REPORT POTATO CONSUMPTION RISEN BY 24 PERCENT There are two big supermarket chains active in New Zealand. The first one is called Progressive, which is a division of the Woolworth Group and has a 45 percent market share in the supermarket segment; the second is Food Stuffs and has a market share of 55 percent. The supermarkets supply approximately 75 percent of the total potato volume. New Zealanders annually consume approximately 67 kg of potatoes per head of the population, the bulk of which is bought at the two big supermarkets. ‘Potato sales have increased by 24 percent in the past 3 years’ is what Woolworth’s Brett Ashley tells us. Of the 4 billion dollars that the Woolworth Group markets in New Zealand, 7.5 percent comes from potatoes and potato products, according to Brett Ashley. With an annual turnover of approximately 25,000 tons of table potatoes, small packaging company A.S. Wilcox & Sons has been the biggest supplier of the Woolworth supermarkets for the past 15 years Henry Wilcox takes us for a ride through the area and a visit to the company’s premises. This area, and also the area more to the south on the North Island is quite hilly with mountain ranges on the horizon. The turnover of the beautifully-packed potatoes in the cardboard boxes that were being sold for 5 dollars per 1.5 kg in March, increased by 44 percent in 3 years’ time Small packaging company grows its own potatoes With an annual turnover of approximately 25,000 tons of table potatoes, small packaging company A.S. Wilcox & Sons has been the biggest supplier of the Woolworth supermarkets for the past 15 years. This family business already has fifty years of experience in the packaging of potatoes. We are meeting the third generation today. Wilcox grows part of his potato requirement himself on 1,000 hectares of potato fields. The company also collaborates with twenty growers. To get all those potatoes to the consumer, Wilcox runs two packaging branches in New Zealand. One on the South Island in the town of Rakaia, and one on the North Island in the town of Pukekohe. In Pukekohe, the former managing director, Packaging close to the markets The Pukekohe potatoes are grown in the flatter regions of the North Island. These potatoes are the earliest grown New Zealand. The beautifully-red volcanic soils give the potatoes their fine-looking appearance. Pukekohe is situated near Auckland, the fastest-growing town of New Zealand. It is therefore a highly suitable location to build a packaging station. And that was exactly what the Wilcox family had in mind back in 1932, and even today this place appears to be highly suitable for the packaging of potatoes. At Wilcox, around 25,000 tons of table potatoes are packaged in a variety of packaging materials every year. Some are still packed in 10 kg paper bags, which have a particularly handy hand-grip. Most striking, however, is the smaller packaging, which the company has in its product range. The latest development is a cardboard box packed with 1,500 grams of small potatoes. They contain the new varieties Laura, Annabelle and Tiffany, which are shown to us by the manager of the Wilcox small packaging division, Agnes Over. What is striking is that all table potatoes have a ‘best before’ date on their labels. After this date, the supermarket sells these boxes at a discount. Brett Ashley points out that the premium products are becoming increasingly popular with the consumer. The sales of these products have increased by 36.8 percent in the past three years. Exclusive packaging pays off To help the consumer prepare the right amount of potatoes for any dish, Wilcox has developed a special 2.5 kg packaging range. Each bag holds a printed explanation for a special potato dish. Ashley points out that the turnover of this line has increased by 84 percent in the past 3 years. ‘To help the consumer make the right choice means, in our philosophy, that potato really matches the customer’s intended use. ’ The turnover of the beautifully-packed potatoes in the cardboard boxes that were being sold for 5 dollars per 1.5 kg in March, increased by 44 percent over the past 3 years. This has resulted in an increase in the average price for potatoes from 1.37 dollars per kg in 2006 to 1.73 dollars in 2008. New Zealanders consume approximately 67 kg of potatoes per head of the population annually Potato World 2009 • number 4 31 Pagina 30

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