Growing up in the rural Rangitikei region just outside of Marton, Hamish Gordon was always a risk taker. He loved working with people and enjoyed a challenge, and always had a goal to own his own business by the age of 30. He accomplished this by the time he was 29.
“I love working with both food and numbers, so I get the best of both worlds,” he said. “Food is recession-proof and that’s one of the key reasons I have invested in food.” He currently has major investments in four local food and beverage companies including Natural Sugars, Pure Bottling, Premium Liquor and, most recently, NZ Deli. NZ Deli is dedicated to delivering a wide range of meat-based solutions that target reductions in labour and plate costs for the customer, which include restaurants, cafés, QSRs and catering companies. With 25 years in the New Zealand market, NZ Deli is a well-respected brand, and Gordon plans to cement this position.
“The old company laid a great platform and the NZ Deli brand is strong,” he explained. “Sales are picking up in all areas of the business and we have managed to secure some large new contracts – we’re also very excited about the prospect of export within the next few months. We are one of the few export certified small good plants in New Zealand.”
Customer relationships are key for Gordon – over his four companies he has a customer retention rate of over 98 percent. He credits this to the honest, up-front approach from his 140 staff.
“Although we stay we under the radar we make sure we don’t compromise service and integrity,” he explained. “For a business to be successful you need to have the right people combined with the right systems and processes. If these things are in place, a good company culture will come naturally and the business will have its best chance of success.”
While Gordon’s primary aim is to reinforce the role of NZ Deli in the local market, he is also looking to grow the brands and distribution channels overseas.
“The future of NZ Deli is looking positive. Business has grown steadily since we took over and we have a great team onboard with some very good equipment. The business is very well diversified in terms of customer base and product range and we have some very exciting projects on the go including an E free meat range and new retail initiatives.”
