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The Griffin's Food Company
Formerly
  • Griffin & Sons, Ltd. (1895–?)[1]
Company type
Founded1864;160 years ago(1864)[1][2]
FounderJohn Griffin
FateAcquired byNabiscoin 1962
Headquarters
Auckland
,
New Zealand
ProductsCookies,chocolateconfection,crackers,cereal bars,snacks
Brands
Number of employees
800 (2014[3])
Parent
List
Websitegriffinsfoodcompany.com

The Griffin's Foods Companyis aNew Zealandfood companycurrently headquartered inAucklandand established by John Griffin as a flour and cocoa mill in the city ofNelsonin 1864.[1]The company startedbiscuitmanufacturing in 1890.[1]Products commercialised by Griffin's includecookies,chocolateconfection,crackers,cereal bars, andsnack food.

Since 1962, Griffin's has been owned by several companies includingNabisco,Danone,Pacific Equity PartnersandUniversal Robina.As of 2021, it has been wholly-owned byIntersnack.Griffin's had sales of approximately NZ$300 million in 2011.[4]

History[edit]

John Griffin, founder

The company was founded by English John Griffin (1813–1893)[5]inNelson, New Zealandin 1869[6]as aflourandcocoamiller in 1864. Griffin had arrived in Nelson in 1854, commencing business in abakeryshop one year later. After it was severely damaged byan earthquake in 1855,Griffin moved toChristchurch,then returning to Nelson a few years later when conditions improved.[5]

Newspaper records show biscuits were in production by the 1880s and the confectionery arm of the business launched in 1886. By the 1890s Griffins were producing a range of candied peels and by the late 1900s drinking cocoa. Main produce was distributed via the Griffins manufacturing plant on Ashmole Street in Christchurch.

Griffin's factory in Nelson, c. 1905

After Griffin died in 1893, his sons J.H. and G.R. Griffin carried out the family business. When in February 1895 a huge fire caused a new disaster, they formed apublic companywith a capital of £5,172. In search of further capital to expand the business, in 1897 a chocolate factory was acquired.[5]Griffin's expanded, making army ration biscuits duringWorld War II,[6]those where the times of the biscuit industry as a provider of goods for war purposes that helped it become larger than any other industry in New Zealand.[5]

Griffin's opened a new factory inLower Huttin 1938,[1]transferring its entire biscuit manufacturing operation there and leaving the Nelson factory entirely toconfectionerymanufacture.[5]In 1959, Griffin acquired the Southern Cross Biscuit Factory, a rival company owned by the Dustin family.[1]

In 1962, Griffin was purchased byNabisco.[1][7]Griffin bought confectionery manufacturerSweetacresin 1971. The company also added BritishHuntley & Palmers' crackers to its brand portfolio, and two years later Griffin acquired "Eta Foods" including its range of snacks and potato chips brands.[1]The Nelson factory was closed by Nabisco in 1988, with the loss of 137 jobs, most of them women's. The former factory was then demolished.[2]In 1989 Griffin's acquired biscuit company Hudsons, taking on the copyright for the famous Hudson's iconCookie Bear.When Nabisco was effectively broken up, Griffin's was acquired by Britannia Foods in 1990,[1]but in December of the same yearDanonebought it from Britannia Foods.[8]

In 2006 Danone divested Griffin's toPacific Equity Partners.[9]One year later, Griffin's acquired the "Nice & Natural Wrapped Snacks" company to become the leader snack food manufacturer in New Zealand.[1]

The Lower Hutt plant closed in 2008 with the loss of 200 jobs,[10]with all production transferred to the Auckland sites. In 2009 Griffin's moved the production of its cream filled biscuits, which account for 2.5% of production, toFiji.[11]

In July 2014,Pacific Equity Partnersdivested of Griffin's Foods, selling the operations to Philippine companyUniversal Robinafor NZ$700 million.[12][3]In October 2015, Universal Robina announced they were expanding the Griffin's brand to theSoutheast Asianmarket starting with thePhilippines.

In December 2019, Universal Robina and German companyIntersnackformed Unisnack ANZ, a joint venture comprising Griffin's andSnack Brands Australia.Intersnack held a 40% stake in the consolidated business.[13][14]In August 2021, Universal Robina exited the Australian and New Zealand market by selling its remaining 60% stake in Unisnack ANZ to Intersnack.[15]

Products[edit]

The company's food range comprises:

Brand Products
Griffin's Cookies,chocolateconfection,crackers,muesli bars
Eta Potato chips,nachos,cheese puffs
Nice & Natural Muesli bars,protein bars[16]
Huntley & Palmers[note 1] Crackers
Kettle Potato chips

Biscuits[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^abUnder license
  2. ^A joint venture between Universal Robina and Intersnack
  3. ^Part ofJG Summit Holdings

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefghijCelebrating 150 Years of Griffin’s,timeline on Scoop website
  2. ^abGriffin's Factory in Nelsonon The Prow.org.nz
  3. ^abBiscuit maker Griffin's sold for $700mon Stuff NZ, 22 July 2014
  4. ^"Australia's PEP set to tap buyers for Griffin's Foods".Reuters.22 September 2011.Retrieved28 January2019.
  5. ^abcdeJOURNAL OF THE NELSON AND MARLBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6, 1995
  6. ^ab"About Griffin's | Griffin's".Archived fromthe originalon 2 September 2008.Retrieved31 August2008.
  7. ^Company information[permanent dead link]
  8. ^"Big players call tune".The New Zealand Herald.9 January 1999.Retrieved2 October2011.
  9. ^"Pacific Equity buys Griffin's Foods".The Age.Melbourne. 1 April 2006.
  10. ^"200 jobs set to go as cookie factory crumbles".The New Zealand Herald.NZPA.16 November 2007.Retrieved2 October2011.
  11. ^Griffin's moves biscuits to Fiji
  12. ^Australasian food rush continues with PEP selling New Zealand firm to Philippines' Universalon Reuters, 21 July 2014
  13. ^"URC sells stake in snacks joint venture to partner Intersnack".BusinessWorld Online.30 July 2021.Retrieved5 January2023.
  14. ^Berry, Kim (17 July 2019)."Snack Brands Aust owner and Intersnack Group deal".Food & Drink Business.Retrieved5 January2023.
  15. ^Burgos, Jonathan (2 August 2021)."Philippine Gokongwei Group Exits Australia, New Zealand Snack Foods Business".Forbes.Retrieved5 January2023.
  16. ^Ward, Stephen (3 March 2007)."Griffins tipped to gobble up more".The New Zealand Herald.Retrieved2 October2011.

External links[edit]

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