FRANCHISING FEATURE ARTICLES
Cream of the crop
New Zealand Natural’s premium ice cream brand is back in the hands of a New Zealand company and going from strength to strength. By Andrea O’Driscoll.WHEN IT COMES to marketing dairy products, nothing screams clean and green quite like the rolling hills and glacial pools of New Zealand. Premium ice cream brand New Zealand Natural knows this only too well – hence the name. It’s an association that helps promote the company’s franchised network of retail outlets throughout Australia, New Zealand and 20 countries worldwide, including India, China, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US.
Shane Lamont, the CEO of New Zealand Natural pictured at the
company’s highly successful Bondi store.New Zealand Natural began as a small ice creamery in Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island in 1984. A South African entrepreneur, who was living in Australia, met the owner on a plane shortly after the business had opened, and this chance meeting led to him opening a store at Bondi Beach in Sydney in 1985. The store proved so successful that he went on to buy first the Australian and then the world rights to the concept. Rael Polivnick settled on a franchising model as the best way of growing his newly acquired business, and the first franchised store was opened in 1990.
The company would not find its way back into New Zealand hands until December 2004, when Polivnick sold his majority stake to the Emerald Group, the Auckland-based owners of Emerald Foods run by local entrepreneur Diane Foreman. The Emerald Group acquired full ownership in July 2005. In addition to Emerald Foods, whose ice-cream brands include Movenpick, Heavenly Treats, Lite Licks, Killinchy Gold and Chateau Premium, the Group has interests in the property, health and recruitment sectors.
But despite having been under Australian ownership for almost 20 years “Our ice cream has always been made in New Zealand,” explains Shane Lamont, New Zealand Natural’s chief executive officer for the past three years. “It used to be produced in Christchurch, but now it’s made at Emerald’s factory in East Tamaki.”
New Zealand Natural’s award-winning ice cream flavours include Boysenberry Dream, Cool Bananas, Green Tea, Hokey Pokey and Chocolate Ecstasy. There are also reduced fat alternatives such as sorbets, frozen yoghurts and Zilch, a recently added Emerald ice cream product that is reduced fat and contains no added sugar. Juices, shakes and smoothies are also part of the offering.
Fairly early on in the franchising process, the rights to three Australian States were sold to master franchisors, who continue to run operations there to this day. “We have master franchisors in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia,” explains Lamont. NSW and Queensland have always been managed out of head office.” Head office is in Auckland, although the company’s former headquarters in Sydney have been retained as an administrative centre for the Australian operation.
According to the company’s franchise manager, David Foreman, New Zealand Natural is happy to experience organic growth across Australia, rather than pursuing a more aggressive expansion plan. “Like all franchisors, we’re becoming increasingly selective in terms of who we place,” he explains. “We’re looking to grow very carefully. I guess like most businesses, we’re looking for the combination of a promising, affordable site and a good, committed franchisee.”
