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 Silver Fern Farms Expands Global FootprintFri, 20/03/2009 11:36:00 a.m. Silver Fern Farms' branded top quality red meat products are headed for retail shelves in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific as the company gears up to export more than 90 percent of its products into more than 60 markets under the Silver Fern trademark by June 2009. Demand has been driven by customers such as Intermarché, one of Europe's largest retailers, which wants to feature the iconic New Zealand brand on the shelves of most of its 1,400 stores throughout Europe. For Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand's leading red meat marketer and exporter, it is a major step towards creating a global food brand, and realising its integrated plate to pasture vision. Duncan McKinnon, general manager strategic marketing, says customer feedback on the new range of products had been extremely positive. "The focus is now squarely on driving demand with consumers and customers, by utilising a trademark that showcases the very best that New Zealand has to offer, directly communicating product benefits, and continuing our focus on portion controlled sizing and high quality." Mr McKinnon believes the industry has been slow to recognise the inherent benefits of a true consumer offering in terms of changing customer impressions of legacy NZ products. "Our supplier partners are recognising the advantages of 12-month supplier programmes, and were adapting their growing cycle to match consumer demand. An example is the trend towards increasing lamb weights during the past season, and increased winter supply. "Fundamentally it's about driving sustainability in the industry and for supplier partners, through value creation underwritten by delivery of a quality, healthy product - supported by the strong Silver Fern Farms branding and appetising packaging to enhance value in the food category." Moving into the consumer branded domain has meant significant capital investment, particularly into packaging technology. High end value products such as lamb boneless loins, tenderloins, boneless rumps and French racks, for instance, are being packaged utilising adapted thermoform packaging. The benefits include improved final product presentation, long term reduced packaging costs compared to conventional vacuum bag processing costs, and reduced product handling during the packing process. Says McKinnon: "The fundamentals of our product haven't changed. Animal welfare and food safety will continue to be the foundation of our business. What we are doing different is investing in the creation of a true integrated supply chain, and thereby strengthening the connection between our customers and our farmers." |
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