If there was any doubt modern Kiwi consumers strongly desire local produce, ethically farmed and free range, it disappeared when Pita Pit customers recently banded together to support New Zealand-based suppliers.
It was part of the company's commitment to transparency in their "full disclosure food", also reflected in their latest initiative - moving to 100 per cent free range chicken and eggs and ethically farmed bacon and ham, for all outlets across New Zealand.
Duane Dalton is one of the Directors of Pita Pit in New Zealand and recalls the recent big rains which hindered the growth of baby spinach. The company took to Facebook to see if their customers would be happy to eat spinach sourced overseas.
"The response was really heartening," he says. "Our customers overwhelmingly chose to wait for the suppliers to get back on their feet, rather than pressuring us to source the spinach from outside New Zealand."
In a world of obfuscation, it's refreshing to discover a company committed to transparency; Pita Pit was founded on the principle of such openness and reflects the ethos of a food business with nothing to hide.
Dalton says the move to free range and ethically sourced products has been in the pipeline for about 18 months.
"It really is a reflection of our commitment to 'full disclosure food'," he says. "We had been formulating the idea for some time but it's taken a while to ensure we have the quantities available for our needs."
That makes sense when you consider the quantities involved. Last year alone Pita Pit customers ate an estimated 350 tonnes of chicken, 55 tonnes of bacon, and 100,000 eggs.
The company were committed to using only locally sourced products (another cornerstone of the Pita Pit ethos) and needed to ensure the farming practices were sound. After months of preparation, the company launched as "fully free-range and ethically sourced" over a month ago.
All chicken and pork is sourced from farms- Patoa Farms in Hawarden, North Canterbury providing the pork, and Tegel free-range farms providing the chickens. All eggs are from local free-range suppliers close to each of the 109 Pita Pit stores.
It's not just animal products that are sourced locally. Like the baby spinach story, as part of Pita Pit's commitment to keeping things close to home, they choose New Zealand-based suppliers when possible.
The emphasis on healthy, ethically sourced and locally grown food reflects the growth of the "conscious consumer" - people who demand such produce.
Pita Pit's "full disclosure food" philosophy ensures they are transparent around nutritional values, allergen information and sourcing of their products, so customers can make an informed decision about what they consume.
And if the company doesn't like what their suppliers are offering, they'll change to new ones.
"We recently made the choice to change our sauce suppliers, as the international brand we used wasn't open to reducing the sodium and sugar content in their sauces. It's ridiculous that it's still an issue in this day and age," says Dalton.
Pita Pit's customers come from all walks of life and age groups. The chain provides a healthy alternative to many of the other fast foods on offer - and Dalton says it's good to see the dietary decisions made by everyday Kiwis is changing.
"Our salad range has experienced significant growth over the past few years," he shares. "You wouldn't have seen Kiwi blokes walking out of stores with a salad a few years ago. Now it's commonplace."
As former teachers, both Dalton and fellow Director Chris Henderson have long been committed to improving dietary choices available to families. Their desire to see young people thrive has shaped decisions around the Pita Pit menu.
"When we started we were motivated by the desire to provide better options for New Zealand children. This is still a huge motivation for us."