Transcript
MICHAEL GREENSLADE: What we're finding more and more is that the Pacific product by and large gets a premium in the New Zealand market, because it comes in, it's different, they understand the value proposition. But underlying that, there is an empathy, particularly in the Auckland market towards pacific island goods and in my view pacific is synonymous with premium. So we really don't want pacific commodities coming in here. We want the value added products. We're working with kava at the moment to blend that into a kava drink with Otago stonefruit. So there's a whole lot of research working around that. We're working with a coconut water company to actually make a specialised chip and powder out of the coconut off-grains if you like. So again, that's with Otago university. So what we're trying to do is to grab opportunities from the pacific, inject some technology and turn it into a premium product. So they're really quite exciting options that we've got going.
INDIRA STEWART: And ethical and fair trade is a big thing right now, is that another appeal that people have for supporting businesses around the region?
MG: Yeah well we've got all that sort of stream of partners as well. We've got Fair-Trade coming on Tuesday, we've got Oxfam, we've got a whole range of those companies but I think, a couple of issues there you raised, fair trade's a big one but so is organic. These are key value propositions that push buttons for the New Zealand consumer and we're seeing that through those existing networks. There's a whole range - Health and Fresh, Cicada, International Food, a company run by Adel Yousef. These are companies that sell fair trade organic product from all around the world and they've got a very strong existing market. It's not a big market however but that suits the pacific because sometimes we are only niche producers and so it's a really good place for us to play in.
IS: Is that an appeal as well? The fact that they are niche producers and are not mass-producing for so many different other people? Do other restaurant operators here like that they can display a product that is unique and that not many other cafes or operators have?
MG: Yeah well I think sustainability is the key to that and you know, you can be unique and not make any money. So the key thing is we want to build these unique products into a commercial sustainable business and therefore they've got to get some level of critical mass. But that critical mass isn't necessarily turning into a (..?..) and in fact far from it. We've got one chocolate company here from the Solomon Islands that's brought out 40 boxes of chocolates which I think is a whole week's production run for them to sell at Pasifika. But that is beautiful chocolate, great flavours. The flavours in that chocolate are locally driven - so you've got vanilla, you've got ginger, you've got those lovely pacific flavours that are part of that chocolate offering. But yeah, you've got to get up to that level. And I guess that's the valley of death at any business. You know, you can have a really good idea but you've got to get it across that commercial valley so that you can make money from it.
