10 | Apollo Foods: 2023 ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards T T kim Newth Award acknowledges ‘whole team effort’ Apollo Foods CEO Sally Gallagher won the Newstalk ZB Inspiring Women in Export Award at the 2023 Hawke’s Bay Export Awards. “We have had a lot going on this year and now everyone is excited by this recognition and how our profile has been raised as a result of it.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Apollo Foods co-founder Sally Gallagher has made an impressive debut as a first-year CEO having recently won the inaugural Newstalk ZB Inspiring Women in Export Award at the 2023 Hawke’s Bay Export Awards. She is also a finalist for the Inspiring Women Leaders Award at the New Zealand International Business Awards 2023 As Apollo Foods CEO, Sally is leading development of the company’s two brands The Apple Press and Boring Oat Milk. The Apple Press began when Hawke’s Bay apple grower and entrepreneur Ross Beaton teamed up with Sally – a marketing/business development leader and food innovation specialist - to find a way to make use of great-tasting apples that did not quite make the grade for export. In 2018, they built their own $30 million production facility at Whakatu to transform ‘ugly fruit’ into all-natural quality apple juice. From there, it was a natural step to add another innovative brand, Boring Oat Milk, to capitalise on their state of the art plant and world-class bottling facilities. Sally picked a challenging year to transition into the role of CEO, just as Cyclone Gabrielle arrived to devastate the Hawke’s Bay region. “Our people were hit the hardest,” says Sally. “One of our colleagues lost her home. We were lucky in that the plant wasn’t flooded. Water was lapping the top of the stopbank near our plant, but it didn’t break. It was chaotic time. “Ross and I were trying to get generators to keep the factory pumps operating, with bridges going out all around us. After the cyclone, we gave away produce to support food parcels for the hardest hit and of course were releasing our people to go and work in their communities.” When one of Sally’s team nominated her for the Inspiring Women in Export Award, she knew how important it was for her whole team to receive acknowledgement for their effort. “The award is not just for me personally but for all the team and what they do. It is a huge compliment. We have had a lot going on this year and now everyone is excited by this recognition and how our profile has been raised as a result of it.” Being a finalist in the NZIB Awards, Inspiring Women Leaders, is also serving to reinforce that profile and showcase the company’s global reach, as well as highlighting Sally’s strengths as a business leader. “We have a lot of women in our management team, who are all inspiring in what they do here every day, and it’s great for them to see this acknowledgement too.” Apollo Foods was quick to take advantage of international borders opening again after Covid and Sally says it has been a pleasure being able to meet clients face-to-face rather than teaming up remotely. Ross continues to play a key role in the business as Apollo Foods Director and went to China with Sally in March to meet with customers there. Sally also joined a top level New Zealand trade delegation to China this year, with exciting new opportunities now opening up. “The trade delegation exceeded my expectations, personally and professionally. You learn fast in a supportive environment like that and it gives you great contacts in the market as well as with the other delegates. It was an amazing experience.” Moving forward, she says their goal is to expand their footprint into China, explore new channels and increase their direct presence there. Apollo Foods also exports to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. “Our strategy is now to go deeper in all these markets. We are projecting at least 20 per cent growth year on year.” Another highlight of the year for Sally is seeing ongoing progress on the company’s sustainability strategy targeting high ‘B Corp’ standards of social and environmental performance.
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