Story and photos by Cynthia Daly
Attending the opening in September of the Hansells Food Group Innovation Centre and Bakery Line in Auckland had been one of those ‘oh I’d like to cover that’ moments for Prime Minister, John Key, but at the end of the bakery tour he had to admit the aroma of freshly baked Aunt Betty’s Classic Tarts proved just too tempting.
In his opening speech the Prime Minister said he had heard about the launch and would like to attend, however most of his appointments were made for him. So when he discovered he was actually attending he was more than happy to oblige.
The Prime Minister said: “What is happening here is that we are producing products we can sell on world stage and I saw on the news yesterday morning that John (Hansells Food Group CEO John McKay) was saying he is selling steam puddings to the UK which is your coals to Newcastle, but the fact that you can do that is just an example of where we are going and where we might go.
“Now if you look at how powerful that can be, there are about 3 billion people in China, India and Indonesia alone and that market is becoming very wealthy and is hugely brand conscious, so what it wants is quality foods it can trust and standards it can rely on. If you look at New Zealand companies, as long as they keep innovating, keep being competitive we are going to do extremely well, and Hansells are going to do extremely well in building global markets.”
The Prime Minister then cut the ribbon on the new Hansells Innovation Centre and Bakery Line, an $18million development that comprises a 4000m2 warehouse and blast freezer, 5000m2 food processing factory, and 1000m2 of offices and innovation centre, where new products will be developed and trialled.
Hansells currently has a portfolio of 600 product lines including a range of food service products, Alfa One Rice Bran Oil, and Aunt Betty’s and an annual turnover of $160 million.
Hansells CEO John McKay said further expansion into offshore markets and innovation would be the key growth drivers for the company.
“We’re currently establishing a Canadian operation which will introduce existing and new products to the area, while also exploring further sales opportunities and other export markets.
“Locally, we have a team of highly skilled food technologists to staff the innovation centre, with the focus being on developing high quality, great tasting new products.”
McKay said when it comes to delivering on innovation the company now has the onsite facilities to do so.
