Kāpiti Coast District Council and the Kāpiti Coast Economic Development Kotahitanga Board (EDKB) were proud to support nine local food and beverage producers’ attendance at the Fine Food tradeshow in Auckland, 25-27 June.

Kāpiti Coast District Councillor Liz Koh says the event showcased the power of collaborative business outcomes and was a great example of our local food and beverage sector putting their Game Plan that Council and the EDKB helped facilitate into action.

“Fine Food is New Zealand’s premier trade event that offers exhibitors a unique opportunity to showcase their products to a captive audience of over 7,000 trade delegates, receptive key buyers, and national distributors,” says Cr Koh.

“The show provided an opportunity for our local producers to get in front of industry leaders and increase their brand awareness, generate sales leads, and connect with distributors, key buyers, and other target audiences. All while highlighting the quality of production happening right here on the Kāpiti Coast.”

The Kāpiti Coast beverage and artisan food producers who attended were Imagination Gin, The Bond Store, Barlovska Craft Liqueurs, Purebread, Funk with Food, Glam Jams, Sones Sauce, The Roastery and Puregood Coffee.

Purebread owner Richard Parry who attended the show as part of the collective said the opportunity to be at a quality event was invaluable for business development. Purebread also launched a new product Puregood Coffee at the event which is made in collaboration with The Roastery.

“The collaboration between local producers was very successful and we were pleased to be a part of the group. The collective stand meant we were able to attend a trade show that we would not have had access to on our own. We have made many new business connections from the attendance as well as invaluable learning experiences,” says Mr Parry.

Neil McKay, Kāpiti Coast Economic Development Kotahitanga Board chair, says the Kāpiti Coast has a naturally collaborative food and beverage sector with a strong unique selling point and significant economic growth opportunities.

“This has been identified in the Kāpiti Coast Economic Development Strategy and Implementation Plan and the Regional Economic Development Plan,” says Mr McKay.

“The collective attendance was a pilot to see how sharing a stand could support economies of scale for local businesses.

“The Board, in conjunction with Council, have been driving forward food and beverage sector initiatives following research highlighting the opportunities for the sector to support district-wide growth.

“A vision created by the industry for the industry highlights that through partnership the Kāpiti Coast food and beverage sector is nationally renowned for high quality, sustainable and premium production. Their collective attendance at the Fine Food tradeshow is a great example of how this vision can be achieved.”

The Kāpiti food and beverage cluster is prioritising working together to explore options to support each other to scale up and expand production in a collaborative environment. Another priority of the local producers is to further develop Kāpiti’s foodie vibe at certain precincts.

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