Tasty meal makes a mark
massey-university
Wed Jan 12 2011 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Tasty meal makes a mark
Wednesday, 12 January 2011, 1:50 pm
Press Release: Massey University
Tasty meal makes a mark
Just a few months after taking his product to market, Andrew Vivian has already had to make a change. The Tasty Pot Company has added the New Zealand Food Awards mark to its range of ready meals after taking out the Supreme Award.
The Auckland company triumphed over 80 other entrants at the gala awards dinner in October.
The New Zealand Food Awards, in association with Massey University, are a celebration of innovation in food, offering consumers a clear indication of food excellence and the industry new benchmarks and leadership.
The Tasty Pot Company won the Convenience and Meal Solutions Award, and owner Andrew Vivian says that was where their hopes finished. However, they went on to win the award for Innovation in Food Products and the Supreme Award. “The calibre of previous years was high, so we went along thinking we might have a chance in our category, but we didn’t expect this,” he says. “We’re very chuffed.”
He says the accolade will help the brand. “It lends our product credibility, and the Massey endorsement,” he says. “It helps having the stickers on the pots, because consumer education is important. This product is not your typical soup or pasta, it’s a unique offering compared to what has traditionally been in the category.”
The Food Awards win caps a big year for the company, which only began trading in June. “My wife and I had been living in Britain for eight years,” Mr Vivian says. “I’d worked for a company there that did a range of fruit smoothies, and was part of a team working out the future of the company. We were looking at a range of fresh ready meals.”
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That range was launched and is performing well, so on their return the Vivians thought about doing something similar in New Zealand. “We saw there was a gap in the market; there was soup and pasta but not a lot of innovation.”
They spent six months doing market research and tailoring their product to the New Zealand palate. “We looked at what ingredients appealed and gave it a twist to cater to the discerning foodie,” he says.
The company endeavours to source ingredients locally, and is looking to do contract growing with local farmers in the future. They employ a seasonal recipe rotation so they can use the freshest ingredients. “It’s a costly product to put together; the packing is done by hand daily, so there are no production shortcuts. The ingredients are layered, because consumers need to be able to see what’s in them. It’s all about honesty.”
ENDS
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