Home Grown Yogurt Maker Tops Business Awards

Home Grown Yogurt Maker Tops Business Awards

North Shore food production company, EasiYo Products Limited, walked away with supreme honours at the Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards at the North Shore Events Centre.

It was a big night for the Albany-based company which also won the Spyglass Excellence in Exporting Award on their way to claim the prestigious overall Westpac Supreme Business Excellence Award for 2010.

More than 750 people attended the prestigious gala dinner, the largest number in the awards 13-year history, held to recognise business excellence in North Shore City and Rodney. Fourteen awards were bestowed throughout the evening.

EasiYo is believed to be the biggest premium, homemade yogurt in the world, with over 1.3 million yogurt makers in homes globally; a fact that didn’t escape the judges attention.

The 2010 awards judges recognised EasiYo as an exceptional business making an outstanding contribution to New Zealand.

“EasiYo is passionate about growing their organisation through innovation and determination, and the entire company goes the extra mile for their customers,” says convenor of judges Matthew Bellingham. “They exceed their financial goals while also ensuring that their culture and principles are held high. EasiYo truly sets the standard as an exceptional supreme winner.”

EasiYo is a North Shore export success story. Starting in 1992 from humble beginnings selling at the Auckland Home Show, EasiYo has grown to top $30 million sales by 2009, 75 per cent of which is export based.

EasiYo’s secret lies behind years of research and development, firstly into the yogurt maker, then finding the right milk powder and freeze dried culture to ensure 100 per cent setting of the incubated yogurt at home.

Consumers love the delicious taste, the three-minute preparation time, the cost effectiveness, the versatility, and the nutritional benefit of making fresh yogurt with four to six times more live cultures than its chilled competition.

Export growth started in Australia in 1993 with the UK sales starting in 2005, Asia in 2006 and USA last year.

In February 2010, Westland Milk Products – huge exporters to Asia - completed a 100 per cent ownership in EasiYo allowing collaborative ventures in exporting, research and development and supply chain initiatives.

EasiYo CEO Paul O’Brien is looking forward to expanding the business further into the nutritional market where there are many interesting growth opportunities in probiotics, omega 3, folates, weight loss, energy, heart disease, gut health and immune system. “I am proud and excited to lead EasiYo to its next stage of growth and development.”

In congratulating EasiYo and all the category winners, Ian Blair, General Manager Business Banking, Westpac New Zealand Ltd said local business should be immensely proud of what they have achieved.

“Each year we see more and more impressive businesses competing for these awards, and each year we think the bar couldn’t possibly be raised any higher. We are delighted to be proven wrong yet again. The 2010 collection of winners is truly a testament to the immense business talent found locally and throughout the region. Westpac is proud to sponsor these awards, which over the last 13 years have become a cornerstone of our community support for businesses.”

Enterprise North Shore chief executive Terry Hoskins says that EasiYo epitomises business excellence. “Theirs is a true success story, a local company that started small and that is now taking on the world and making a huge impact. We congratulate EasiYo for their inspirational story, and look forward to seeing them continue to grow.”

ENDS

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