Hawke’s Bay New Zealand a Region – Rich with History!

ehagleye@ehagleyestate.net — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:42:02 +0000

Hawke’s Bay a region on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand is known forlong hot summers and cool winters which offer the best weather for growing grapes. Recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines.
It is also has a climate, dry and temperate, renowned for its horticulture, large orchards and vineyards on the plains, a region rich with history.
This article is about a business in Hastings, a major urban settlement in the Hawke’s Bay Region of the North Island in New Zealand.
A kiwi icon – Watties,Watties Tomato Sauce, Baked Beans, Spaghetti, you will find a tin in most NZ homes.
Wattie’s story began in Hawke’s Bay in 1934. Fresh New Zealand produce was being wasted because of the prohibitive cost of transporting fresh produce from Hastings to the cities of Auckland and Wellington. James (Jim) Wattie and friend Harold Carr formed, J. Wattie Canneries Ltd in 1934 and in 1935 started supplying pulped fruit from gooseberries, plums and peaches to be made into jam, which led in turn to the canning of peaches and pears.
When the war ended, the demand for canned meat and dehydrated rations slowed. So Jim led the company in a new direction, creating new products made from the natural produce that Wattie’s specialised in. Tomatoes were added to a host of great ingredients to create the products that future generations of Kiwis would grow up with: Wattie’s Tomato Sauce, Baked Beans, Spaghetti and Tomato Purée.
In 1980, Goodman Fielder and Wattie Industries purchased shares in each other’s companies beginning what was to become a close relationship. This was consummated by a merger in 1987 to create Goodman Fielder Wattie Ltd.
In October 1992, the H.J. Heinz Company of Pittsburgh, USA, purchased Wattie’s from Goodman Fielder for $565 million, beginning an exciting chapter in the New Zealand company’s history. H.J. Heinz was established in 1869 by Henry J. Heinz and from its inception the company had a reputation for producing high quality nutritious foods. The H.J.Heinz Company produced many similar products to Wattie’s, such as baked beans, soups, baby foods and sauces, and saw in Wattie’s a company with similar values that would be a natural fit with its global business.
It is with great joy I came upon this article in the local newspaper for Hawkes Bay.
Hawke’s Bay exports to Japan are continuing in the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.Heinz Wattie’s chief operating officer Michael Gibson says there are close relationships between the Wattie’s business in Hawke’s Bay and Heinz Japan at professional and personal levels.
Heinz Wattie’s exports over 20,000 tonnes of canned and frozen products to Japan, and since 2000 the Hastings plant has incorporated a facility dedicated to the production of high quality sauces for that market.
The city of Hastings is a major urban settlement in Hawke’s Bay and is the largest settlement by population in Hawke’s Bay.
The Hastings district has a long history of a food producing region, and is commonly referred to as the ‘Fruit Bowl of New Zealand’, therefore making it rich in history, producing fresh fruit, vegatables and wines which reach out to all corners of the earth..

MY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

Hawke’s Bay New Zealand a Region – Rich with History!