Kiwi extractor squeezes Italians from oil market

Peter Hopperus and Robert Sweet of Avondale engineering firm Axis Industrial found a niche market of people who had small crops of olive trees and liked the idea of extracting the oil.

Italian commercial extractors cost from $25,000, but Hopperus fine-tuned his design, which sells under the Aquarius brand for $7000.

He says his Kiwi extractor requires more physical work than the Italian model, but rather than deterring customers, that appeals to them.

"And price is not really an issue. These are people who just enjoy bottling their own oil and maybe giving it away to friends."

Clearly, it is a limited market but there are prospects for expansion across the Tasman and beyond.

Herald feature:
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report - 2002