Kapiti Fine Foods facts for kids
 |
|
| Subsidiary of a co-operative | |
| Industry | Dairy foods |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | New Zealand |
| Products | Cheese, ice cream, yoghurt |
| Revenue | NZ$60 million |
|
Number of employees
|
230 |
| Parent | Fonterra |
Kapiti Fine Foods Ltd, often called Kāpiti, is a well-known New Zealand company. They make delicious dairy products like different kinds of cheese and tasty ice cream. The company got its name from where it first started, in a place called Lindale on the beautiful Kāpiti Coast. Kapiti was founded in 1984. Today, it has factories in Palmerston North and has been part of the larger Fonterra company since 2005.
The Story of Kapiti
Kapiti began its journey in 1984. It was started by Ross McCallum and Neville McNaughton. They opened a small cheese shop and factory at the Lindale Tourist Complex. At first, it was a small operation. It had only one full-time employee and some part-time helpers.
Over the years, Kapiti grew quite a lot. By 2002, the company had many more employees, around 150 people. They also opened retail stores in other big cities like Auckland and Christchurch. This growth was helped by expanding their production facilities in 1997.
A big change happened for Kapiti in 2005. On November 15, Fonterra, a very large dairy company, bought Kapiti Fine Foods Ltd. Before this, Kapiti was owned by another company called Foodstuffs. Later, in 2019, Kapiti's ice cream business was licensed to another company called Froneri. This happened when Fonterra sold its Tip Top ice cream brand. Also in 2019, Kapiti announced that it would close its factory in Paraparaumu.
Delicious Products
Kapiti makes a wide range of dairy products that people love. They are famous for their many types of cheese.
In 1997, Kapiti started making ice cream and sorbet. These products were first made for restaurants and hotels. They were used in the food service industry. Later, in 2009, Kapiti launched its ice cream products for everyone to buy in stores. This meant you could enjoy Kapiti ice cream at home!
In 2010, the company also introduced a new line of yoghurt products. These yoghurts were also made for people to buy in supermarkets.
