Brian Dewar has begun his new role as chief executive of EasiYo, a New Zealand producer and exporter of kits and ingredients for home-made yogurt.
Mr Dewar, who was previously general manager New Zealand sales for Vitaco Health (NZ) Ltd, took up the EasiYo position in March this year, in time to help celebrate the company’s 21st anniversary.
Rod Quin, chief executive of Westland Milk Products, of which EasiYo is a wholly owned subsidiary, says Mr Dewar comes to EasiYo with a wealth of experience in the dairy and food industries.
“Brian’s experience with Vitaco is directly relevant to his new role, as is his previous employment with the likes of Healtheries New Zealand and New Zealand Milk. His experience encompasses national and overseas positions, an essential requirement for the leader of a company that exports around the world.”
Mr Dewar has a Bachelor of Agriculture Science First Class Honours from Massey University. He is on the board of Natural Products NZ. Outside of work his interests mainly revolve around family and outdoor sports and recreation.
“I am excited about taking on the challenge of managing this iconic Kiwi company. I see great opportunities for expansion in existing and new markets and I am looking forward to leading the team in delivering long-term growth in the coming years,” Mr Dewar says.
Len and Kathy Light originally developed the EasiYo concept in their North Shore garage in Auckland to feed their yogurt loving family. They established the EasiYo Company in 1992 to produce the EasiYo system for making fresh and nutritious yogurt at home, easily and economically. EasiYo’s original six flavours were Marshmallow, Passion fruit, Raspberry, Banana, Strawberry and the Kiwi classic Jaffa.
The simple and effective EasiYo Yogurt Maker was first launched at the Auckland Homeshow in 1992 where 600 units were sold. EasiYo’s health benefits saw the units and sachets originally stocked and sold through pharmacies, however major New Zealand supermarket chains realised the potential and took up the product.
EasiYo made its debut on Australian supermarket shelves in May 1993 and since then the success of EasiYo has grown from the shores of New Zealand, to the UK, Asia and USA. EasiYo is now available in more than 30 flavours in over 20 countries worldwide allowing millions of families to benefit from the health advantages and cost savings of the EasiYo system.
The EasiYo system consists of the yogurt maker and yogurt sachets allowing the user to make 1kg of fresh and delicious yogurt easily and effectively. All EasiYo yogurts are packed with calcium, protein and essential nutrients and contain no preservatives, gelatine, gluten, stabilisers or artificial flavours or colours.
EasiYo transitioned from a family owned business to a corporate organisation in 2009 and is now 100 percent New Zealand owned by Westland Milk Products.
www.easiyo.com
