Frankie Walker's Black Pineapple has gone into voluntary liquidation. Photo / Supplied
Frankie Walker's Black Pineapple has gone into voluntary liquidation. Photo / Supplied
Premium cocktail maker Black Pineapple has placed its catering subsidiary into voluntary liquidation.
Black Pineapple was founded by ex-Lion Breweries veteran Frankie Walker in 2017. He formerly worked for Lion for 10 years.
Subsidiary Black Pineapple Co went into liquidation on March 7 through a special shareholder resolution.
In astatement to the Herald, Walker said the business had made the strategic decision to voluntarily liquidate one of its subsidiaries, which focused on large-scale event drinks catering.
“Despite our best efforts, the events business faced significant challenges due to Covid-19, [and] the broader economic conditions,” Walker said.
“After careful consultation with the IRD [Inland Revenue Department] and a thorough review of recovery options, we determined that voluntary liquidation was the most responsible course of action.”
PKF Corporate Recovery & Insolvency’s Chris McCullagh and Stephen Lawrence were appointed liquidators.
The pair confirmed their first liquidator’s report will be released on Friday, March 14.
Walker was the sole director of Black Pineapple Co and its shareholder Black Pineapple Holdings remains in operation.
Founder of Black Pineapple Frankie Walker. Photo / Babiche Martens
Walker confirmed that the business’s wholesale subsidiary, Black Pineapple Direct, would now receive his full attention.
“We remain committed to delivering exceptional products and service under the Black Pineapple brand.”
According to its website, Black Pineapple has served hundreds of thousands of cocktails at events all over New Zealand and over 18,000 cocktail boxes have been delivered via e-commerce since 2017.
Among the cocktails available are a mango chilli margarita, espresso martini and a cosmopolitan.
Stockists of Black Pineapple’s beverages include Air New Zealand, Spark Arena, SkyCity, Ellerslie Racecourse and Novotel Hotels and Resorts.
Personal reasons
In an interview with the Heraldin 2022, Walker talked about his motivation for launching the business.
“Growing up in 70s, 80s culture was different, and working in hospitality, you’re drinking in a way that is definitely damaging,” Walker said.
“Drinking on the job is so normalised. When you work in bars, you’re serving people six nights a week, watching them have a good time and then of course on your one night off a week, you want to go out. The trigger is such a deep pattern that goes back years.”
Walker decided he wanted to get to a place where he had more conscious control over his drinking.
One of the reasons Walker started Black Pineapple Co was that he was “disappointed” with the range of alcohol-free drinks on offer at events.
With alcohol-free versions of his signature, at-home cocktail kits available, he said he wanted to give more Kiwis the option to enjoy a high-quality, alcohol-free drink.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business and retail.
