Foodstuffs Celebrates Supplier Excellence And Innovation At 2022 National Partnership Awards

Foodstuffs has celebrated its National Partnership Awards, with the two locally owned and operated cooperatives coming together to celebrate the very best of its supplier community and the work that goes on behind the scenes to help keep New Zealanders fed.

Held on 29 August at Te Pae Christchurch, the event saw 258 Foodstuffs suppliers from 47 supplier companies enjoy a night together recognising the integral role they play in providing Foodstuffs customers with the best shopping experience.

Chris Quin, CEO of Foodstuffs North Island said the evening was a fantastic opportunity to recognize the customer-driven innovation in New Zealand’s grocery industry, and it was great to bring the cooperatives together to acknowledge the hard work and collaboration that goes into delivering New Zealanders the very best products.

“We felt it was important to continue to recognise our supplier partners. Through some of New Zealand’s toughest COVID weeks, for many of our customers just being able to get their groceries was the one constant. It’s something that made a very real difference to our customers, and we should all be proud of the part we each played.

“We’re here to serve New Zealanders and make sure they have the products they want and need, and we can’t do that without brilliant suppliers who are committed to delivering the best products and innovations.”

Foodstuffs presented 12 awards under two main categories: category excellence and national awards.

New to the awards this year is the Members’ choice category, created to highlight suppliers who strive to push the bar and champion their brands with stores in both the North and South Island.

Mary Devine, CEO of Foodstuffs South Island, told the audience as one of the judges she had been blown away by the quality of the entries. “The finalists all spoke about their passion for creating quality products that customers love, and making an impact that matters for New Zealand.

“As a 100% New Zealand locally owned and operated business, we absolutely love hearing about Kiwi ingenuity, and supporting local business owners to reach new heights. These awards are a celebration of the achievements of our fantastic food and grocery industry in Aotearoa, the innovation and customer focus of suppliers across the country, and the partnerships that make it all happen.

“Our national awards are a true recognition of supplier excellence, from driving sustainable change in Aotearoa to pushing the creative boundaries of our FMCG industry, these winners are outstanding in the work they do.”

Winning the four national categories for innovation, sustainability, partnership and own brands partnership was Boring Milk, All Good, Fonterra, and Zeta Group respectively.

National Award Innovation Award winner Morgan Maw from Boring Milk says she's chuffed to be recognised at such a prestigious event and the award highlights the support Foodstuffs gives to innovation within the sector.

“We’re a young company, only one year old, so to win this award is a testament to the mahi we've done and the support we receive from Foodstuffs, we’re really proud to work alongside them on our journey.

“It’s essential that innovation and growth is nurtured in New Zealand, so it's reassuring that Foodstuffs goes out of its way to celebrate and uplift suppliers like us who are trying new things.”

The final award of the evening was the Foodstuffs National partnership Award which went to fellow New Zealand cooperative Fonterra who was recognised for its consistent communication of challenges and opportunities through disrupted times, as well as a strong willingness to engage and collaborate- resulting in great new products for Foodstuffs customers.

Guy Blaikie from Fonterra says the relationship between the two cooperatives continues to go from strength to strength.

“To win the National Partnership Award is a true testament to the work we put into our relationship with Foodstuffs. The award is a recognition of the true end to end effort within the FBNZ business and every business unit has had a part to play in delivering these great results.”

Foodstuffs congratulates all finalists and winners. Full list of winners below.

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