the focus on export sales.

“New Zealand is still an absolutely critical market for us. We understand that while export is important, you should never underestimate the importance of being good at home,” he said. “We are a New Zealand brand, we are a New Zealand family-owned business, and a major focus of our commitment is in New Zealand. We are not a multinational with plantings all around the world and we don’t have an ability or a desire if New Zealand doesn’t go well to just suddenly focus on another market such as Argentina or Chile. We are emotionally committed to New Zealand and our brands need to be successful there,” he said.

“Furthermore, we want New Zealanders to enjoy the product and to try new products from us.

When we travel overseas to places like ProWein, we love sharing that Kiwi wine is brilliant and authentic. I love the fact that there are so many New Zealand wineries here doing well – the more New Zealand wineries [that] do well, the better for all of us,” said Thomas.

THE BUYERS ARE STILL VERY INTERESTED IN SAUVIGNON BLANC AND THAT’S GREAT AS IT IS OUR BREAD AND BUTTER.” VILLA MARIA CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, RICHARD THOMAS

The Sauv story continues “The buyers are still very interested in Sauvignon Blanc and that’s great as it is our bread and butter,” said Villa Maria’s Richard Thomas. “What we have definitely found is that there is a premiumisation occurring with more buyers interested in higher price points of Sauvignon Blanc.”

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

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[ feature ]

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT MARKETS DEMAND AND COMMAND HIGH QUALITY.” YEALANDS WINE GROUP GLOBAL MARKETING MANAGER, AVRAM DEITCH

Yealands Wine Group Global Marketing Manager, Avram Deitch, said: “What is important is that markets demand and command high quality. While we are known the world over for Sauvignon Blanc and therefore there is a lot of Sauvignon Blanc out there, the market does present a risk. But as long as people continue to put quality first and continue to present quality on the shelf to the customer, the market will have a very long life to it.”

Giesen Wines’ Julian Rhys said: “It is still very much a Sauvignon Blanc story, but we have diversified where possible to introduce new styles, so it is not just about the Estate range, but also organic, barrel fermented and late harvest Sauvignon Blancs. We don’t want to be known as a one-trick pony, therefore pushing the boundaries of winemaking and viticulture in Marlborough is important.”

Australian wineries on ProWein Neil McGuigan – Australian Vintage “People are looking at Australian wine very positively and wanting to pay for Australian wine.

The changes in the British Pound have been a great issue, plus also the increases in duty. They realise that the margins were already tight and they are starting to accept that prices have got to go up. The quality of Australian wine has always been well respected, but it is clear that people are really getting it now.”

Bob Berton – Berton Vineyards “People want to talk to us and the Australian winemakers are starting to get confident again. We haven’t been confident for a long time, so that’s really heartening. If I go back 10 years we were punching well above our weight and I think that a little bit of complacency came in from our part and a little bit of push back came back from the

Dave Babich from Babich Wines

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Jim Robertson from Pernod Ricard

Rhys Julian from Giesen Wines

rest of the world. One thing that new players have to remember is you have to make appointments, otherwise don’t buy the stand – as there is not going to be walk-up traffic. There is nothing worse than looking out and hearing crickets.”

Cameron Ashmead – Elderton Wines “I have met with two really strong possibilities for selling wine in European countries that we have never considered before – Finland and Poland. They are at completely different ends of the spectrum and not the biggest markets in the world, but they are nice to have and I’m excited.

If you are an Australian exporter, there is no way that you would not consider coming here. This is the show to come to on a global basis. The great thing about the Australian wine industry is that everyone is friendly, they love it and they share and it is no different this year – it’s a really positive environment.”

Jonathan O’Neill - Angove Family Winemakers “ProWein 2017 has been far bigger than any prior year and the Australian presence has probably grown by another 20 or 30 Australian producers.

This has become the most important show in Europe for producers selling wine all around the world. Different buyers have different tastes and different needs. We see certain markets wanting user-friendly wines if that’s the channel that they are targeting or the more HoReCa style of customer wants the more seriously made wine – it is really horses for courses.”

The next ProWein exhibition will be held in Düsseldorf from 18-20 March 2018. The next ProWine China event will be held from 14-16 November 2017. For more visit www.prowein.com and www.prowinechina.com

Jonathan O’Neill from Angove Family Winemakers

[ tasting notes ]

Classic and contemporary

Chardonnay

Cameron Douglas is New Zealand’s first and only Master Sommelier. He is a Senior Lecturer at AUT University in Auckland, local and international wine judge, wine commentator and wine educator as well speaker and presenter in New Zealand and internationally.

