Pacific flavours to tickle palates at Auckland Food Show

Nine Pacific Island food and beverage companies from five countries will showcase and sell their wares of packaged foods and drinks at the Auckland Food Show next week.

Among the products that will be on show will be a range of biscuits, snack foods, artesian water (in biodegradable bottles), innovative coconut-based products (like ‘coconut jerky’), chocolate, cocoa and health products based on organically grown turmeric.

The nine export companies from Papua New Guinea (PNG), Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Niue will be housed in individual booths at a special, Pacific-themed stand called the Pacific Hub, hosted by Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) New Zealand.
PTI New Zealand is the economic development agency of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, engaged in trade facilitation and investment promotion in 16 Pacific Island Forum countries and its participation in the Auckland Food Show is a part of its Pacific Path to Market programme.

Pacific Path to Market is an export capability building programme conducted in the countries that are being featured at the show.

“The programme is designed to familiarise the participating companies to understand the New Zealand market and what their products and their companies should look like to break into the New Zealand market,” Michael Greenslade, PTI NZ Trade & Investment Commissioner & CEO says.

“Selected participants have shown that they are export ready and in some instances already have a presence in the New Zealand market. Typically, these companies are motivated, have developed strong brands and their packaging reflects the innovation of the product itself,” he added.

The Auckland Food Show is a consumer show that connects a large number of exhibitors with thousands of dedicated food lovers in Auckland and further afield in Wellington and Christchurch every year.

Mr Greenslade said PTI anticipates that ‘Pacific Hub’ featuring these nine companies will get the same high profile they received last year, introducing many of them to other New Zealand based stand-holding businesses that were also exhibiting at the show to source the Pacific’s excellent ingredients for their own products or to partner with them.

“The Auckland Food Show provides a good platform for our Pacific companies to build inroads into the retail market by meeting with potential distributors and building a relationship with thousands of New Zealand consumers,” said Joe Fuavao, PTI NZ Trade Development Manager.

The companies featured at this year’s show are PNG’s Paradise Foods; Fiji’s Flour Mills of Fiji (FMF), Pleass Beverages, J Punja and Tavulomo Coconut Processing Ltd; Samoa’s Wilex and E-Life Wild Turmeric, Niue Vanilla International from Niue and Tonga’s Tupu’anga Coffee.
Last year, the show attracted more than 30,000 visitors and more are expected to visit this year.
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