JAGDISH Punja of J Punja NZ says their participation at last month’s Auckland Food Show confirmed New Zealand consumers have gained confidence in the quality of products manufactured in Fiji and are keen to try new products.
Summing up their participation at New Zealand’s largest food show, Mr Punja said: “It was pleasing to note that our products are liked by Kiwi consumers. They meet the Kiwi consumer taste profile and are affordable. We are on the right track with the existing and the new range of biscuits, water, roti, coconut oil. We need to continue our sales taking the food show experience and the observations we have made.”
He said it was great to see NZ consumers gaining confidence in the quality of Fijian made products with online shopping making it easier for them to access all our products.
J Punja NZ wholesales and distributes a wide range of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and commodities through a nationwide network in New Zealand.
The company also displayed, sampled and sold a wide range of Punjas biscuits, its own branded Aqua Pacific bottled water, breakfast crackers, plain and garlic roti (which are already available in the international section of leading grocery chains), Punjas coconut cooking and cosmetic oils (with the latter available at Postie Plus stores), among others.
The company is related to the well-known Punja Group of Companies of Fiji, which has been in business since 1935. J Punja NZ Ltd is a New Zealand company owned by Mr Punja, who also owns share in the parent group. In 2014, J Punja NZ Ltd took over the import, export and wholesale distribution business of Punjas NZ Ltd.
Speaking to Pacific Periscope Mr Punja said, “Our new line of products had an amazing response from everyone at the Auckland Food Show.
“Everyone loved the quality of our products. We achieved what we set out to do: we gained new clients, people are now aware of our products and now know where to purchase them including from our online store.”
Mr Punja said he was pleased with the overall experience at the show and commended Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) NZ’s facilitation, promotion and media coverage of the event.
“They have done an excellent job regarding the publicity and facilitating us at the show. I saw that the trade show received coverage in the Fijian media too.”
The company was one of the nine Pacific Island food and beverage companies that featured at the Pacific Hub stand at the Auckland Food Show last month.
