How well is the New Zealand food sector innovating to meet global demand? An explosion in the number of small food brands in the last 20 years hints at where New Zealand’s future food opportunities exist: in global niches.
-
Where New Zealand used to have a few big companies exporting a handful of products, now thousands of entrepreneurs are exporting hundreds of brands, often with the help of contract packers and online channels
- Is our food sector slow to adapt? New Zealand companies still don’t scale fast, and few are investing in consumer research
- Marketing is expensive and our companies generally don’t have the budgets to connect directly with the end consumer in export markets. That makes our business-tobusiness (B2B) relationships crucial
- Consumer research can help to prove demand and unearth problems, which can lead to products that have differentiation in the market. But it can’t guarantee success
- Storytelling is crucial to influence our consumers.
