A New Zealand-owned family business with a difference has grown into an exciting company that supplies unique baked goods nationwide and exports to international markets.

FMCG talked to co-owners Phil and Tim Grainger about the philosophy behind Venerdi Ltd.

The Venerdi story starts with Phil Grainger’s father.

As a farmer, he watched his herd of dairy cows develop a range of common ailments that were simply considered an accepted by-product of their diet. Determined to find healthier alternatives for his herd, he went right back to the earth – literally.

By ensuring that his pasture grew from healthy soil with all the essential naturally occurring minerals, he eliminated the health problems in his herd. This proved to him that even for dairy cows, you are what you eat, and that healthy soil was the key to nutritious food.

“So this is how Venerdi started and people have been getting on board with these ideas for a while now,” says Tim. “As we have grown we have listened to our customers and developed more and more products such as pizza bases and burger buns. These have seen Venerdi venture into the mainstream market developing some great relationships with food businesses, expanding our markets and our expertise. We are now a large supplier of gluten free pizza bases, in both NZ and Australia.

“Our latest achievement, also driven by customer demand, is a genuine gluten free sandwich loaf. We have launched a brand called Gluten Freedom which has the ability to deliver a range of sandwich breads and small goods perfect for picnics and other fun occasions. R & D is a big part of what we do at Venerdi and it keeps us looking forward to exciting times.”

Which brands do you have in NZ supermarkets?

Venerdi the organic gluten-free brand with a range of breads, pizza bases and baps has established itself as a consistent seller with a strong following. Venerdi uses organic ingredients to provide customers with the best nutrition available. This range addresses many allergens by avoiding gluten, dairy, soy and nuts in its ingredients. Venerdi has been in supermarkets for nine years and continues to satisfy customers with great tasting products.

Have you launched any new products in the last 12 months?

Gluten Freedom is a soft loaf of gluten free bread – it is great for sandwiches, toasting, and freezing and it comes in white and brown. This bread has been developed for its texture and flavour and we have had amazing feedback on both. The range also addresses many allergy issues including gluten, dairy, soy and nuts. By avoiding these we are satisfying a much greater segment of the allergy friendly market than most gluten free alternatives. The retail price of this bread is also a huge opportunity for both supermarkets and consumers, at $5.99.

How have the new products progressed?

The ‘Gluten Freedom’ range of ‘White’ and ‘Brown’ is available now. Some stores jumped at the chance to stock this product before Christmas and we are seeing it demands immediate sales. At a good price and with the benefit of being gluten, dairy and soy free we expect the Gluten Freedom bread and buns will do well in store. Supported in store by Saleslink Australasia we hope to see this product get out to our customers over the next few months.

Are you planning to launch any new products in the next few months?

Yes! Gluten Freedom is a great bread recipe so we want to follow this up with a bun for people to enjoy. This new range is going to sit well on the shelves offering great tasting breads, perfect for sandwiches, and buns, but we won’t stop there. We are still thinking about more new products and want to hear from those of you with requests.

What are the consumer trends in this category?

The category is growing at a very strong rate. Aztec figures showed a 30+% growth in the last quarter with the launch of the Goodman Fielder brand. Venerdi sees price as an important element in this market as many consumers can not bring themselves to pay $8 for a loaf of bread. Another important element is a sandwich loaf for kids to take to school – they want to feel like everyone else, with bread that tastes like everybody else’s. This is where ‘Gluten Freedom’ fits. We see there is still a strong demand for health and good nutrition as Venerdi Organic breads are continuing to sell well. We are also finding strong demand for small goods as people adapt their lives to a gluten free diet.

Gluten Freedom will add to a gluten free market in NZ that is very innovative and has a better range and quality of breads than any other country I have visited. New Zealanders are lucky to have such understanding retailers and keen innovation.