Cameron is also an examiner with the Court of Master Sommeliers Worldwide. He writes the wine lists for a variety of establishments including Merediths, Mekong Baby, Nanam Republic and Michelin Starred New York establishment The Musket Room.

Chardonnay remains one of the most popular wine varieties in New Zealand, with a wide range of styles and expressions available. These include examples without oak influence, showing more pure fruit aromas and flavours with plenty of acidity; or wines with rich, full-bodied, creamy texture and an obvious use of oak with roasted stone fruits, baked custard, toasty, caramel and buttery flavours; through to wines with a flinty mineral and floral bouquet, leaner yet more apparent textures, a mix of white fleshed fruits and citrus flavours and some oak influence.

The expression of Chardonnay at its best has much to do with the land, climate, season and farming philosophy. Because of the range of styles that Chardonnay is made in, it is perhaps one of the more ‘personal’ wines - one version only may suit a person’s palate, and the rest not. Ask a few friends which type of Chardonnay they like and you’ll likely get a different answer form each.

Chardonnay’s DNA mapping has revealed its ‘parents’ to be Gouais Blanc and Pinot – these varieties are responsible for more than just Chardonnay in the grape world. Pinot in this instance is not Pinot Noir but rather Pinot as a foundation variety that can produce either white grapes or red.

There are now many clones of Chardonnay - some are better suited to cooler climates (as is the case with New Zealand) while others more suited to warmer or temperate climates (such as California).

A clone is a variant copy of its parent, identified by carrying an additional attribute which helps it to thrive in specific growing conditions. Matching a clone to growing conditions is a slow, yet necessary, part of the grape and wine industry.

New Zealand Chardonnay wines have tended to rely on four main clones: Mendoza, UCD Clones 6 and 15, and Clone B95. The UCD clones are part of the catalogue at the University of California, Davis, which in turn imported its selections from Burgundy.

The matrix of decisions in winemaking for this variety mean there are many ways in which a producer can personally make Chardonnay, especially with the use of oak and fermentation. The shape and texture in both the bouquet and palate can turn the taster onto or off a Chardonnay quickly; flavour and measure of oak and acidity further complicate the decision - so finding a style that ticks

all the boxes for the consumer is a constant challenge for the producer.

New Zealand winemakers do take notice of what wine critics and wine judges, both in New Zealand and Internationally, say about their wines. Some will remain pragmatic and make minor adjustments to their winemaking to try to appeal to a wider audience. Others continue to explore the boundaries of acceptability by allowing more skin contact or using little to no preservative ensuring a more natural flavour. An example of this is a modern wine practice where grapes are crushed and the juice is released - a winemaker might typically wait until all the solids in the juice have settled then draw only the clear juice. In a more traditional approach the solids remain in suspension through the juice which then produces a wine with significantly more aroma and texture. The best wines I have encountered seem to be a finely tuned balance between the two approaches.

Chardonnays tasted for this month covered a wide spectrum of styles from classic to contemporary. The bottom line is that it’s up to servers in retail and restaurants to help find the most appropriate examples for their customers.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

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[ tasting notes ]

1

MUDDY WATER WAIPARA CHARDONNAY 2015 Full, rich and engaging bouquet with baked custard and peach scents, creamy texture and loads of fresh wood tones with cashew nut and soft baking spices. On the palate – creamy, firm, youthful, fresh and dry. Packed with mineral and texture and flavours that reflect the nose and a lengthy beguiling finish. Drink now and through 2026.

Points 95 RRP: $40.00 Distributor: Red + White Phone: (03) 314 6100 www.muddywater.co.nz

2

ESK VALLEY WINEMAKERS RESERVE HAWKE’S BAY CHARDONNAY 2016 Rich, fully loaded and engaging bouquet.

Aromas of roasted nut, baked stone fruits, vanilla custard and dry stone mineral. A layer of flint and wood spice add depth and complexity. On the palate – full bodied, generous, flavourful and dry; roasted fruits, spicy wood tones, stony mineral and generous acid line equal a wine with complexity, charm and lengthy finish. Drink today and through 2026.

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Points 95 RRP: $31.99 Distributor: Villa Maria Phone: (09) 255 0697 www.eskvalley.co.nz

3

BRENNAN GIBBSTON CENTRAL OTAGO CHARDONNAY 2014 Complex and engaging bouquet with a specific package of aromas centering on bright fresh fruit and flinty mineral tones, then a mild smoky wood signature. On the palate – salivating, juicy, firm and dry. Plenty of wood tones, vanilla and white peach with a noticeable citrus tang. Lengthy finish, balanced and well made. Drink now and through 2025.

