Business Central July 2021

22 | Manawatu - CEDA: Prepared Foods Processing - Moana NZ Making the most of high-tech capacity T Richard Loader Palmerston North’s PFPL has developed a reputation for producing innovative long life food products. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT F or every successful company there is always a winning recipe at its heart and for Prepared Foods Processing Ltd (PFPL) that recipe is all about a culture of innovation and a willingness to invest in technology. Based in Palmerston North, PFPL is a long life foods retort-based production facility utilising high-tech equipment. The company is part of Moana New Zea- land, which is 100% Māori owned and the largest Māori-owned fisheries company in New Zealand. With an increasing influence over pāua quo- ta, Moana New Zealand sought to vertically in- tegrate through pāua processing and in 1995 bought PFPL as its entry into the lucrative canned market, sparking a significant journey in innovation and development. At that time PFPL was the only pāua canning operation in New Zealand. When Moana purchased PFPL, canned abalone exported to places like Singapore and Hong Kong was one of the largest volumes and highest price sectors for New Zealand pāua, largely for the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is all about gifting and banqueting and canned pāua is a big gifting item in Singapore and Hong Kong. “The core process at PFPL is retort,” says Dean Pennell, Moana New Zealand’s GM Sales and Innovation. “You can think of a retort as a giant pres- sure cooker, in which product is cooked under pressure and high heat, and sterilised inside the can. “You could quite safely eat the product out of the can in five years time.” While Moana New Zealand has an annual fishing season, the peak demand period for pāua is October through to January, and about 75% of PFPL’s annual volume of pāua is pro- cessed in those four months for the Chinese New Year. That meant PFPL’s retorts had the poten- tial to sit idle for long periods of time, so the company looked at what other products were T to page 24 retorted and came up with a range of long life ‘pouch pack’ meal products. “That has resulted in two of our large con- tracts supplying the New Zealand and Australi- an Defence forces with meals that go into the military ration packs. “We do meals like chilli con carne, butter chicken, beef ragout, and there are some vegetarian chickpea curries. “For the Defence Forces, everything is required to be Halal and they need vegetar- ian options to feed their Muslim and Indian soldiers. Every year, in collaboration with ADF and NZDF we are required to develop dif- ferent meal and dessert options to maintain variety.” Having developed a reputation for long life products the innovation required for the ADF and NZDF has had a spin-off into approaches from other businesses where work is done for them under their own brands. Proud to supply processed vegetables to Prepared Foods Ltd 19 27 Makomako Rd, Palmerston North 06 358 7109 www.morganlaurenson.co.nz