Century of tradition mirrors NZ progress

By ELLEN READ

A flour-milling business set up in Hobson St in 1904 celebrates its 100th birthday this year in a very different guise, but having held on to some core principles.

From those humble beginnings Healtheries New Zealand now has more than 750 health products - a range unrivalled in Australasia - on sale worldwide.

The company's evolution mirrored that of New Zealand's economic, social and nutritional development, said its managing director, Sarah Kennedy.

"In the 1960s suddenly people became more self-aware and that's when they started to branch out into supplements. So did we," she said.

Then in the 1970s, the company began to export - coinciding with huge export growth for the country as a whole.

The company - privately owned by Auckland businessman Gary Lane - is now a global exporter and market leader in the burgeoning health supplement industry in New Zealand.

"If you ask me what's been the key to our success, I would say it's constantly and effectively meeting the needs of our consumers," said Kennedy, a former vet.

Healtheries' annual sales exceed $50 million and staff number more than 250 in offices and plants here and in Australia.

The business was founded by two Auckland flour millers who spotted a gap in the market for speciality rye and wholemeal flours.

The company began to diversify, in response to customer demand, after World War II.

In 1967, mirroring a new wealth emerging in NZ and under the direction of its new owner, food technologist and pharmaceutical chemist Bert Macartney, Healtheries embarked on two decades of huge growth. Lane took ownership in 1990.

Today, Healtheries is New Zealand's leading manufacturer of health foods, supplements and beverages and is the only company in Australasia offering products in all three categories.

International sales are growing at about 15 per cent a year, with exports accounting for 37 per cent of sales.

Pleased with the current position, Kennedy has big plans for Healtheries' future. One of the company's principles is that the current workforce are the guardians of the brand, meaning they must nurture it for future generations.

"People don't realise that a lot of modern drugs are derived from their herbal ancestors so there's plenty of scope for us to develop new products," Kennedy said.

She practised for five years as a vet in London, Auckland and Wellington before joining animal feed producer NRM NZ in 1989.

In eight years with NRM, she rose from the position of aquaculture nutritionist - looking after salmon in NZ and shrimps in Noumea - to general manager of the company.

Kennedy joined Tegel Foods as retail business manager in 1997 and went to Healtheries as managing director the following year.