Couplands Partnership Supports Growth into North Island

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2 February 2015

Couplands Partnership Supports Farmers Mill Growth into North Island

Farmers Mill, the only independent grower-owned and operated flour producer in New Zealand, is growing its national business via a new, North Island distribution centre, enabling it to offer North Island bakery and ingredient customers the same quality wholesale products and services as those in the South Island.

The 100% New Zealand, Timaru-based grain flour miller and ingredient supplier has secured supply to bakery giant Couplands Bakeries nationally, having been successful in winning a national tender worth a significant amount of revenue.

Buoyed by its recent foray into South East Asia with support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the Timaru-based company has also secured funding from stand-alone crown entity, Callaghan Innovation, to continue its product development programme exploring high-protein and low GI products using specific, New Zealand grown grains.

This will see a continuation of its innovation into nutrition focussed flour and baking products, having been the first New Zealand-owned flour producer to receive initial funding from the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT).

Farmer’s Mill CEO, Grant Bunting, said the company’s growth in to the North Island, coupled with its work in the scientific development area, represents not just a win for the New Zealand owned company but for New Zealand as a whole.

“It’s a sound use of Government money to be investing in and supporting companies like ours which are New Zealand owned, with a strong economic footprint. The profits stay right here – it’s as simple as that. Better for us, yes, but also better for all New Zealanders who will benefit from well supported agribusiness - ultimately contributing to a stronger economy, higher value exports and more sustainable resource use.”

Grant says the new, high value nutritional products should be ready within the next 6 - 9 months and will add to their New Zealand made, competitive offering.

“We’re excited to be working with vast resources such as Lincoln University, the Food Innovation Network and the Foundation for Arable Research to analyse what refinements and improvements can be made to our milled range of grains to produce health driven products. We’re not prepared to comprise on quality and we’re keen to ensure these innovative developments keep Farmers Mill products at the forefront of the industry,” he says.

Last year Farmers Mill launched a range of flour based products and premixes and announced the company’s strategic relationship with French multinational yeast supplier, Lesaffre.

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