International opportunities for Hawke's Bay Export Award winners

Dave and Annie Evans celebrate an award win on their Rock-it board invention. Photo / Warren Buckland

A pair of family-run Hawke's Bay businesses will be bidding for international attention following big wins at the annual ExportNZ Hawke's Bay ASB Exporter of the Year awards.

Exactly a year on from launching Rock-it Board, co-founder Annie Evans said she and her husband Dave were still "overwhelmed" at receiving the awards' Tomoana Food Hub Innovation in Export prize on Thursday night, and the subsequent boost in interest in their natural exercise board.

"Our phone hasn't stopped and our Facebook has gone mad," she said.

All category winners from the awards received entry into NZTE's International Business Awards later this year.

That was an "awesome" bonus, she said.

"It's so unexpected for us. We're literally a small company that has come from nothing in five years to where we are now.

'We had a seed of an idea and it has just grown. I guess we just can't believe that it has had this kind of recognition.

'It's a very good opportunity, it's opening lots of doors already but it's also a time when you sit back and reflect on where you have come from and possible where you go to.

"We're pretty overwhelmed."

Fellow Hawke's Bay company Woodcut Tools, which exports wood turning tools, will also enter the international awards, after winning the ContainerCo Emerging Exporter award.

Meanwhile, overall winner of the ExportNZ Hawke's Bay ASB Exporter of the Year award, Gisborne-based fruit and vegetable exporter Cedenco, confirmed it would be assessing more prospects in Hastings.

Cedenco chief operating officer Joseph Nelson said the company already had a presence in Hawke's Bay after acquiring Hastings-based fruit and vegetable company Enza Foods in April.

"The team has been in Napier Port today, looking through the facilities there, so we already have a bit of a footprint here.

"I think Cedenco is growing, we're growing sustainably and we have a lot of support from our stakeholders and, really, we just feel like we're starting this journey."