ARGUS (AUCKLAND)
Established with an enviable market
leadership reputation, Argus is an
expert in the design, manufacture and
distribution of high-quality specialist
hand tools for the meat and food
processing market. It represents many
world-leading brands of meat and food
processing equipment, consumables
and instrumentation to meet the many
complex demands of its customers.
Argus is able to offer customers service
excellence by providing and stocking an
extensive product range and promising
speed, reliability, user-friendliness and
hygiene. It has two distribution centres in
New Zealand and several representatives
across Australia.
www.argus.co.nz
BOHEMEIN FRESH
CHOCOLATES
Pastry chef Jiri (George) Havlik arrived
in New Zealand in 1999 from his native
Czech Republic with just a bag of
clothes and knowing two words of
English...’yes’ and ‘no’. Working in a
variety of kitchens, it took him six years
to venture out on his own but in 2005,
he opened Bohemein Fresh Chocolates
with the goal of creating chocolates that
were made with high quality and fresh
New Zealand ingredients. The company
offers high quality couverture that is free
from artificial preservatives, which means
they have a shorter shelf-life of around
four weeks; uses real ingredients such
as strawberries; listens to its customers;
and only uses Barry Callebaut Chocolate.
“There is beauty in the simplicity of how
we treat and make our products,” Havlik
says. “The important thing is that we
don’t confuse simplicity with easy. We
don’t do easy, we don’t do hard, we just
do it right.” www.bohemein.co.nz
TALBOT FOREST (GERALDINE)
Named after the local forest which, in bygone days, covered the very
spot on which the flagship shop and on-site factory still stands, Talbot
Forest was founded by Paul Fitzsimons and Angela Veales nearly 20
years ago and made 10 tonnes of cheese a year. The combination of
traditional skills and an innovative interpretation of cheesemaking skills
has seen demand rise massively, and the couple say their cheese is a
delectable collaboration of finest quality ingredients and the “intuitive
skills, irrepressible enthusiasm and consummate knowledge of the
cheesemakers,” which has led to the creation of some unforgettable
cheeses. The company’s Jersey/Friesen milk-supplying herd graze on the
green and pristine pastures of South Canterbury, and the goats – mostly
Saanens and Toggenbergs – come from a single farm. The company
clinched three gold medals at the Champions of Cheese awards 2018.
www.talbotforestcheese.co.nz
TASMAN BAY FOOD
GROUP
(NELSON-TASMAN DISTRICT)
A niche company based in the Nelson-Tasman
district, Tasman Bay Food Group manufactures
a range of products under its own brand or
contract manufactured for other companies.
The company was founded in 1984 by Brian
Hirst, who set out to create healthy, tasty food
and beverage…and today its manufacturing
capacity extends across a wide range of
value-added products such as dairy, baked
fruit bars, fruit&nut bars, pies, biscotti, long-life
military products for Asia and the Middle East,
and frozen juice bars. Tasman Bay believes
innovation is a key differentiator among food
manufacturers, and has been involved in
several pioneering initiatives over the years.
Its own brands are sold throughout schools,
supermarkets and independent retailers in New
Zealand and Australia, and it constantly invests.
www.tasmanbay.co.nz
78 ANNUAL DIRECTORY 2019
/www.argus.co.nz
/www.bohemein.co.nz
/www.talbotforestcheese.co.nz
/www.tasmanbay.co.nz
