Sweet bite for trade
As the All Blacks push for a historic three-peat at the world’s third-largest sporting event, another group of Kiwis is hoping to get their own slice of the action in Japan.
It is hoped months of planning will bear fruit for a crop of Kiwi food and beverage companies looking to capitalise on the intense interest in New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup, which kicked off yesterday.
For Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough’s Ha¯ha¯ Wine Company, the support of a famous fan helped them gain valuable cut-through in the Japanese market.
Paul Stanley, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of legendary rock band Kiss, was given some Ha¯ha¯ pinot noir by New Zealand radio broadcaster Robert Scott during a visit to our shores in 2015.
The rocker ‘‘absolutely loved’’ the wine and a meeting was set up.
‘‘I had a photo taken with them and passed it on to our [Japanese] importer whose reaction, quite honestly, was over the top. They just absolutely love Kiss [in Japan].
‘‘ Having me photographed with Kiss probably did more good than pouring them our wine and talking through the wine,’’ laughed Ha¯ha¯ Wine Company director and owner Ashton Ireland. Ha¯ha¯ has spent five years working in the Japanese market, first supplying restaurant chain Huge before a recent expansion into the retail market through the Smile Group.
Ha¯ha¯, which now sells to almost 40 countries, exports ‘‘a few containers’’ of its wine to Japan each year, including sauvignon blanc, pinot gris and pinot noir.
‘‘Having the Rugby World Cup up there was the catalyst for having [the Smile Group] on board,’’ Ireland said.
The company will be involved in a number of events during the Rugby World Cup, including dinners and wine tasting events showcasing New Zealand wines.
Japan was New Zealand’s fourthbiggest export market for food and beverages last year, generating an impressive $1.9 billion in earnings.
A major breakthrough was last year’s signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) alongside Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Peru and Chile.
The trade pact meant tariffs on New Zealand exports to the world’s third-largest economy would be eliminated over time with the exception of beef and dairy, opening up new commercial opportunities for businesses here.
New Zealand’s inclusion in the CPTPP has given Canterbury-based snack maker Cookie Time a boost, eliminating the 23.8 per cent tariff it used to pay on every kilogram of cookie dough. Cookie Time has gone from strength to strength after opening its first international store in fashionable Harajuku in the Shibuya district of Tokyo in December 2013 where queues were out the door.
While most of the focus will be on the All Blacks during the tournament, Cookie Time is making a play for some of the team’s strongest supporters – the WAGs (wives and girlfriends) and their families who will receive special invites to visit the store.