Points 94 RRP: $33.00 Distributor: Brennan Wines Phone: (03) 442 4315 www.brennanwines.com

4

TE AWA SINGLE ESTATE HAWKE’S BAY CHARDONNAY 2016 Nicely complex bouquet with nutty oak and wood smoke, baked stone fruits and fresh golden peach, baking spices and a light

cheesy, creamy texture. On the palate – equally complex and engaging, spicy, nutty, fruity and dry; medium+ weight with loads of fruit and wood flavours, plenty of texture and finish. A lovely wine. Drink today and through 2025.

Points 93 RRP: $29.99 Distributor: Villa Maria Phone: (09) 255 0697 www.teawacollection.com

5

MATAHIWI ESTATE HAWKE’S BAY CHARDONNAY 2016 An attractive bouquet with creamy, fleshy, plush and ripe fruit aromas, plenty of creamy wood tones with a cashew and baking spice package. On the palate – fleshy, juicy, luscious and dry; flavours of white peach and apple, yellow peach and quince, vanilla and cashew. Balanced, well made, lengthy finish and well made. Drink now and through 2024.

Points 92 RRP: $22.99 Distributor: Matahiwi Phone: (06) 370 1000 www.matahiwi.co.nz

[ tasting notes ]

6

VIDAL RESERVE HAWKE’S BAY CHARDONNAY 2016 Complex yet calm bouquet with textures trapped in the aromas of white peach, pear and fresh apple; mineral flint-like aromas adds complexity and intrigue. On the palate juicy, creamy, fleshy and dry; a crisp acid line adds freshness and texture; great balance and length.

Points 92 RRP: $19.99 Distributor: Villa Maria Phone: (09) 255 0697 www.vidal.co.nz

7

ARONUI NELSON CHARDONNAY 2014 Quite a complex bouquet with a mineral, fruit, toasty wood and nutty-oak scents. On the palate – dry, youthfully firm, plenty of acidity then flavours that reflect the nose – mineral and wood tones, stone and tree fruit. Lengthy finish, balanced and well made.

Drink today and through 2024.

Points 92 RRP: $24.99 Distributor: Kono Phone: 0800 864 894 www.aronuiwines.co.nz

8

FAIRHALL DOWNS MARLBOROUGH CHARDONNAY SV 2016 Toasty, creamy, fresh and soft bouquet of Chardonnay; aromas include yellow and white peaches, yellow and red apple, some stony mineral tones and dusty oak with a layer of wood smoke. On the palate – youthful, creamy, fruity and weighty – flavours reflect the bouquet, medium+ acidity and lengthy finish. Balanced and well made. Drink today and through 2022.

Points 91 RRP: $29.95 Distributor: Fairhall Downs Phone: (027) 210 0027 www.fairhalldowns.co.nz

9

VILLA MARIA CELLAR SELECTION HAWKE’S BAY CHARDONNAY 2016 Immediately engaging bouquet of ripe, fleshy orchard fruits led by peach and roasted stone fruits, some nut, butterscotch and mild toasty wood tones. On the palate – crisp, fruity, firm, fresh and dry. Fruit flavours reflect the nose, a nut and mild toasty layer, balanced and well made in a drink now and through 2020 style.

Points 90 RRP: $17.99 Distributor: Villa Maria Phone: (09) 255 0697 www.villamaria.co.nz

10

ARA SINGLE ESTATE MARLBOROUGH CHARDONNAY 2015 Attractive bouquet of fresh fruits and mild oak tones, aromas of peach apple and a hint of apricot laced with vanilla wood tones and light toasty oak. On the palate - medium+ weighted wine with a creamy texture with contrasting acidity, flavours of peach and apple return, fresh and engaging on the palate, balanced and ready to drink today and through 2020.

Points 89 RRP: $24.99 Distributor: Giesen Group Phone: (03) 344 6270 www.arawines.co.nz Wines are scored out of 100 points and are listed in no particular order. Numbers are not indicative of a ranking.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

55

[ beer feature ]

RARE BEER

NOT EVEN CLOSE TO YOUR AVERAGE BEER Award-winning beer writer Neil Miller takes a long and frankly envious look at some of the rarest and most expensive beers in the world.

The very first vintage of Thomas Hardy’s Ale, 1968

Neil Miller is an awardwinning beer writer. To contact Neil regarding beer features or samples, please email him at beerlytweeting@gmail.com

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FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

IN MY surprisingly modest beer cellar, the two rarest and most expensive beers I own are both Thomas Hardy’s Ale, an 11.2% Barley Wine (strong dark ale) brewed by Eldridge Pope in England.

