Chch firm predicts S.E. Asia success

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 30

Chch firm predicts S.E. Asia success

NZPA staff correspondent Singapore A new Christchurch food company which went into profit “from day one” has met with an enthusiastic response in its quest in Singapore for South East Asian distributors of its cho-colate-type confectionery made from carob flour instead of cocoa. New Zealand Food Group’s managing director and majority shareholder, Mr Chris Berryman, said he had applications from about 40 prospective distributors to select one agent for his company’s Canterbury brand confectionery bars. Mr Berryman said he anticipated sales in excess of

$250 million annually in the region for the product. "People don’t realise what high value turnover such a small item can produce,” he said. New Zealand Food Group was set up nine months ago after acquiring plant from a failed company which Mr Berryman had done some consulting work for. “We went into operation making our carob bars and made a profit from day one,” said Mr Berryman. Carob flour is made from the pod of an evergreen tree which has grown in the Middle East for more than 2000 years and is now cultivated extensively in Spain, Italy and Greece. It resembles cocoa but has only half

the calories and does not contain the alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, found in cocoa.

Canterbury brand products were sold widely by health food outlets and general food retailers throughout New Zealand and Australia, he said. Carob has a higher melting point than cocoa, an advantage in tropical climates, said Mr Berryman, who used participation in Food and Hotel Asia, a major regional food fair, to make his pitch for an Asian distributor. Mr Berryman said the company was now advertising internationally for technical expertise to upgrade its manufacturing operation.