In kitchens across the country, culinary innovators are dreaming up mouthwatering new products, made from the amazing produce that is being grown and farmed here in Aotearoa.
It’s one thing creating a small batch product to share with friends and family, or sell at a local farmers market, but it’s a completely different challenge to scale it up ready for the mass market.
The New Zealand Food Innovation Network (NZFIN) was founded to help get new, exciting products and ingredients ready to be enjoyed by the masses. The aim is to not only help you into pantries and kitchen cupboards across Aotearoa, but also ready for export to overseas distributors, chefs and foodies.
Four dedicated hubs across the country are operating state-of-the-art food and beverage processing facilities, staffed by leading scientists and technicians. They’ll work closely with you to identify and test the processes required to scale up your innovative product, as well as highlighting new technologies and machinery that could help take your idea to the next level.
Plus, each of the hubs runs a number of courses and workshops each year, helping elevate the knowledge in your fledgling business.
Working alongside the processing facilities are NZFIN’s Business Development Managers, who are on hand to guide you toward the most useful facilities, both within the NZFIN and wider food and beverage production industry, as well as offering advice and bespoke consultancy services.
If you’ve cooked up something brand new, innovative and delicious, the New Zealand Food Innovation Network is here to help you get it onto the dining tables of millions.
By the numbers
Benefits to your business
Work with experts to establish the processes that will scale up your manufacturing for the mass market.
Learn about the large-scale technology available that can help you create even more innovative products.
Trusted teams that will provide the support and guidance needed, whilst protecting your IP.
Leave with Food Safe prototypes, ready for market testing with your target customers.
Is this right for me?
The New Zealand Food Innovation Network, and its facilities, were initially founded to drive forward food innovation and support businesses that are developing new and exciting products.
The businesses that we see getting the most from the NZFIN generally have a concept or idea that’s never been seen on supermarket shelves before and are in the early stages of development. They’ve done some initial work in test kitchens and are now starting to think about how they scale up manufacturing ready for a mass market.
The NZFIN offers a broad range of processing capabilities, as well as additional support services and educational workshops. Hover over the map below to see which are available at each location, and to get in contact with each facility.
The FoodBowl (Auckland)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- High Pressure Processing
- Extrusion
- Packing
- Pasteurisation and UHT
- Retort
- Drying
- Bottling
- Hot and cold filling
- Separation and concentration
- Powder and liquid blending
- Fermentation
- Ice cream production
- Extraction
- Size Reduction
- Business services
FoodWaikato (Waikato)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- Fresh Milk Drying
- Rewetting and drying oils and dry ingredients
FoodPilot (Palmerston North)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- Beverages
- Evaporating & Drying
- Chopping & Mincing
- Cooking & Process Control
- Extrusion & Puffing
- Certification
FoodSouth (Christchurch)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- Extrusion
- Spray Drying
- Spiral Flash Drying
- General Processing
- UHT Liquid Processing
- Certification
FoodSouth (Otago)
Tracey Sheehy, Business Development Manager
Support:
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
NZFIN Navigator (Hastings)
Nicky Solomon, Business Development Manager
Support:
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
The New Zealand Food Innovation Network, and its facilities, were initially founded to drive forward food innovation and support businesses that are developing new and exciting products.
The businesses that we see getting the most from the NZFIN generally have a concept or idea that’s never been seen on supermarket shelves before and are in the early stages of development. They’ve done some initial work in test kitchens and are now starting to think about how they scale up manufacturing ready for a mass market.
The NZFIN offers a broad range of processing capabilities, as well as additional support services and educational workshops. Hover over the map below to see which are available at each location, and to get in contact with each facility.
The FoodBowl (Auckland)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- High Pressure Processing
- Extrusion
- Packing
- Pasteurisation and UHT
- Retort
- Drying
- Bottling
- Hot and cold filling
- Separation and concentration
- Powder and liquid blending
- Fermentation
- Ice cream production
- Extraction
- Size Reduction
- Business services
FoodWaikato (Waikato)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- Fresh Milk Drying
- Rewetting and drying oils and dry ingredients
FoodPilot (Palmerston North)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- Beverages
- Evaporating & Drying
- Chopping & Mincing
- Cooking & Process Control
- Extrusion & Puffing
- Certification
FoodSouth (Christchurch)
Support:
- Workshops
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Facilities:
- Extrusion
- Spray Drying
- Spiral Flash Drying
- General Processing
- UHT Liquid Processing
- Certification
FoodSouth (Otago)
Tracey Sheehy, Business Development Manager
Support:
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
NZFIN Navigator (Hastings)
Nicky Solomon, Business Development Manager
Support:
- Advice and consultancy
- Regional referrals
- Network connections
Frequently asked questions
The NZFIN gives priority to organisations that are actively creating new and innovative products that may not be able to do this without their support or access to facilities. Between these projects the facilities may be available for hire. Please get in touch with the NZFIN team to discuss your requirements.
Meet our experts
I work in the Product Management team running three products which together support Advanced Manufacturing, Food & Beverage Manufacturing and Bioresource Processing industries. Within these industries, I am helping NZ entrepreneurs unlock the capability and funding needed for their journey to business success.
Read more"The reality is we would not have got to where we are today – that’s the advantage of the New Zealand Food Innovation Network system. It’s been a full solution without us having to invest many millions of dollars in the early stages. We are where we are today because the New Zealand Food Innovation Network facilities exist."
"The FoodBowl (one of the NZFIN hubs) has great people and is very customer-driven. We have had excellent experiences working there. It can really make a big difference to de-risking and fast-tracking your business development. The FoodBowl is the perfect place to make prototypes, test concepts and help commercialise our added-value export ideas.
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With New Zealand Food Innovation Network at their side, iwi-owned Pure Heart Aotearoa has been able to test and prove a ready-to-drink hemp milk. A multi-billion dollar industry full of potential awaits.
It’s uncharted territory, but unfazed, Leaft Foods took on producing the world’s first leaf protein concentrate. By their side throughout the development process, Callaghan Innovation.
Adding some muscle to the might of Sanford, the New Zealand Food Innovation Network aided the New Zealand seafood giant in creating new products to service new industries, like nutraceuticals.
Sustainable Foods brought the perfect recipe. Callaghan Innovation brought the production know-how. The result was the ability to produce and launch a sustainable and tasty hemp-based chicken alternative.
A smoky flavour like no other, foodtech startup Nuka is drawing on the kānuka plant to create a liquid smoke that gives food an instant hāngī taste.
Synlait wants to disrupt the milk industry. So, alongside the New Zealand Food Innovation Network, they’re prioritising R&D, ensuring the business is making the most of every drop.
In the first of our ‘Food Frontier’ video series, we talk to Ārepa CEO and founder Angus Brown about the company’s range of bio-active drinks and consumables and the inspiration behind it.
From bread to beer and back again. Citizen, with the help of Callaghan Innovation, is using food waste and upcycling it into new food and drink products.
Ready to transform your business?
Get started today!
To find out more, or discuss a potential project, visit the NZFIN website.