Its primary focus was to ensure adequate support for existing industries and adding value to their products.
Food Hawke's Bay's eight-member board was chaired by Port of Napier marketing manager Chris Bain and it had two fulltime employees.
In 2007 it merged with the Hawke's Bay Food Group, a voluntary organisation set up in 2000 by a group of passionate foodies led by Sir Graeme Avery.
The group was behind the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market and the Hawke's Bay Food Trail.
The two groups amalgamated to avoid duplication after a working party with representatives from both organisations found common goals, including members' desire to grow their businesses, networking with fellow food producers and product promotion.
The amalgamated body worked well. One of its first programmes was creating the Hawke's Bay Signature Dish.
In 2011 regional economic development agency Business Hawke's Bay (BHB) was launched, thanks to support from the Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce who's then-chief executive Murray Douglas also led the agency.
Operating independently of the chamber, it focused on research, planning and facilitation of economic targets. In 2012 BHB ruffled feathers by appointing a food industry facilitator, which was seen as duplicating Food Hawke's Bay's role. The facilitator promoted commercial food activities, identified food company requirements and linked them to technical or commercial resources.
Food Hawke's Bay's general manager Jane Libby was on a Food Advisory Group set up by BHB to resource the facilitator role and expected the role to be part of Food Hawke's Bay. Food Hawke's Bay's chairman at the time, John McHardy, said he was "shocked and disappointed" the role was with BHB. "We have the connections, experience, respect and business intelligence within the Hawke's Bay Food Sector," he said at the time.
BHB refuted allegations of duplication, saying it had a collaborative business model.
Nearly a year later a deal was announced. Food Hawke's Bay would maintain responsibility for the Farmers' Market and provide assistance for new entrants into small food businesses. As businesses grew they would be passed to BHB for support.
Last year Food Hawke's Bay suffered another blow. Farmers Market and Napier Urban Food Market stallholders, forced to join Food Hawke's Bay as a condition of joining the markets, split from Food Hawke's Bay, seeking greater say in the market's governorship.
Food Hawke's Bay chairman Phil Pollett said 23 of the 40 stallholders who did not renew membership rejoined, but overall membership had fallen because there was no shortage of help from agencies for food businesses seeking growth. The agencies competed for funding from the same government sources and private-sector sponsorships as Food Hawke's Bay.
Last week it declared its doors would shut because of falling membership and competition for funding from other agencies. Mr Pollett said although other agencies would pick up Food Hawke's Bay activities there would be a void - the industry needed a structure to incubate growth and add value.
BHB's food and beverage programme was showing great promise, he said. A recent conference on the non-dairy infant formula industry, was a good example of that. At the conference, Fresco Nutrition announced it would build a $30million plant in Hawke's Bay that would create 40 new jobs.
Soon after New Zealand Dairy Products announced it would build an $80million farm-based dairy factory, creating 70 new jobs.
Establishing a non-bovine infant formula industry in Hawke's Bay is the project of BHB food and beverage manager Catherine Rusby. She said Food Hawke's Bay people were "passionate and committed" to growing the region's food industry and enjoyed "tremendous success", but left a gap.
"In the short term there is no single go-to contact for all things food related in Hawke's Bay, but having said that there is a tight network in the food and beverage space," she said.
The Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market provided an incubation opportunity for artisan food producers, she said. "While this organisation may not have the resources to help with business-capability development, it does provide a route to market for start-ups and opportunities to network with other artisan producers. This mentorship and networking is very much organic rather than institutional."
Food Hawke's Bay manager Patricia Small, who has another job to go to, said all its events and activities would be picked up by partner agencies.
The 8-year-old Hawke's Bay Hospitality Awards would be run by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand. The Food and Dining Guide would be produced by Hawke's Bay Tourism. The food market and cooking demonstrations at the Hawke's Bay Show would be run by Anne Prescott, who delivered the food marquee programme at the recent Edible Garden Show.
FAWC! event Lovcavore's Lunch would relocate to the grounds of The Old Church in Meeanee, hosted by television foodie Peta Mathias and showcasing local produce. Thursday's Health Claims on Labels seminar would be facilitated by BHB at the Business Hub.
Sir Graeme said Food Hawke's Bay's demise was a loss and a dynamic food production-focused group was "desperately needed by the region" to create more export-ready food businesses, foster research and food technology as a career.
"To be frank, the former Food Hawke's Bay never had the vision or credentials to do what it could have done to realise all the opportunities in the region," he said.
"A new group with support of large food companies is required."
