Farmers Mill, the only independent grower-owned and operated flour mill in New Zealand, has taken the first steps to going global.
The 100% New Zealand, Timaru-based company has recently, hosted Alexander Harsono from the Indonesian Food Giant PT Diamond. Harsono was accompanied by Firdaus Salim Lim, Indonesian-based New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Business Development Manager. They experienced the Farmers Mill story first-hand, from grain production on-farm to flour milling and test baking.
CEO, Grant Bunting said the visit was a first of a number of such visits for the company. He said the new range of nutritional foods the company is developing, coupled with the ability to customise product to meet market requirements helped to strengthen the company’s global position.
The Indonesians’ visit coincided with Farmers Mill’s first shipment of export product to Malaysian supermarkets. Bunting said that the shipment marked yet another milestone for the company with the initial order being worth around US$10,000.
When asked why Farmers Mill had focussed on Indonesia and Malaysia, Bunting was quick to point out that the SE Asia region now represents approximately 12% of New Zealand’s food and beverage export value. He went on to say that this fact was further supported by the company’s own research, which suggested that the opportunities within the SE Asian market were more tightly aligned with Farmers Mill’s ability to deliver a niche product.
Farmers Mill will continue its push into SE Asia with its attendance at trade shows in both Indonesia and Malaysia in the coming months.
