The search is on for New Zealand’s next game-changing grocery product. Entries are now open for the 2025 Foodstuffs Emerging Supplier Competition (Foodstuffs Emerge), giving bold and brilliant food makers the chance to take their creations from home kitchens and small-batch productions to supermarket shelves across Aotearoa.
Every great food brand starts somewhere – an old family recipe, a late-night lightbulb moment, or a weekend favourite that friends insist should be in stores. Foodstuffs Emerge is here to help turn that idea into reality. This competition isn’t just about winning – it’s about connecting passionate creators with the right people, tools, and expertise to help them scale up and succeed in an intensely competitive sector.
Last year’s competition proved just how powerful the right support can be. Dane Fuller of FULLER Overnight Oats started with a simple but brilliant idea: a no-fuss, nutritious breakfast. Just six months after winning the start-up category, FULLER Overnight Oats has hit the shelves at New World supermarkets nationwide.
“Running your own business is a bit like a game of snake and ladders, lots of little knock backs along the way,” says Dane. “But winning Foodstuffs Emerge is like landing on the ladder that skyrockets you straight to the top. Without it we wouldn’t have gotten to this point for a very long time.”
Then there’s The Lucky Taco – what started as a food truck on Auckland streets 12 years ago has now become a nationwide sensation. Winning the small supplier category last year gave them the boost they needed to scale up and get their products ranged in New World stores across the country.
Chris Quin, Managing Director of Foodstuffs New Zealand, says the competition is all about supporting fresh thinking and giving customers access to exciting, innovative products.
“Our vision for Foodstuffs Emerge is to create a long-lasting innovation hub that helps grocery trailblazers thrive while delivering the very best products to our customers across Aotearoa,” says Chris Quin, Managing Director of Foodstuffs New Zealand.”
Mary Devine, CEO of Foodstuffs South Island, said: “We are looking for products that genuinely excite us – those that are innovative, well-researched, and have the potential to disrupt categories. If you have the vision, the product, and the passion, we have the expertise to guide you on your path to success.”
The winners will receive a comprehensive support package, with a combined valued at over $120,000.00 including mentorship from industry experts and exposure across Foodstuffs’ extensive retail network.
Entries for Foodstuffs Emerge close on June 1st, 2025. To enter or learn more, visit Foodstuffs Emerge.
https://www.foodstuffs.co.nz/partnering-with-us/foodstuffs-emerge
