QFS
Qualty Foods Southland BA5
March 2008.
Another good sized group met in the foyer of QFS and General
Manager Craig Coote commenced the
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evening by giving us a potted history of this many years old
company. Started over a hundred years ago by Annie Millar, then
merging to Millar-Lange and so on, through private and public
ownership until it arrived as Quality Foods Southland, a privately
owned company. |
While still functioning under the name of Millar-Lange, in mid
1981, the first export of frozen pastry was made to Japan, thereby
forming a relationship that is still current today. In the 1990s
white sauce was introduced to the range, and proved so successful
the sauce plant was expanded to cope with the export demand.
Today, known as QFS New Zealand, they are country’s leading
manufacturer of butter based bakery products and sauces and the
largest exporter of butter pastry in New Zealand. While Japan is a
major importer of their product, QFS also has markets in many other
countries.
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After the introduction it was time to strip off all jewellery
(or if it wouldn’t budge, don a blue glove), get kitted out in the
wonderfully fashion designed overalls, gumboots and headgear and it
was off for a tour of the site. |
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It was an enthralling experience for everyone. We saw the most
amazing pastry laminator machine – a most ingenious invention.
There were blocks of margarine that looked for all the world like
enormous squares of vanilla icecream, huge rolls of cling wrap,
mountains of bags of flour. The white sauce plant was intriguing,
if only for the extreme care taken in the making thereof (perhaps a
message in there for us!), and our fingers were itching for a
sample of the biscuit dough destined for the Japanese market! It
was a most interesting time and the statistics kept us all
quiet. |
| Once we had all ‘de-overalled’ we were treated to wonderful
trayfuls of vol au vents, croissants, Danish pastries and banoffee
pies, together with some superb liquid refreshments. There was a
unanimous vote from all present that QFS products are certainly
world leaders, and we would be available to test them at any
time. |
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Sincere thanks to Craig, Andee and Natasha for all
their hard work. Thank you for being willing to open the plant for
us to see your wonderfully successful business.
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