| 51 Nutrizone REGIONAL Import Over-size Export Pharma Logistics NZ Customs Storage Freight Insurance Management 3PL Logistics International freight forwarding with specialist temperature-controlled logistics. GLOBAL FREIGHT. PHARMA PRECISION. Proud to support Nutrizone 09 275 8080 | ops@hawkellery.co.nz www.hawkellery.co.nz | www.pharmalogistics.co.nz T T Anne Boswell Disaster refocuses firm’s direction The Excellence in International Business Award at the 2026 Auckland 2Degrees Business Awards marked another significant milestone. When floodwaters rose a metre through Nutrizone’s factory during the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods in 2023, the future of the business looked uncertain. The Pukekohe-based nutritional supplement contract manufacturer, established in 2014, was so badly damaged that closing its doors seemed the only option. Instead, the disaster became the catalyst for a dramatic turnaround that has seen the business grow exponentially and receive the Excellence in International Business Award at the 2026 Auckland 2Degrees Business Awards. When general manager, Jignesh Patel, joined the business in 2023, he worked with its founder to develop a plan to rebuild and take the company in a new direction, shifting its focus and growing the business from a seven-person operation to a 70-strong company serving over 50 brands worldwide. Previously, Nutrizone manufactured products predominantly for its own brands, and the Korean market, on a relatively small scale. The revamped business would instead offer its manufacturing expertise to brands across New Zealand and to international markets. “We thought we would change direction and make the most of the brands in New Zealand,” Jignesh says. The team refurbished salvageable machinery, invested in new equipment and got production running again. Supported by a growing number of staff, the company’s capabilities have expanded considerably along the way. Initially focused on hard capsules and tablets, Nutrizone added soft gel encapsulation in 2024. Demand filled the capacity of its first machine within 12 months, prompting the purchase of a second. Today, the factory houses three soft gel lines, two hard capsule machines, a tabletting machine, a powder-packing machine and a honey-packing line. Operating two shifts, the facility runs for 20 hours a day, Monday to Friday. Its services span powder blending and bottling, encapsulation, tabletting, sachet filling, honey blending and creaming, blister packaging, and in-boxing and cartoning. This provides the multitude of brands the company works with across New Zealand, the United States, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and more, with a broad range of manufacturing and packaging options under one roof. “We have now been recognised on an international level, competing against all industries that export overseas: from IT to engineering, manufacturing, food, meat, dairy, supply chain, distribution, freight and beyond.” Recognition has followed the growth. In 2025, Nutrizone won Supplier of the Year - Contract Manufacturer at the Natural Health Products Innovation Day. “This award celebrated the best manufacturers in the nutritional supplement industry, and it was quite important as it was our first award,” Jignesh says. “It was great to benchmark ourselves against other players in the industry.” The Excellence in International Business Award at the 2026 Auckland 2Degrees Business Awards marked another significant milestone, recognising Nutrizone among exporters from a broad range of industries, including IT and engineering. “We have now been recognised on an international level, competing against all industries that export overseas: from IT to engineering, manufacturing, food, meat, dairy, supply chain, distribution, freight and beyond,” Jignesh says. “It is very exciting to see all this growth and achieve another milestone.” With Nutrizone’s planned growth achieved far earlier than anticipated, the company is already looking towards its next expansion, with further development on the cards for 2027, when they hope to break into the Australian nutritional supplement market. For Jignesh, the people behind the scenes are critical to achieving a level of success of which they have only dreamed. “We have a great team. They travel to work from all over the Auckland and Waikato regions. They see the value in what we do and are proud of what we achieve.”
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