Rockit Apple CEO Mark O'Donnell inside Hastings apple pack-house as Rockit prepares for its biggest international campaign. Photo / Warren Buckland
Rockit Apple CEO Mark O'Donnell inside Hastings apple pack-house as Rockit prepares for its biggest international campaign. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hastings-based company Rockit Global Limited is getting ready for its most extensive global campaign with "Rockit Back to School".
Rockit sells almost none of its products - specially packed snack-sized apples - in New Zealand, almost exclusively selling to the overseas market.
From the Middle East to Southeast Asia to the US, Rockit is fueling families worldwide, from its Hastings base.
When asked what this global impact means for Hawke's Bay, Rockit CEO Mark O'Donnell said it's huge.
"It's huge for the region as a whole for us to be successful, especial when you look at our pack house - the technology has been locally designed, changed and innovated for our product and the apple itself was created here, in Hawke's Bay," O'Donnell said.
The overseas back-to-school campaign builds on the Ready Set Rockit campaign, which has driven a 21 per cent jump in sales across global markets (2022 vs 2021).
Even before the most recent campaign, Rockit had regular international success with significant brand partnerships - for example Universal, for the Minions movie.
Last year partnering with Pac-Man in Asia saw massive success for the company, explained the Hawke's Bay-based CEO.
"Creating brand associations has been very important for the company," he said.
With the company's popularity internationally, Rockit has had the option of moving elsewhere.
"We could have sales and marketing teams based anywhere, but we think it is so important to be a part of the place where we grow the apples and be part of the community."
Rockit founder Phil Alison, who came up with the idea to put apples in tubes, is a Hawke's Bay local.
Everyone hard at work the day after Rockit Global was ExportNZ Hawke's Bay ASB Exporter of the Year for 2022 to keep up with global demand. Photo / Warren Buckland
It all began locally, and the current CEO wants to keep it local.
"It's sort of giving back in a way, by staying local we can give the people in our community roles and careers and opportunities within Rockit," O'Donnell said.
The global growth makes the company proud; however, the success also helps fund what they want to do in the future.
"We don't sell anything in New Zealand, so Rockit's focus is predominantly internationally," the CEO said.
Overseas is where the demand is, and Rockit can meet the consumers' needs.
Middle East Rockit market manager Ziad El Chawa explained that Rockit, which is sold in 30 countries worldwide, is amidst a strong growth curve in the Middle East.
"Sales volume for the entire region is up 36 per cent, and in Saudi Arabia alone, sales have climbed a massive 140 per cent (2022 vs 2021).
"Momentum from the highly engaging Ready. Set. Rockit. campaign is set to continue this growth, attracting millions of new Rockit consumers during the peak back-to-school sales period," Ziad El Chawa said.
Other countries taking part in the back-to-school campaign are also set to see similar rises in numbers.
A large part of the popularity overseas is the size of the apple and the health benefits.
Instead of a regular-sized apple, which could be challenging for a child to eat, eating the whole Rockit apple is easy.
Globally there is a move towards healthy eating and customers look at the tube of apples as an easy way of accessing a fresh product.
Rockit's CEO said the other part that has made the company successful is moving away from being a commodity, to seeing it as a fast-moving consumer good (FMCG product).
