The Wairarapa
FOOD & BEVERAGE HUB
The Wairarapa Valley produces a great diversity of food and beverages, much of it by passionate artisans waiting to be further discovered. By and large the Wairarapa doesn’t market, sell, scale or process for the full value-add available. As producers, we see the growth opportunities - we know there are more visitors coming and seeking experiences we could build around food and beverage, we know we could better connect to NZ inc know-how and networks. We know that we can build this through and around the proposed food and beverage hub and spark sustainable growth, value and jobs.
The challenge...
1.To grow sustainable, mid-size value add/artisanal food businesses in the region. We have micro businesses and producers, and we have some larger businesses. We need to develop infrastructure for building one into the other, and
2.The region produces a wealth and diversity of quality food but we need to foster more cohesion as an industry, either across producers of the same food in the region, or between those who could gain greater returns by cooperating in production, distribution or marketing their products, and
3.We need to enhance our ability to efficiently engage with government or other initiatives out of the region (e.g. Hawkes Bay/Massey), and
4.We would benefit greatly from a vision for prosperity of our food and beverage region
A solution...
The proposed Food & Beverage hub will provide a platform for the Wairarapa to take these opportunities and enable us to promote a shared vision for the region - which reflects the history and geography of the region, and the passion, energy, skill and innovation of the people who enjoy the Wairarapa way of life. The Hub will help:
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Add further value into the product by, for example, telling the provenance story of the product and how it was produced
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Capture more of the value-chain by, for example, marketing the product to the end consumer
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Assist food and beverage artisans to access new channels to market or combine the resources of a number of food artisans to improve access to existing markets at a scale not otherwise achievable
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Increase the interest in food as a career amongst young people in the region and to help attract those with an interest in food to the region, either to start a business or to visit
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Increase jobs in the region by helping food and beverage businesses to become established and for existing businesses to grow