Building with fizz up for grabs
New Zealand’s oldest home-grown soft drinks manufacturer, Wests NZ Ltd, is for sale on behalf of its owners, Kaye and Alf Loretan.
Bayleys Real Estate Dunedin commercial sales and leasing agent Nick Lucas is selling the business and premises at 135 Bay View Rd, Dunedin, together or separately, by negotiation. It features in Bayleys’ latest Total Property portfolio magazine.
Wests was founded in Dunedin in 1876, a few months before the Speights brewery. Wests moved to St Kilda, South Dunedin in 1914, and successive owners have grown the business. Today it is a thriving enterprise supplying its beverages to customers nationwide.
Wests also has New Zealand’s biggest range of sugar-free soft drinks and syrups, suitable or diabetics and people looking to cut down on sugar.
In addition, Wests makes products for special orders, for example bulk ginger beer syrup for local breweries, and coffee syrups.
The 820sq m factory on a 672sq m land parcel is laid out over two levels and includes a factory shop, offices, staff amenities, and a manufacturing facility.
The factory combines production lines for soft drinks and cordials, as well as a plastic bottle blow mould machine and areas for storage and despatch.
Owners since 2007, the Loretans have streamlined the business. The manufacturing process has been made less labour-intensive and more efficient.
Around five years ago, prompted by a supply problem, a new blow mould machine was bought that now produces all bottles needed by the factory.
This major investment proved to be a god-send, and has made the business much more robust.
Alf Loretan said the factory process and business operations were not complicated and should not be daunting to a new owner.
He like previous owners, including Wests founder, came from very different backgrounds. Until around three years ago, the shop included an alcohol off-licence, but this became non-compliant with new liquor licensing policy. As a result, the business has been simplified to its core function of a drinks manufacturer.
The business employs seven staff and embraces modern marketing methods, including a website with an on-line ordering facilit. It has an active Facebook page and frequently engages with radio campaigns.