JENNIFER WHITCOMBE: The Path to Market Program was designed to help capable, emerging exporters move into new markets. It bundles existing New Zealand trade enterprise services and expertise into a program that can help groups of companies succeed. The program takes a group of emerging exporters from a particular sub-sector through a training program.
This is followed by a Dragon’s Den panel presentation where they pitch their product and their market entry strategy to a group of industry experts. And then it culminates in a trip to the market concerned, usually around a trade show.
One of the companies that has been through the Path to Market Program is Bean Supreme. Bean Supreme is an Auckland based tofu manufacturer.
PAUL JOHNSON: We're quite a well established company. We've been in business for 20 years and we got to a point where we realised it was either move into a bigger market and provide more volume and grow in that basis rather than continue to develop an increasing range in the New Zealand market. So, it's about scale really. We really knew that we had to break into an export market to grow.
JENNIFER WHITCOMBE: Why did you decide to go on the Path to Market Program?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, expectations of the Path to Market Program were really to become more prepared and more well-grounded and professional in my approach to the export market. I had been there before, independently, and really knew that I had to - had to be much better prepared.
JENNIFER WHITCOMBE: Paul, how important did you find the Dragon's Den?
PAUL JOHNSON: Having done the Dragon's Den and got the feedback and reviewed that, I felt much more confident about what opportunities I'd have and what sort of issues I had to cover when I met buyers in the export market in Australia. So, I felt much more confident having done the Dragon's Den. I don't think I would have felt the same way without it.
Again, the Trade and Enterprise Group had arranged a series of breakfasts and then a two day training in conjunction with half a day spent at the Fine Foods Trade Show. So it was more, again, more grounding about the environment in Australia to do business, regulatory and governance, the kind of distribution channels and market avenues that we would be approaching.
As a result of the export business we've generated there, we've made a further investment in our own packaging line to cope with that volume. I guess it's also given us the confidence that with that volume we can actually look at other markets as well.
JENNIFER WHITCOMBE: The Path to Market Program was launched through Export Year 07 and has been a huge success. We are really looking forward to rolling it out into other markets.
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