The team at The Whole Mix Co celebrate with Spiers Foods managing director Ross Kane and Massey University vice-chancellor Professor Jan Thomas
TOP NEW ZEALAND
FOOD HONOURED
A vegetable noodle
range produced by
a company from the
small Rangitikei town
of Marton has taken out
the Massey University
Supreme Award winner
at this year’s New
Zealand Food Awards.
The Whole Mix Co
also won the Massey
University Health and
Wellbeing Award and
the James & Wells
Business Innovation Award for its
noodle range that includes zucchini,
butternut, medley (beetroot, carrot,
zucchini) and kumara. Judges
say the products are a tasty and
nutritious alternative to pasta, can
be used in stir-fries and salads, or
eaten straight from the package…
and their growing popularity reflects
some of the changing tastes of
New Zealand consumers. Parent
company Speirs Foods says winning
the awards is recognition of
the way the company has evolved
and improved over the past 18
months.“We got the team reinvigorated,
got the right culture within
the business and set a goal of being
more innovative and producing
what people really wanted in the
market place, and I think it’s just a
celebration of that journey over the
past 12 to 18 months,” managing
director Ross Kane says. The
collective team of judges say the
vegetable noodle range rides the
wave of market demand for easyto
serve fresh vegetables…with a
twist. “These prepacked, spiralised,
microwaveable vegetable noodles,
prepared from locally-grown
vegetables, are delicious, nutritious
and fill a much needed gap in the
fresh vegetable market. Consumers
are crying out for fresh products
they can cook or prepare quickly
and easily,” they say. “This product
demonstrates innovation, creativity
and tasty NZ grown produce,” they
say. James & Wells’ food & beverage
innovation team head Carrick
Robinson says The Whole Mix Co
has listened to its consumers and
has followed healthy eating and
convenience trends to considerably
grow the category. “They have
innovatively adapted the way every
department operates following the
launch of the new consumer brand
and also understand the value of
protecting it.” The 11 category winners
and Supreme Award winner
were unveiled at the gala dinner
event at Auckland’s SkyCity Convention
Centre last month in front
of 400 guests. The awards, which
have been running since 1987,
celebrate creative innovation from
New Zealand’s food and beverage
manufacturers. More than 220
products were entered this year,
with 67 products from 54 companies
being named finalists. Massey
University Vice-Chancellor Professor
Jan Thomas says the quality
of entries and increased interest in
the awards reflects a remarkable
growth in the sector’s innovation
and also the confidence of New
Zealand companies to compete in
global and domestic markets. “The
demand for food with proven health
and nutritional benefits – and, of
course, great flavours – will continue
to provide economic benefit to
Aotearoa New Zealand.”
www.foodawards.co.nz
40 NOVEMBER 2018
/www.foodawards.co.nz
