Importer a lateral thinker

By IRENE CHAPPLE

Importer Craig Lieberman has unexpectedly found his cafe table in San Francisco's Union Square at the frontline of a noisy anti-war protest.

Well, this is San Francisco. And the noise is little distraction to the 33-year-old resident.

Lieberman is reminiscing about his travels in New Zealand; work, mind, not holidays. He raises his voice a touch to compete with the demonstrators. "I wish I holidayed in New Zealand. But I don't holiday, period."

Instead, he visits New Zealand and Australia to pick up the finest fruit glazes, crackers, fruit vinegars and other gourmet goodies for distribution around America.

Not a bad deal. Travel, Lieberman admits, is a nice fringe benefit of heading your own importing gig.

And the customers approve.

Lieberman's firm, 34 Degrees: Food with Latitude, was launched in January and is looking to a full-year turnover of about US$750,000 ($1.4 million), clocking up a small profit. He had expected sales of perhaps US$500,000.

Americans, it appears, were ready for the arrival of 34 Degrees and its resolutely antipodean offerings.

Lieberman is aiming for turnover of between US$3 million and US$4 million in the next three years.

"I think it's entirely achievable. If I can get some New Zealand cheeses in here I'd have no problem."

The company's seeds can be traced back to Australia, where Lieberman completed a masters degree in international relations at Sydney University.

The Connecticut native was impressed with the foods from "new world" countries: New Zealand, Australian and South Africa. Countries with a latitude of 34 degrees.

"I knew a lot about New Zealand and Australia but what really blew me away were the flavours and freshness of everything. And the fusion of the Asian and European and native flavours ... It was really exciting to me."

Lieberman abandoned a potential career in international relations and became a foodie, importing products from Europe for Gourmet America and making connections with distributors now working with 34 Degrees.

He had followed the success of NZ's wine industry and had an inkling that the freshness of new world food - less processed, more intense than that of his homeland's - would appeal to the American palate.

Lieberman imported products in small quantities over six months before the launch. He now has an Australia-based business partner. And his wife, Jennifer Strailey, who has a background in marketing and public relations, joins the business next month.

The company was initially financed with about US$20,000 of personal money. Lieberman now has an Australian backer and hopes he will soon qualify for a federal loan. "I went from air pallets ... to 20-foot containers to 40-foot containers ... in about a four-month period."

Awareness of Downunder is high, and Americans are turning to comfort food in the wake of September 11, including meats such as venison and lamb, food which can be bettered with a gloss from 34 Degrees' New Zealand-made fruit glazes. And the company's fruit pastes, imported from outside Wellington, are sold as accompaniment to the cheeseboard.


The key to US sales, says Lieberman, is hitting customers over the head. Bright, basic and educative branding.

And they listen: "My customers are going crazy over these products."

34 Degrees: Food with Latitude