INNOVATION
GLOVE IS ALL YOU NEED
It’s not often that a Kiwi company can boast it is reducing 3.6 million cases of foodborne illness and saving
225 lives per year. But that’s exactly what disposable glove and clothing manufacturer Eagle Protect is aiming
for by 2022, and why founder and chief executive Steve Ardagh has relocated his family to California.
www.foodtechnology.co.nz 5
There are more than 3000
reported deaths and 48 million
illnesses in the US each year
from foodborne illness, with
15% of those figures attributed to
glove cross-contamination. Here in
New Zealand, Steve Ardagh decided
that his company – the world’s only
disposable glove and clothing specialist
to be B Corp certified – could do
something tangible about that. The
company already supplies a large
proportion of the New Zealand primary
food industry – food processing and
manufacturing – and has recently
been certified child labour free to
manufacturing level. “Eagle’s supply
chain is fully transparent, mitigating
the real threat of glove fraud and the
food safety risks of our products,
which are ethically sourced from
responsibly-run factories around the
world which we visit regularly, and
we also have a sustainability focus
to help our customers reduce waste
because of our better quality products,”
Ardagh says. Recently joining forces
with international food safety expert
Barry Michaels, furthering research
investment into the science of
disposable gloves and their effect on
cross-contamination and food safety,
Ardagh knew he wanted to tackle the
greatest consumer nation in the world.
The United States is estimated to use
around 100 billion disposable gloves
per year, with a sizable amount of those
in food manufacturing, processing and
service. “Our background, coming
from a net food exporting country
like New Zealand, gives us enormous
knowledge and skill in keeping food
systems safe,” Ardagh says. “The US
food sector is very price-conscious, but
the local suppliers of our product range,
in our view, do not offer the unique
level of knowledge and experience
that Eagle does. We have found our
unique offering of being a food safety
company using disposable gloves and
clothing as a tool for greater efficiency
to reduce consumption and waste, and
to improve food safety programmes,
has resonated well with the US food
sector. We are currently in trials or
have been asked to bid with several
large big-box food service companies
and, like in New Zealand, supply some
wellknown meat industry businesses
across the nation.” There have been
many obstacles along the path for
Ardagh and Eagle Protect, including
complex visa processes and expensive
relocation costs. “We relocated our
family to California as we believe
that to be successful, we have to be
here,” he says. “It has been quite a
culture shock because as much as we
may think we are alike - we are quite
different in many ways! The innovation
we are bringing to what has been a
standard offering for many years has
been welcomed by the forward-thinking
businesses in the US that see how
integral these products are for safety
and business efficiency.” For example,
Eagle recently made the decision to
discontinue selling vinyl gloves for
many reasons, but mainly because
they are a food safety risk. Gaining
nationwide industry news coverage,
Eagle Protect has received positive
feedback from the large incumbents
in the industry, as well as large users.
“My advice to New Zealand businesses
wanting to gain a foothold in the US
is to relocate, and make a plan, then
repeat!,” he says. “Expect to throw
that plan out and make another one. It
will take twice as long as you think and
cost twice as much, but we are happy
with our decision and have found the
whole journey very rewarding.” Eagle
Protect PBC is based in South Lake
Tahoe and employs five full-time staff
as well as a number of contractors
and consultants. It is a wholly owned
subsidiary of the New Zealand company
of the same name. Ardagh says he
is currently exploring options to raise
capital to assist with growth and
promotion of food safety.
The United
States is
estimated
to use
around
100 billion
disposable
gloves per
year
/www.foodtechnology.co.nz
