Griffin's Foods
 | |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Products | Griffins, Eta, Nice & Natural |
Number of employees | 800 |
| Parent |
Pacific Equity Partners (until 2014) Universal Robina (2014-present) |
| Website | http://www.griffins.co.nz/ |
Griffin's Foods Limited is an Australasian owned biscuit, snack food and confectionery manufacturer operating in New Zealand. The company has sales of approximately NZ$300 million.
The company is a subsidiary of the Filipino food and beverage company Universal Robina (since 2014).
History
The company was founded by John Griffin in Nelson, New Zealand in 1864 [1] as a flour and cocoa miller. Newspaper records show biscuits were in production by the 1880s and the confectionery arm of the business launched in 1886. By the 1890s Griffins were producing a range of candied peels and by the late 1900s drinking cocoa.
The company went public (as Griffin & Sons) to fund expansion and the replacement of a factory destroyed by fire. It expanded, making army ration biscuits during World War II [1] until in 1962 it was purchased by Nabisco.[2] In 1989 Griffin's acquired biscuit company Hudsons, taking on the copyright for the famous Hudson's icon Cookie Bear. When Nabisco was effectively broken up, Griffin's was acquired by Danone [3] in 1990. In 2006 Danone divested Griffin's to Pacific Equity Partners.[4]
Today, Griffin's has two factories in Auckland. A Lower Hutt plant closed in 2008 with the loss of 200 jobs,[5] with all production transferred to the Auckland sites. In 2009 Griffin's moved the production of its cream filled biscuits, which account for 2.5% of production, to Fiji.[6] The company currently employs approximately 800 people.[1]
In July 2014, Pacific Equity Partners divested of Griffin's Foods, selling the operations to Universal Robina for NZ$700 million.[7]
Products
The company's food range comprises:
- Biscuits, mainly under the "Griffin's" and "Huntley and Palmers" brands, including Chocolate Thins, Krispies, and Cameo Cremes
- Salty snacks, mainly potato chips and peanuts under the Eta brand
- Wrapped snacks, under the Nice & Natural brand.[8]
See also
- Huntley & Palmers
- List of food companies
- Universal Robina (the largest food and beverage company in the Philippines)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.griffins.co.nz/about-griffins
- ↑ http://www.eta.co.nz/Corporate/CompanyInformation/History/1962.aspx
- ↑ "Big players call tune". The New Zealand Herald. 9 January 1999. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ↑ "Pacific Equity buys Griffin's Foods". The Age (Melbourne). 1 April 2006.
- ↑ "200 jobs set to go as cookie factory crumbles". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 16 November 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ↑ http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3084306/Griffins-moves-biscuits-to-Fiji
- ↑ http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/21/us-philippines-universal-robina-idUSKBN0FQ0CP20140721 Universal Robina Reuters
- ↑ Ward, Stephen (3 March 2007). "Griffins tipped to gobble up more". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 October 2011.