Trade NZ's revamped awards are aimed at celebrating our export success stories. IRENE CHAPPLE reports.
The term business heroism is enough to make a hardened corporate hack splutter over his or her short black.
But Trade New Zealand, which has just named Frucor Beverages as the first recipient of its revamped awards
programme, says the company is an export hero.
A further 23 heroes have yet to be named.
Trade NZ promotions manager Pamela Ford says the awards are designed to recognise the efforts of those innovative companies that are charging into export markets.
Frucor's win caps a year of accolades for the company that included United States finance magazine Forbes Global tipping it as one of the world's 20 best small companies for next year.
Frucor is at present subject to a takeover bid by French giant Groupe Danone.
Going from an almost zero start to $62 million in export sales in just over two years, the company has moved at a speed that would have left even Superman puffing.
Frucor's sales, largely driven by the energy drink V, have been impressive in the Australian market.
In 1999, when Frucor began exporting V there, it had sales of just under $2 million. By this year its sales had reached $40.3 million and V was No 1 in the energy drinks market.
The company has doubled its workforce since 1999 and now has around 500 staff.
Ms Ford said Trade NZ's new awards regime was designed to recognise the contribution made by the staff of winning companies.
Winners were now presented their awards at their offices so that the achievements of their staff and suppliers could be better recognised.
Winning companies got six certificates of appreciation, which they could give to staff or customers that had contributed to their success.
The managing director of Frucor, Mark Cowsill, said his company's certificates were presented to senior management in the United Kingdom Australia and New Zealand.
Trade NZ has also streamlined the entry process and focused the awards on foreign exchange earnings.
Companies are eligible to enter if they can demonstrate an export history of at least three years, foreign exchange earnings of at least $500,000 and yearly growth.
The 24 winners named during the year will be eligible for the Exporter of the Year Awards on May 8.
