Geoff Thin, country head, India, QualityNZ, gives his insights on the company’s vision for the India market By Steena Joy
Tell us something about QualityNZ Imports.
QualityNZ Imports is a subsidiary of QualityNZ Limited; we have offices in Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai. QNZ was formed in 2013 with a plan to introduce and supply end quality New Zealand produced food & beverage products to India. In 2013 I moved with my family from Christchurch New Zealand to Bengaluru. My business partners in QNZ are all former New Zealand cricketers, Stephen Fleming, Geoff Allott, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori and Sir Richard Hadlee.
Which products will the company be selling in India? Which are the target segments for institutional sales?
The initial set up period for us in India took significant research and capital; it was two years of intensive hands on learning on how to do business in India before we were ready to approach the market. The complexity of government laws, import permits and license requirements, supply chain management, banking laws, and of course every expats favourite place – the FRRO office, were things I had to understand. It was a difficult and often very testing task; however although it took time, in the end it happened.
At present we are marketing New Zealand Lamb on a pan India basis. We have a complete range of cuts to allow us to meet the demand from the HORECA sector. Our brand is Pure South and we have an exclusive marketing arrangement from Alliance Group, the world’s largest producer of lamb. We have our own trucks in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and outside the metros we use independent contractors who can provide a frozen delivery service. QNZ lamb is from the South Island of New Zealand and is grassfed aged to enable more tender taste
Since our inception we have made significant progress in the five-star hotel market pan India. This is largely driven by an exclusive supply contract with the Oberoi Group and supply agreements with the Marriott and the Taj Group of hotels. Our regional managers and sales staff based from our Mumbai, Benagluru and New Delhi offices all work with the same value in mind – “Quality in everything we do.” I push our team to work very hard every day to exceed our customers’ expectations. India is a massive market, the hotels in India are the finest in the world, in my view unrivalled in quality and service, and it is a privilege and an honour for us to provide the best lamb in the world.
This year the goal of the company is to continue to grow our customer base, we are next going to introduce a New Zealand Fish range. This will happen by August then from November, we would like to implement a range of high end New Zealand wine into our range.
About the company
QualityNZ was born out of a determination to develop trade between two passionate and driven countries. New Zealand’s ability to produce world class products, and India’s growth towards becoming one of the largest economies in the world, is the foundation for this opportunity. Relationships between India and New Zealand stem back to the battle of Gallipoli during the First World War where soldiers from both countries stood side by side. New Zealand’s greatest explorer, Sir Edmund Hillary, had a great love for India, and in more recent times it has been a passion for cricket that has galvanised both countries.
With an enormous passion for cricket, the Indian population are both skilled and educated on the subject. New Zealand’s cricket personalities will play a large role in the marketing and promotion of QualityNZ and its products. Fleming, McCullum and Vettori have played leading roles in the Indian Premier League (IPL) competition with Stephen as coach of the Chennai Super Kings, Brendon as a player for the Kolkata Knight Riders aand Chennai Super Kings franchises, and Daniel as a former player and now coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore side. Sir Richard is an ICC hall of fame member, and is NZ’s greatest ever cricketer.