Export success drives new factory
At the end of April, NEKTA™ Nutrition Limited opened a custom-built beverage processing factory in Wiri, South Auckland.
The official red ribbon cutting ceremony was performed by the Rt Honorable Dame Jenny Shipley and His Worship the Mayor of Manukau, Len Brown. Also present were suppliers, staff involved in the factory development process, and representatives of NZTE and Enterprising Manukau.
Enterprising Manukau is committed to the food manufacturing industry in the South Auckland area and has worked closely with NEKTA on the new plant.
NEKTA has built a vigorous, functional beverage brand, with loyal customers in New Zealand, Australia, Asia, and selected European Markets. It is a brand recognised for innovative, health promoting, non-carbonated drinks, based on one our most famous export, the iconic kiwifruit.
NEKTA is a privately owned New Zealand company that specialises in processing thousands of kiwifruit annually, using a patented process that uses all the flesh of the fruit. This process preserves its active vitamin and mineral properties. NEKTA creates delicious beverages, blended with scientifically proven, powerful functional superfood such as Aloe Vera and Goji Berry.
The principal of NEKTA is Adriana Tong. It was Adriana’s vision to formulate the products and to combine other internationally recognised health-giving ingredients with New Zealand kiwifruit.
During her opening speech, The Honorable Jenny Shipley praised innovative New Zealand food companies, which manufacture at home and develop food products with consumers’ needs in mind. Ms Shipley strongly emphasised the importance for the New Zealand economy of exporting, not just raw materials, but highly nutritious, added-value functional foods, specifically created for the Asian market. Ms Shipley made strong emphasis on the benefits of researching and understanding the cultural and nutritional priorities of the rapidly growing middle-class in China, India, and Asia in general; praising NEKTA for its strategic vision in these markets. As a consequence, NEKTA currently exports 60 per cent of its finished products, mostly to Asia.
The most important strategic goal for the new factory is taking full control of quality and all facets of production in-house and using the flexibility this offers, to support its own production development programme. The other goal is to develop relationships with other companies who seek a modern, reliable production partner.
NEKTALITE is one outstanding example of this company’s product development and expertise. NEKTALITE has global potential in the baking market. NEKTALITE, developed from kiwifruit, is a healthy, low-fat alternative to traditional saturated baking fat. It uses all-natural carbohydrates for fat replacement, moisture management, water and oil binding, and thickening. NEKTALITE is currently used in small quantities within the New Zealand baking industry and export markets are under development. The utilisation of this product has the potential to take the company global and generate export earnings.
NEKTA Nutrition is a fine example of why New Zealand has a healthy economic future. NEKTA currently has other functional food products under development. NEKTA Nutrition has kept a low profile to date, however, their new factory capacity, product development, and export success is quickly changing that.
MORE INFO: http://www.nekta.com/
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