Leading European food importer celebrates 70 years

Media Release

Monday, 3 November 2014

William Aitken & Co

Leading European food importer celebrates 70 years

The New Zealand food industry is notoriously fickle with players coming and going. However one of the country’s largest independent food importing businesses, William Aitken & Co, is this year celebrating its 70th birthday.

As the world commemorates the World War One centennial and the forthcoming Second World War 75th anniversary, businesses that grew out of the consequences of war are also reaching milestones.

One such business is William Aitken & Co, established in 1944. Its founder Bill Aitken observed European migrants fleeing from World War Two, bringing with them new food ideas and tastes to New Zealand. However once here, they struggled to get the products required to enable their traditional cooking.

“Returning Kiwi soldiers, who had served in places like Italy, had also broadened their own tastes and many returned keen on trading in the old mash potato for Italian dishes like pasta,” says Managing Director Graham Aitken.

“My grandfather fought in Europe himself but during World War One. By the 1940s he could see the lack of food availability for Europeans migrating here, as well as a general growing awareness and appreciation of European food.” “He simply spotted a genuine gap in the market and went about filling it. One of his first big sales was an entire consignment of olive oil bought by the Italian fishing community in Wellington’s Island Bay.”

As a young man during the Great Depression, Bill Aitken honed his skills by working in food importing business Gollin & Co, bringing in basic commodities like salt, rice and dried fruit.

Then during World War Two he worked on a Government commission supplying provisions for US troops based in New Zealand, where he built up some valuable overseas contacts. He then went out on his own, selling into corner stores and groceries.

Seventy years on and the four-generation family-owned business is almost completely supermarket-focused, where it continues to meet the market, particularly around food appreciation and the art of cooking.

Thirty years ago Graham left the IT sector and worked for his father Pat. Now Graham’s son Sam works for the company as Sales Manager.

“In the 1940s, together with the arrival of new European migrants, Kiwi tastebuds began to change. The 1960s saw the first licensed restaurants open, offering everything from steak to pasta dishes. Two decades later, diet crazes saw the popularity of olive oil boom, which William Aitken & Co led the way with. Move forward another two decades and New Zealand is now experiencing a wave of cooking shows, further expanding the food habits of Kiwis all keen on trying new tastes,” says Mr Aitken.

Through all this William Aitken & Co has evolved to become one of the largest independent food importers. The company has exclusive importing rights for the market-leading Lupi olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as well as Sun-Maid raisins, Barilla pasta and sauces, alongside a range of other quality, imported European foodstuffs, (in particular, Mediterranean foods). These are now supplemented by a portfolio of imported foods from North & South America, and China.

Seventy years on and the Auckland-based William Aitken & Co is looking forward to its centennial.

“One thing’s for sure, there’s always competition and the market is always changing. Our secret to survival has been to keep our traditional values but never stop evolving. Those who survive in the FMCG sector are those who have an ability to quickly adapt to change and trends which change at increasing pace.

“My grandfather saw a gap in the market 70 years ago, and our ongoing challenge today is to stay at the top of the market. We’re very confident that the world-class quality of our products will enable us to do just that,” says Graham Aitken.

Ends

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