Food and beverage companies taken to the next level

27 November 2015
FoodHQ Innovation Club set to take New Zealand food and beverage companies to the next level

FoodHQ has launched the FoodHQ Innovation Club with the support of AGMARDT and in conjunction with the ANZ Bank. The FoodHQ Innovation Club seeks to help food and beverage companies tackle the multiple challenges associated with innovating their products and businesses to meet consumer demands in New Zealand and overseas.

FoodHQ Chair Dr Tom Richardson says the New Zealand government aims to increase the ratio of exports to GDP to 40 per cent by 2025.

“The FoodHQ Innovation Club is a response to this challenge from nine research and innovation organisations that will work with food and beverage companies to grow the number of value-added products on offer,” says Dr Richardson.

“This is a New Zealand Inc. project. It is exciting. The model is already making waves with more than 30 food and beverage companies from around New Zealand having joined.”

FoodHQ Programme Director Mark Ward says the primary benefit of joining the Food Innovation Club is one-door access to 2200+ researchers, leading-edge knowledge, and innovation tools from nine internationally recognised research and innovation organisations – “Experts across the value chain from the paddock, garden, orchard or ocean, to the dinner plate.”

“Having access to the best science capability, graduate and post-graduate students through employment or internships is a major plank for attracting businesses to join the Club,” says Mr Ward.

FoodHQ Innovation Club members will create and grow their network with fellow members. They will have access to connections across New Zealand and Asia thanks to the ANZ Bank. Members will have facilitated access to the NZ Food Innovation Network’s four high-tech food and ingredient processing plants for product development, as well as access to New Zealand’s top 500 chefs for product testing.

The FoodHQ Innovation Club has two tiers of membership:
• Gold membership involves a 12-month programme offering full scope co-innovation with tailor-made strategic teams from FoodHQ’s partners (AGMARDT supported programme).
• Silver membership provides networking opportunities and one-door access to the country’s research and innovation expertise.

AGMARDT and the FoodHQ Partners will each match the Gold Membership investment of $4,500, thereby growing the opportunity for business innovation and growth.

AGMARDT Board of Trustees Chair Barry Brook says the FoodHQ Innovation Club is an opportunity to lift the game plan for New Zealand businesses.

“If we are to grow the value of New Zealand’s primary sector exports then we need to be partnering with our world-leading food and beverage scientists and our food and beverage companies – The FoodHQ Innovation Club is a unique mechanism to do this,” says Mr Brook.

During the next six weeks, the FoodHQ Innovation Club will be introduced to companies around New Zealand. In the first year, membership has been limited to 10 Gold Club Members and 40 Silver Club members. Once the club’s services are implemented and reviewed, it will then expand. The first FoodHQ Innovation Club networking opportunity will be during the New Zealand Agri Investment Week, 14 - 19 March 2016. For more information about events planned during that week, please visit http://nzaginvest.co.nz/.

Companies interested in joining are asked to contact FoodHQ Programme Director Mark Ward direct on 021 423 156 or by emailing mark.ward@foodhq.com.

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