“Why shouldn’t we promote the Pacific, the islands, the romance – that’s its point of difference,” Appleton says.

He and his wife, Dianne, started out the Takanini business as a cottage industry more than ten years ago as Vanilla Direct. They were importing vanilla and making vanilla extract for the food industry.

Today, they have grown that small business and expanded into cocoa, chocolate and spices. The pair has an established partnership with a Growers Co-operative in the Torricelli ranges of the Sundaun province in Papua New Guinea.

Originally, importing vanilla from various sources in the Pacific, they were faced with lack of supply when a tropical cyclone hit the supplier in the islands. After researching alternative sources, Appleton found a supplier from PNG.

Going to events such as the Auckland Food Show are a branding exercise, he says, and not about selling to trade customers. Although shows like this attracted thousands of consumers, they were costly and unless a strong channel to market had been established may not present the best means of getting products to the market. Trade shows were more appropriate for building networks and capturing trade clients.

Appleton suggests that the best ways for those who wanted to reach their full potential would be through forming partnerships with established importers, wholesalers and established added value manufacturers. “You need to connect to an agent, someone to take on the brand and sell it.”

He said he was supportive of other Pacific products but said his company did not market brands that competed with the products they market under the Equagold brand.

Appleton recommended that small growers may be best to stay with supply rather than venture into their own branding. In terms of finding a good distributor, he suggested looking for one that is hungry and has connections in different markets.

He added that the growers of vanilla had to understand the production of high quality vanilla. They had to be prepared to invest in the machinery to process the vanilla to an acceptable standard. Vanilla had to be moist and not too dry, ideally 30% moisture. Once dried, they had to be bagged and bundled and then vacuum packed.

Another of Pacific Trade Invest's previous clients, Blue Coconut, was reportedly doing well selling its coconut oils products during the show and had good responses.

Source: PT&I