PT&I’s Pacific Hub opens at Auckland Food Show

Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) has partnered with eight Pacific Island companies to promote a range of high quality food and beverage products from the Pacific Islands at the Auckland Food Show (AFS).

 The food show starts this Thursday 28 July 2016, at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane Auckland.

The four-day event will feature eight Pacific Island companies at PT&I’s Pacific Hub stand that will showcase and sell their products including, coffee, water, biscuits, coconut oil, beer, chocolate and vanilla. The companies are Banz Kofi from Papua New Guinea; Carpenters Fiji Limited, FMF Foods Limited and J Punja NZ Limited from Fiji; Samoa Breweries and Pacific Oil Limited from Samoa; C-Corp Limited from the Solomon Islands and Niue Vanilla International from Niue.

The Auckland Food Show is aimed at consumers with some 300 stands and more than 35,000 expected visitors. The show picks up on consumer trends toward fresh ingredients and flavours from around the world, sourcing top recipes and cooking at home for friends and family. It is expected to pull in around $6.3 million in revenue.

“This is the second food show that PT&I has supported this year as part of our food and beverage strategy,” PT&I NZ Trade Commissioner Michael Greenslade says. “AFS is for Pacific Island companies that are established and seeking to strengthen their consumer presence in New Zealand; it’s predominantly a brand building exercise for Pacific Island companies.”

Many of the products on the stand are already available in the New Zealand market through various retailers including the major supermarkets. “The Auckland Food Show is a good opportunity for the Pacific Island businesses to interact directly with thousands of consumers. Importantly consumers can buy a range of Pacific products at this event,” said PT&I Trade Development Manager, Joe Fuavao.

“From the award-winning Vailima beer from Samoa to premium Arabica coffee from Papua New Guinea, we have a range of Pacific products at the Pacific Hub stand to appeal a variety of consumers. Additionally, we have handcrafted chocolates made with cacao beans from the Solomon Islands and a range of biscuits, wraps and bottled water from Fiji. Discover more at our stand, P5.”

Celebrity chef and award winning Pacific cook book writer Robert Oliver will be in the Whirlpool Cooking Theatre alongside entertainer Cindy of Samoa – an internationally acclaimed fa’fafine renowned for her impersonations of Shirley Bassey, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. Cindy’s show is considered to be one of the top 10 things to do in Samoa and she’s a regular at the Sky City Casino and corporate and charity events throughout New Zealand.

Auckland Food Show, 28 – 31 July 2016. ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland. 10:00am – 5:00pm.