The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

New wrap boosting vege sales

30 Jun, 2000 03:24 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

By LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK

Plastic-wrapped vegetables are often the kind found festering on a supermarket bargain shelf several days past their peak condition.

But Leader Brand's lettuces are rolling out the door at premium prices thanks to a special plastic wrap and the Gisborne company's new marketing and sales strategy.

One of the first
commercial vegetable growers to brand its fresh vegetables and advertise direct to supermarkets, Leader introduced Iceberg plastic-wrapped lettuces to the retail scene just over two years ago.

Today the 25-year-old business promotes Iceberg lettuces through retail magazines and sells direct to most major supermarkets, chopping out the wholesale link of the supply chain.

"Consumers today are driven by convenience and food safety. We wanted to pick up on that and market our products around those issues to add value," said Marcus Griffin, Leader's sales and marketing manager.

"Rather than selling through wholesalers, it is more cost effective for us to go direct to retail outlets. We target them [supermarkets] with advertising, too, rather than going to consumers."

One of the country's largest private growing operations, Leader is owned by Murray McPhail. It plants more than 3400ha in vegetables each year, including squash, peas, tomatoes and peppers. The majority of Leader's squash and onion crop is exported to Japan while a small amount of Iceberg lettuces is sold through the Pacific Islands.

Mr Griffin said the company saw an opportunity to add value and boost returns after a trip to Europe, where vegetables were frequently wrapped in plastic before being sold in supermarkets.

After investing more than $1 million in its Iceberg operation, Mr Griffin said Leader was slowly carving a niche out of the retail market for its plastic-wrapped lettuces, which usually sold at a 20 per cent premium to the average lettuce.

Iceberg lettuces were only handled once when they were picked and wrapped before arriving on the supermarket shelf. Mr Griffin said they were less prone to shrinkage because of the wrap and Leader aimed to produce lettuces of consistent quality to keep customers coming back for more.

"Our competitive edge is driven by the fact that no one else is really doing this on this scale. From a supermarket perspective, we make it easier for them because there's no labour involved and they can generate a better return."

Mr Griffin said there were growth opportunities in the Australian market as well as expanding sales through other plastic-wrapped vegetable products.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Horticulture

Premium
The Country

Stuck in Middle Rd with ewes: Councillors against Havelock North development due to soil quality

The Country

Council to pause region-wide geothermal plan and consider Rotorua tweaks

The Country

Stuart Davis 'true embodiment' of Life Member award's spirit, Hort NZ says


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Horticulture

Premium
Premium
Stuck in Middle Rd with ewes: Councillors against Havelock North development due to soil quality
The Country

Stuck in Middle Rd with ewes: Councillors against Havelock North development due to soil quality

Houses to the left of it, rest home to the right.

22 Jul 06:00 PM
Council to pause region-wide geothermal plan and consider Rotorua tweaks
The Country

Council to pause region-wide geothermal plan and consider Rotorua tweaks

22 Jul 12:59 AM
Stuart Davis 'true embodiment' of Life Member award's spirit, Hort NZ says
The Country

Stuart Davis 'true embodiment' of Life Member award's spirit, Hort NZ says

21 Jul 11:44 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP