Heilala Vanilla chief executive Jennifer Boggiss. Photo / File
Heilala Vanilla chief executive Jennifer Boggiss. Photo / File
Heilala Vanilla has been named Business of the Year at the Westpac Tauranga Business Awards 2020.
The finalists and winners of the annual awards were revealed tonight at a Love Local cocktail event, which showcased food and beverages from around New Zealand.
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said in a statement he was delighted to see the business community come together and support local success in what has been a tough year.
"This year would not necessarily be about huge profits and major growth, but more about our people, the way everyone has worked to come through the challenges presented to us, and how we supported each other to achieve this."
Given the unusual year, the chamber saw this as an opportunity to reset a number of elements of the awards.
This included two new awards introduced this year, and a change to the judging process with a head facilitator, Sven Pannell from KPMG Wellington, being appointed.
Pannell spent a week visiting all the entrants for an initial assessment before chairing a panel of judges of well-established local business leaders in a "pitch weekend".
This was valuable and insightful for the judges, who then had an in-depth discussion to land on this year's finalists, winners, and the Westpac Tauranga Business of the Year.
As well as the grand title, Heilala Vanilla won two other awards - the Business, Digital & Technology Innovation Award and the Manufacturing and/or Distribution Award.
On behalf of the judges, Pannell said in the statement they felt the company had many of the characteristics seen in New Zealand's highest-performing businesses.
This was a deep understanding of their global customers and how to reach them, a focused and planned approach to international expansion, and a deeply-held purpose to transform the future of their vanilla-growing partners in Tonga.
"They continue to innovate ... the panel is excited to see what's in store next for this team".
Heilala Vanilla. Photo / File
Heilala Vanilla operates a bean-to-bottle process that grew out of an aid project in Tonga by founder John Ross.
Its main competitors are synthetic products, while it is pure - grown and dried in Tongan in a scientific, unrefined process - and the company is constantly creating new products from the base product.
The judges found Heilala Vanilla also had a considered focus on corporate social responsibility, with its mission being to build a better future for the people of Tonga.
It has built a partnership with the Tongan King and the local community of farmers, who all grow and process the vanilla beans.
Continuous Improvement/Lean was one of the two new awards added this year. It recognises the need to improve processes and systems to gain the productivity benefit.
The inaugural winner of this award is Bake Shack, which makes and moves between 10,000 to 15,000 pies daily, delivered throughout New Zealand - constantly looking for ways to improve the process while maintaining high quality.
The other new award is the People & Culture Award, which was decided through public nominations and votes.
This was for a business the public, either as staff or customers, viewed as demonstrating a great culture within.
There was a huge response and the winner is Mount Skin and Body, which had just over a third of the total votes.
Mainfreight, which recently opened a new base in Tauranga with eco-friendly qualities, was recognised for its Corporate Leadership.
Despite the challenges of 2020, there was a very high standard of entrants, making the selection process a challenging prospect for the judges, the statement said.
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Pannell said it had been an "unprecedented year" for businesses.
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley. Photo / File
"It has required business leaders to dig deep into their emotional and, often, financial reserves," he said.
"It's also provided a range of opportunities for those with the capability, resilience and preparedness ... there were a lot of positive stories emerging from the finalists this year."
He said entrants came in "all shapes and sizes" but had common traits of high performance, a relentless desire to deliver value, and continued motivation to be better.
The extent to which businesses actively supported their people and communities had been particularly impressive, he said.
"It's clear to me that being a business in the Bay means something special, that it is both a privilege and a responsibility."
Westpac Tauranga area commercial manager Clare Basire said Westpac was "extremely proud" to be associated with the event.
"We've been amazed by the resilience and innovation of businesses big and small, who have connected with their customers and communities, overhauled their operations and adapted to the 'new normal' in a matter of weeks and months."
