86 | Makikihi - a favourite with Kiwi consumers Cutting the cake: from left, Simon Bleeker, Michael Chamberlain, Karl Blythe. PRODUCTION Makikihi Fries T T Kelly Deeks The range of distinctively tasty and golden fries made in small-town New Zealand by Makikihi Fries has been hand-selected by top restaurants and local fish and chip shops for more than 40 years, and can now be enjoyed by an increasing number of Kiwis with retail sales available at more than 200 major supermarkets across the country. Established in 1983 by local potato grower Jac Bleeker, Makikihi Fries’ success is the result of hard work by genuine people, who get the fundamentals right every time. Jac grew his first commercial potato crop in 1957, initially selling to Smith’s Potato Crisps in Dunedin and later building them a crisping factory at Makikihi, which ran for several years until Smith’s was bought by ETA and the factory closed down. Once again, Jac rose to the challenge, repurposing what equipment he could and started making Makikihi Fries. He kept things simple from the beginning. He used only minimal, high-quality ingredients and when every other New Zealand French fry manufacturer switched to using seed oils, Makikihi Fries stuck to its roots and is now proudly the only New Zealand French fry manufacturer par-frying its product in beef tallow. “We’re still keeping it simple with just potatoes and beef tallow,” says operations manager Karl Blythe. “It’s the original and genuine way of par-frying French fries, and it gives us that old-fashioned French fry taste.” Makikihi Fries are made out of Agria potatoes, supplied by a network of long-term growers across South and Mid-Canterbury. Jac was actually the first to grow them commercially in New Zealand, making Makikihi the true home of the Agri potato. With their golden colour and strong potato flavour, they are key to Makikihi Fries’ popularity. They are known to grow well in South Canterbury, but also have a reputation for being difficult to store. “Being able to store here onsite gives us more control over that. We are continually upgrading our plant and we’ve recently put in additional refrigeration with ATR Refrigeration to give us more capacity.” Makikihi Fries has also purchased some new cutting gear, which is set to arrive later this year. “We believe we have the best-tasting product and now with this new gear, we’ll also have a cleaner, neater, sharper cut.” Selling direct to a number of long-term loyal customers and to wholesale food distributors, Makikihi Fries took a hit during Covid while restaurants and eateries were closed. In a quick response, the company saw an opportunity to get into supermarkets with new product sizes and new packaging, and Makikihi Fries were eagerly received by grocery shoppers. The resultant growth was huge, as the rest of New Zealand finally caught on to the delicious fries the South Island had been enjoying for decades. Supermarket sales now account for close to 20% of Makikihi Fries business, while wholesale customers are still a strong focus, and the Makikihi team travels regularly to trade shows and events to give them and their customers an opportunity to sample the product and hear the Makikihi Fries story. “We believe we have the besttasting product and now with this new gear, we’ll also have a cleaner, neater, sharper cut.” Proud to be the preferred refrigeration contractor to Makikihi Fries Dedicated to Temperature Maintenance Email: of ce@atr.co.nz Address: 14 Norwood Street, Timaru Mobile: 027 2848 345 Telephone: 03 688 7311 - 24hr phone Andy Turner - Managing Director 85 Meadows Road, Washdyke, Timaru • All your Industrial and Commercial Refrigeration needs • Milk Silo refrigeration needs • Preventative Maintenance Programs • Industrial Commercial HVAC Maintenance Programs
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