The FMCG team reports on this year’s Foodstuffs Expo in Palmerston North.

The 2010 Foodstuffs Expo was spread out over three large halls at Arena Manawatu in Palmerston North. With around 200 stands the team initially wondered how a limited trade-only audience could fill such a vast space. They needn’t have worried. The Foodstuffs organisation turned out in force and by 11am on the first day, the halls were buzzing.

FMCG and the java hit

The FMCG stand was set up next to Gravity Coffee. Staffed by barista trainers from Auckland, Gravity showed Expo visitors how coffee should look and taste. They’d whipped up close to 600 free cups of the hot stuff by 2pm on Wednesday, averaging around 80 per hour and smiling all the way. The Cafe Laffare stand just opposite was doing an equally brisk trade as visitors tried to keep up their energy levels.

Swift winner

James Crisp had a shiny new Suzuki Swift RS on its stand, which was up for grabs as a prize. The only way to enter was to a do a deal on the day, in other words, place an order with the sales team. Craig Wilson, managing director Foodstuffs Wellington, drew the winning store, New World Thorndon on Wednesday afternoon. The car was packed to the roof with Sunrice goodie bags, which flew out into the crowd at a rate of knots, supplied by six full pallets of stock. Luke Courtney, business manager of Tasti Products was also on this stand with a huge range of wrapped health products, a category that continues to do very well in stores nationwide.

Gluten-free offerings

Ceres Organics had its usual packed stand with a huge product range including gluten-free organic snacks such as chips, rice cakes and crackers. “Guilt free snacking” was the concept on the day and who couldn’t appreciate that idea?

Health and beauty

L’Oréal’s hottest new products were getting noticed on a busy stand, with Europe’s biggest cosmetics brand Elvive doing very well across all New Zealand channels since its recent introduction. Garnier’s ExfoBrusher and tinted roll-on products were also being promoted heavily and are definitely getting traction according to Jens Anders, national sales manager for Foodstuffs and The Warehouse. There’s been growth all through the category; big growth, which made for some smiling staff on the stand.

Unilever was driving Rexona Adventure anti-perspirant, which is brand new to New Zealand, along with Lipton’s Raspberry iced tea.

Sweet tooth

Among other products, Nestlé was promoting the new Milkybar Kid campaign on its stand. The campaign has generated an even bigger response than expected according to the Nestlé NZ team, with auditions happening all over the country.

The big Brandlines stand was also popular, not least of all because of the stacks of Lindt chocolate on offer, including the Blueberry and Sea Salt flavours which business manager Ken Davis was busily handing out to sweet-toothed visitors. The new Mentos AquaKiss dual layer gum is a first in New Zealand, while the perennial ChupaChups continues to do well, as always.

The Kraft and Cadbury stand was also packed, thanks to the platters of bite-sized chocolate snacks on offer to visitors. A hot new product range was Bliss from The Natural Confectionery Company, available is Berry and Tropical.

Italian flavour

Strikeforce New Zealand’s managing director Neville Vujcic had six new product ranges on the stand, including delicious Crespo dried olives. Supplied in soft packs with no liquid weight, these are affordable and compact impulse-buy items. The Olys cereal and fruit oil from Italy was another interesting product boasting a high flash point and subtle taste.

Body paint,fire and ice

The BIC stand had a full complement of staff showing off a range of products as well as some interesting body painting demonstrations on both days. Marketing executive Graham Rogers told FMCG that he was very pleased at the expo turnout.

Good for you

The big brand on the Pave Consumer Brands stand was Dole and CEO Angus Hamilton showcased the new options on offer including Fruit Mix, Fruit and Oats (in convenient dual packs with fruit and oats separated), Tropical Gold cans and one member of the FMCG team’s favourite – shelf stable fruit and custard in a handy four pack.

The Moi Agencies stand was packed with Sunsweet Amazins – these diced prunes are getting attention, helped by the very simple and straightforward nutritional information on the pack, which helps consumers judge the health value of the product even when pressed for time. Again health benefits are a critical concern here, highlighting the current trend.

Chicken treats

The popular Ingham stand was briskly serving a range of treats with the emphasis being on the new Duets range. National sales manager Jonathan Gray and group marketing manager Richard Cusden were on the stand and have high expectations for the new range.

Tegel’s new Satay and Crumbed Tenderloins are part of the cuisine range but the made-to-order sandwich bar was absolutely packed all day.

New look for fish

Sealord had an entirely new range of packaging to put in front of Expo visitors, with the look apparently proving popular. A new crumbing machine has been implemented, which allows for massive flexibility in manufacture, meaning that seasonal or short run products can be released with minimal downtime or inconvenience.

Breakfast and baking

Sanitarium had two new muesli products on its stand – Nut and Seed and Peach and Raspberry. National sales manager Ettienne McClintock told FMCG that Up and Go is doing well, with three ranges now available including a higher protein option in chocolate or vanilla.

Vitaco’s team reported a growth in home baking and bread-making. The sector is expanding at an unprecedented rate because consumers are spending more time at home with family and friends. The Healtheries Naturally Slim range now features Slim Bars in addition to the popular powders.

Goodman Fielder had an innovative new Pavlova Magic mix, which is shelf stable and comes in its own measuring cup. It’s a simple case of adding water and sugar and enjoying, which explains why the product is doing so well. Vogel’s new soft mixed grain sandwich bread is also proving popular.

Slaking a thirst

The Charlie’s team were offering samples of the new apple and pomegranate juice, which is full of antioxidants and tastes great. The rest of the range was available, along with the Eco-Water and the new Juicy Lucy two-litre pack, which is destined for supermarkets only.

Brian Shanks of Bulmer Harvest showed FMCG his BrewNZ 2010 Ciders and Perries award.

Keeping informed and connected

Bruce McConnachie who handles sales and marketing for Two Degrees was sounding very happy with the company’s progress so far, indicating that the Foodstuffs partnership was working well.

Nielsen’s associate director of Consumer Research for New Zealand, Gemma Lightfoot was happy to take FMCG through a major new research tool – the Virtual Shopper. The innovative piece of software allows consumers to walk through an online supermarket, looking closely at products and buying what they like while Nielsen tracks every move and asks why certain products are chosen and others rejected.

Tomatoes and beans

Delmaine’s huge range of products covers 35 categories and according to Nicky Morton, sales and marketing director – NZ Retail, it’s not easy to range the lot on a stand. So the stand concentrated on products coming up in the next four months and that was enough to fill the stand. The hottest products at the moment are canned tomatoes and canned beans, the beans in particular are going great guns and showing major growth as Kiwis get into the health, taste and affordability of beans.