Te Puna vanilla producer cracks US market

This is as good as it gets. Te Puna-based vanilla producer Reunion Food Company has sent its first product to specialty retail chain Williams-Sonoma in the United States.
"It's like selling to Harrods in the UK. Williams-Sonoma is considered the premium store to be in," said Jennifer Boggiss, co-owner and director of Reunion which markets the Heilala Vanilla brand.
Reunion last week shipped four pallets or 10,000 units of vanilla syrup and the 100 per cent pure product will go into 220 Williams-Sonoma stores at the end of May.
The Heilala Vanilla syrup will also feature in the retailer's online catalogue and be sent to six of its stores in Canada. Two of the United States stores are in the big-spending shopping areas of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and Madison Avenue in New York.
Already, Williams-Sonoma - which specialises in home furnishings, gourmet cookware and quality food ingredients - has re-ordered, with 5000 units of vanilla syrup leaving Te Puna on May 20 and another 5000 a month later.
Reunion is the second New Zealand company to negotiate a supply agreement with Williams-Sonoma - after Wellington's Rutherford & Meyer, which sends fruit paste.
"United States is an important market for us," said Mrs Boggiss. "The Americans are the biggest consumers of vanilla in the world. They bake more at home and every housewife has a bottle of vanilla in the pantry.
"They are also big maple syrup users - on pancakes, waffles, French toast, ice cream - and it's a matter of converting them to vanilla."
Mrs Boggiss believes that sales in United States can make up 20 per cent of the company's turnover by the end of the year and then grow to 50 per cent within three years.
"We are in it for the long haul and we are looking to the United States as being our main market. We are hoping to get other products - vanilla extract, paste and sugar - in there later this year."
Williams-Sonoma, founded in 1956, arranges its own transport and distribution of the Heilala Vanilla product and also organises in-store tastings and demonstrations.
Reunion spent 10 months tying up the deal with the big American chain.
"It's not easy when you are dealing with their transport and logistics person in Turkey, their labelling expert in Italy, and their buyer in San Francisco," said Mrs Boggiss.
"Every day was a challenge. We had to meet food safety requirements, have approved packaging made in Australia, and change labels to include French translations (for the Canadian stores).
"There was a mountain of paperwork to get through but we got there."
New Zealand Trade & Enterprise's Los Angeles office helped Reunion settle terms and pricing with Williams-Sonoma.
Reunion has already sent a small shipment of all its products to three gourmet NapaStyle stores in California and is awaiting confirmation of a second order.
The Te Puna company's importer/distributor in Oregon is also supplying product to speciality food stores in Portland and Seattle, and to restaurants in New York.
Reunion is this year processing about 1.8 tonnes of dried vanilla beans grown in Tonga - a big increase from the first harvest of 44kg in 2005.
Initially, 50 per cent of the sales were natural vanilla pods sent to restaurants but now Reunion is processing more value-added syrup, extract, paste and sugar as demand rises in retail outlets.
It has just started supplying 80 New World supermarkets and selected Pak N Saves in Foodstuffs Auckland territory north of Taupo, and the Heilala Vanilla Sugar will be sold nationally through the Progressive Enterprises supermarket chain.
Heilala Vanilla Paste was recently named national runner-up in the Cuisine 2011 Artisan Awards.
Reunion is also exporting to Australia and had just started negotiating with a distributor in Japan when the earthquake and tsunami struck.