Natural products companies learned about the benefits of doing business in the Western Bay of Plenty in a targeted Priority One marketing campaign last week.
A Priority One team attended the New Zealand Natural Products Industry Summit in Auckland to promote the competitive advantages of Tauranga and the Western Bay.
The Priority One team used local business success stories such as Comvita, Heilala Vanilla and Grove Avocado Oil to showcase companies already thriving in the Western Bay.
Delegates at the summit were also told about Comvita's plans for a campus for like-minded businesses at Paengaroa and Newnham Park Horticulture Innovation Centre in Te Puna, which houses several food-based exporting businesses.
"It's a great story," Priority One chief executive Andrew Cocker said. "People weren't aware of it and so there were senior people across 85 businesses who were genuinely interested to hear the developments in Tauranga and why Tauranga would suit their business."
Mr Cocker said there had not yet been any "hard enquiries" but "I saw the lights go on, people were like, 'wow, I hadn't thought of that' and once they heard about Comvita and Newnham Park there was genuine interest."
