Deep South Ice Cream Limited, which was launched in Invercargill in 1979, has been owned by Mike Killick and Alex Hopkins since December 2010. Since that time, the company has undertaken a very extensive export drive and now serves outlets as diverse as Australia, Antarctica and China. However, the company had not neglected the domestic market and currently is second in nationwide supermarket sales.
Now Deep South Ice Cream Limited has further cemented its Chinese links in forging an agreement to supply ice cream products to a major Chinese restaurant chain. This is a three-year supply contract with Big Pizza, a Chinese gourmet pizza restaurant chain.
That company owns and operates 58 outlets in Beijing itself. It also supplies another 68 Big Pizza Restaurants owned and operated under a franchise agreement.
Under the new contract, Deep South will initially supply just the 58 restaurants owned and operated by Big Pizza, but later on will supply the franchisees.
This is not the sole association Deep South has with Big Pizza. That company also owns and operates 10 cafes in Beijing and Deep South is currently negotiating for its ice cream to be also sold in those outlets.
The deal with Big Pizza was launched during Prime Minister John Key’s visit to the Chinese capital. Deep South Ice Cream announced the partnership with China’s Big Pizza chain on April 10, outside a restaurant where New Zealand and Chinese guests sampled ice cream and wine.
Deep South’s co-owner and director Mike Killick says the deal will help his company expand further into the Chinese market.
"Big Pizza has seen that the Deep South Ice Cream brand and product is a true reflection of what New Zealand is all about,” he says.
“They have seen that our product range is reflective of how ice cream should taste.”
Mr Key hailed the partnership as another of the close business relationships between companies from the two countries being highlighted throughout his week long visit, alongside dozens of New Zealand business leaders.
Since it began in 1979, Deep South has had a reputation for innovation. In the early 1980s the company supplied a vast variety of ice creams for the providores of cruise liners that came to New Zealand.
Deep South Ice Cream is one of the four largest ice cream manufacturers and distributors in New Zealand. From one small plant in Rockdale Road in Invercargill, the company now has another plant in Christchurch.
With a carefully planned manufacturing and distribution system, Deep South has overcome the ‘tyranny of distance’ that is a real problem for South Island food manufacturers and distributors that operate in the North Island.
Deep South sales manager Kiri James says her company’s products are popular with retailers and customers alike. Despite being based in the South Island it still retains and is expanding its share of the domestic market. She says she is proud to be associated with such a progressive and forward-planning company.