The particular pair of bottles I have were made in 1984 and 1986. That may sound alarming but the recommended cellaring time for Thomas Hardy’s is ‘at least 25 years’, which means they should hopefully still be the beer that became so very famous.

Of course, Thomas Hardy’s is also famous for being a brew that keeps going out of business, despite the glowing critical reviews. Two breweries have made revered world classic ale – the original Eldridge Pope who made mine, and then O’Hanlon’s as a ‘phoenix’ brewery in the United States reviving the brand. Yet both dropped it as ‘uneconomic’ because the beer takes so long to brew and age. Late last year, the brand was bought again by the Italian firm Interbrau and production has resumed at the highly-regarded Meantime Brewery in London.

The fact that Thomas Hardy’s ages so well and that the original brewery is long defunct adds value to my two bottles which were acquired quite

by chance. An attendee at a beer tasting said his mum was cleaning out stuff at his old house in England and had found a battered box of beer that he may or may not have nicked from school many years before. She wanted to throw it out but he decided to check the brew with me first.

When I told him about the heritage and prestige of Thomas Hardy’s, he had the box freighted to New Zealand and gave me two 180ml bottles as a thank you.

Aged beer has a particular value because it requires the buyer to exercise restraint to cellar it for years. New Zealand examples to look out for are early editions of Invercargill Smokin’ Bishop, Three Boys Oyster Stout or Emerson’s Taieri George. Beers that are no longer made also become highly sought after, particularly the legendary Liberty barley wines, anything from long-closed but greatly missed Australis brewery or Tuatara XV, a one-off Russian Imperial Stout made to mark their 15th anniversary.

An important word of caution – most beers do not age well and should generally be drunk as fresh as possible (preferably in the shadow of the brewery as the old saying goes). This was brought

[ beer feature ] home to me when I opened the oldest beer I have ever possessed. It was a six-pack of DB Draught from the late 1970s which was given to me by a Member of Parliament who was clearing out his garage for the first time since the late 1970s. I was not brave enough to try it straight up so poured the first can into the sink. What came out was, to put it bluntly, fuzzy. Beer should not be fuzzy. I chose wisely in that instance.

AGED BEER HAS A PARTICULAR VALUE BECAUSE IT REQUIRES THE BUYER TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT TO CELLAR IT FOR YEARS.”

Here are nine of the world’s rarest and most expensive beers that you should at least ‘try’ to try...

Westvleteren 12 – This is a strong Quadrupel Belgian beer made by Trappist Monks. Rich, dark and spicy, it is famous for having no bottle label at all, just the bottle cap. It has started reappearing in New Zealand after a long absence.

Samuel Adams Utopias

Ninkasi Ground Control – This beer uses yeast that has been into space. It also contains hazelnuts, star anise and cocoa nibs, but most drinkers focus on the space yeast.

Russian River Brewing Pliny the Elder – Sadly there is no real chance of finding this beer here and I know because I have tried.

I have had exactly five pints of this Imperial IPA and it is my favourite beer in the world.

It sells out within hours in America. Do not get me started on its big brother Pliny the Younger...

Dogfish Head Midas Touch Ale – They used science to literally recreate beer found in 2,700-year-old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas.

Samuel Adams Utopias – At 27% Utopias was briefly the strongest beer in the world.

It comes in a seriously cool bottle which looks like a brewing kettle. It does taste more like a liqueur than a beer, but is awesome poured over vanilla ice cream. Utopias will be the most expensive sauce you ever put on dessert.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch Ale

Garage Project Cockswain’s Courage

BrewDog End of History – There were only ever 22 bottles of this 55% ABV blonde Belgian ale infused with Scottish nettles and juniper berries made. The last 10 went to those who invested more than $25,000 in BrewDog’s crowd funding expansion.

Did I mention the bottles were all contained within stuffed rodents?

Garage Project Cockswain’s Courage – Wellington’s Garage Project Brewery is known for its innovation and irreverence.

Most of their beers are rare because they are one-offs or limited editions. One of

the most highly regarded that comes back from time to time is Cockswain’s Courage, a bourbon barrel aged porter (13.2%). The Steampunk themed label declares it ‘tastes like war!’

Rogue Beard Beer – This beer uses wild yeast harvested from the beard of their brewer. Said beard dates back to 1978 and has apparently developed a strain of natural yeast. The beer is certainly rare and expensive, but not necessarily appealing.

