 | |
| Industry | Food processing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1934 |
| Founder | Sir James Wattie |
| Headquarters | , |
| Parent | Kraft Heinz |
| Website | watties.co.nz |
Heinz Wattie's Limited (or simply Wattie's) is a New Zealand–based food producer of frozen and packaged fruit, vegetables, sauces, baby food, cooking sauces, dressings and pet foods in the New Zealand market.
Founded in Hawke's Bay in 1934 by Sir James Wattie and Harold Carr, the company initially operated under the name J. Wattie Canneries Limited (later J Wattie Foods Limited and its related companies). Its first product was jam, as Wattie was unhappy that an Auckland jam-making business intended to import jam pulp from Australia. [1] [2]
In February 1962, the company's factory and plant in Hastings was largely destroyed in a fire. [1] [3] [2] The fire destroyed the main steam line from the boiler room to the processing plant, however the four boilers themselves were not damaged and production was restored 50 hours afterwards. The insurance claim for damage was half a million pounds, the largest insurance loss in New Zealand to that date. [2]
In 1980, Wattie Industries and Goodman Fielder purchased shares in each other’s companies that led to a merger in 1987 to create Goodman Fielder Wattie Ltd. In 1992 the Wattie’s group was bought from Goodman Fielder by American-based H. J. Heinz Company for $565 million. [4]
The company employs around 1,900 people, of which approximately 350 are temporary or casual. The company produces its own Wattie's products, some international brands of H. J. Heinz Company, as well as local products under brands like Craig's, Farex, Eta, Oak, Good Taste Company, Greenseas, Earth's Best, Complan, Chef and Champ.
The company has three production centres in New Zealand. Two are located in Hastings, New Zealand, where the company was founded, and over 1,200 product lines are produced there. The third production plant, which focuses on producing frozen and dry vegetables, is located in Christchurch. [5]
Wattie's has an extensive product line consisting of thousands of products. Its baby food products are broken down into five main categories: birth–4 months, 4–6 months, 6–7 months, 8–9 months and 12 months or older. [6] Other canned foods include baked beans, spaghetti, soup, preserved fruits such as apricots and pears, sauce bases, animal food, frozen meals and frozen vegetables.
Wattie's tomato sauce is made in New Zealand, and products carry the label "NZ's Favourite". The television commercials throughout the 1990s used the line "You'll always be a Kiwi, if you love our Wattie's Sauce". [7]
The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz, is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures food products in plants on six continents, and markets these products in more than 200 countries and territories. The company claims to have 150 number-one or number-two brands worldwide. Heinz ranked first in ketchup in the US with a market share in excess of 50%; the Ore-Ida label held 46% of the frozen potato sector in 2003.
Hawke's Bay is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural parts of the region are served by the towns of Waipukurau, Waipawa, and Wairoa.
Napier is a city on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Hawke's Bay region. It is a beachside city with a seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lined with Norfolk pines, and extensive Art Deco architecture. For these attributes, Napier is sometimes romantically referred to as the "Nice of the Pacific".
The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on 3 February, killing 256, injuring thousands and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster. Centred 15 km north of Napier, it lasted for two and a half minutes and had a magnitude of 7.8 Ms. There were 525 aftershocks recorded in the following two weeks, with 597 being recorded by the end of February. The main shock could be felt in much of New Zealand, with reliable reports coming in from as far south as Timaru, on the east coast of the South Island.
Hastings is an inland city of New Zealand and is one of the two major urban areas in Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of the North Island. The population of Hastings is 52,200, with a further 14,900 people in Havelock North and 2,120 in Clive. Hastings is about 18 kilometres inland of the coastal city of Napier. These two neighbouring cities are often called "The Bay Cities" or "The Twin Cities".
Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings.
Wairoa is the largest town in the Wairoa District and the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Māhia Peninsula. It is 118 kilometres (73 mi) northeast of Napier, and 92 kilometres (57 mi) southwest of Gisborne, on State Highway 2. It is the nearest town to the Te Urewera protected area and former national park, which is accessible from Wairoa via State Highway 38. It is one of three towns in New Zealand where Māori outnumber other ethnicities, with 62.29% of the population identifying as Māori.
Golden Circle is a subsidiary of US-based Kraft Heinz, based in Brisbane, Queensland. Its main operations are food processing. Golden Circle was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2010, for its significant contribution to the economy of Queensland through the processing of food products, notably fruit and vegetables.
Tater tots are grated potatoes formed into small cylinders and deep-fried, often served as a side dish. "Tater" is a dialect form of the word potato. The name "tater tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida, but is often used as a generic term. Ore-Ida also markets a coin-shaped version called "Crispy Crowns".
Goodman Fielder is an Australian manufacturer, marketer and distributor of bread, smallgoods, dairy products, margarine, oil, dressings and various food ingredients. Its main operations are in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia, with over 40 manufacturing sites. The company employs over 5,000 people, and has more than 120 brands.
Graeme Richard Hart is a New Zealand billionaire businessman and the country's richest person. He prefers to stay out of the media and makes few public appearances. As of March 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$9.7 billion.
Bluebird Foods Ltd is a New Zealand division of the U.S.-based PepsiCo corporation, that manufactures snack foods. All snacks are manufactured at the Bluebird Foods factory in Wiri, Auckland.
Hawke's Bay Airport, commonly referred to as Napier Airport, is Hawke's Bay's main commercial airport, serving domestic flights to the main centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and smaller centres such as Gisborne. The airport is located in the north of Napier and 20.7 km from Hastings.
In New Zealand, agriculture is the largest sector of the tradable economy. The country exported NZ$46.4 billion worth of agricultural products in the 12 months to June 2019, 79.6% of the country's total exported goods. The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector directly contributed $12.653 billion of the national GDP in the 12 months to September 2020, and employed 143,000 people, 5.9% of New Zealand's workforce, as of the 2018 census.
Awatoto is a coastal suburb area within the city of Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. It stretches along the coast south of Te Awa and the central city. The northern part of Awatoto is residential, while the southern part is industrial, including heavy industry.
The Hastings railway station in Hastings, New Zealand is the main railway station in Hastings and an intermediate stop on the Palmerston North–Gisborne Line. The station is on the corner of Russell Street and St Aubyn Street, and is close to the centre of Hastings. It is no longer used by any regularly-scheduled passenger services.
Jas J Niven & Co Limited, later Niven Engineering, was a New Zealand engineering business based in Wellington with operations throughout the country. The foundry that became Niven's business was established in Napier in 1866.
Longlands is a rural community in the Hastings District and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. The area is on the southern and western outskirts of Hastings city.
Hannahs is a New Zealand footwear retail company.
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