Epic Brewing Oak Barrel Aged Armageddon – Looking to replicate the voyages of old when India Pale Ale was shipped in oak barrels to the Raj, Luke Nicholas filled two 20 litre barrels with Armageddon IPA and put them on the Interisland Ferry for six weeks to let them slosh around and soak up the flavour of the wood. Obviously those original barrels were gone within days, but it did prompt subsequent production of commercially barrel aged Armageddon. The lesson here is that rare beers which are hugely successful will sometimes come back as regular offerings.

Finally, for the record, the single most expensive single beer I have purchased cost $90. Admittedly, it was a five litre mini-keg of Rogue Yellow Snow IPA from America.

It is objectively a great beer and I think mini-kegs are a serving format we should see more of in New Zealand. Basically, only Heineken and occasional German imports do mini-kegs at the moment.

BrewDog End of History

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

57

[ people ]

MEET THE WINEMAKER Introducing some of the talented people behind New Zealand’s most successful vineyards.

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Josh Scott

Brett Fullerton

Chief Winemaker for Allan Scott Family Winemakers While he has the prerequisite Diploma in Viticulture and Wine Production and, like many before him, has worked in French wine regions and California’s Napa Valley, Josh Scott is not your typical winemaker. As an eight-time Coast to Coast competitor and founder of Moa Beer, Josh likes to inject a little adventure into his life and career.

The son of renowned Marlborough winemaker Allan Scott, Josh’s interest in all things liquid can be traced back much further than his wine studies. He has come a long way from his bootleg wine/Raro mix operation he was running out of boarding school where he impressed his comrades with potency rather than palate.

Today, as Chief Winemaker at Allan Scott Family Winemakers, Josh mixes traditional techniques and industry leading innovation to put a unique twist on each liquid outpouring he heads - be it a classically fruity Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or a unique and zesty chilli-infused craft Riesling.

Head Winemaker for Selaks When Brett Fullerton started at Selaks’ Kumeu winery as a cellar hand in 1992, he had no idea where the job would lead. Fast-forward to 2017, and he’s the head winemaker at Selaks Winery in Hawke’s Bay and about to launch a new high-end line for New Zealand’s favourite heritage wine.

Since the early ’90s, Brett has had a hand in most Selaks bottles sold on store shelves. The exception would be the 1997 vintage, when he trekked to Australia to earn a Post-Graduate Diploma in Winemaking at the University of Adelaide. After his year-long leave of absence, he returned to New Zealand and Selaks, moving around the company wineries and earning his way up through the ranks.

In 2005, he re-located to Selaks new winery in Hawke’s Bay as Winery Manager.

“Selaks is part of the fabric of New Zealand winemaking,” says Fullerton. “Marino Selak came here in 1906 to start something great, and it’s my job to see it through in every glass.”

Jamie Marfell

James Millton

Chief Winemaker for Stoneleigh Chief Winemaker for Stoneleigh Jamie Marfell was born and bred in Marlborough. Winemaking was an inevitable career choice for Jamie who grew up on a farm overlooking a valley of grapevines and whose holiday employment was usually spent planting or pruning vines, depending on the season.

Following a Degree in Agricultural Science and a Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, Jamie began his career as a trainee winemaker with Pernod Ricard Winemakers in 1990.

“Marlborough is the undisputed home of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and I’m thrilled to be focused on the Stoneleigh range of wines,” says Jamie. “It’s exciting to be continually developing and differentiating styles while at the same time building sustainability of the varietal for the long term.”

Founder of Millton Vineyard When James was seven he wanted to grow plants, when he was 14 he wanted to ferment fruits, and when he was 28, in 1984, he and his wife started growing and producing wine under the Millton brand.

Following family traditions, James established the Clos de Ste Anne estate wines in 1986 and have now grown to produce wines under Crazy by Nature and Libiamo labels, each keeping abreast with the changing consumer demand for a product with high environmental demands. The Millton vineyard uses no herbicides, insecticides, systemic fungicides or soluble fertiliser and all wines are bottled on site.

As the founder of Millton, James’ role is in production – from pruning to the bottle. He refers to his title as ‘Artisan Winegrower’ being that at a young age he learnt his trade from a master in Europe and not from a text book.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2017

Introducing The Taste Collection, a celebration of the generous and distinct flavours that have made Selaks wines so extraordinary and sought after for over 80 years. Lovingly crafted to bring to life the best characteristics of each varietal, whether you desire Buttery Chardonnay, Zesty Sauvignon Blanc or Velvety Pinot Noir, we’ve got a wine for that.

Available from 8th May 2017. Please contact your Constellation Brands Territory Manager for more information on 0800 662 456.