Griffin's Foods

{{Short description|New Zealand snack-food and confectionery manufacturer}}

{{Infobox company

| name = The Griffin's Food Company

| former_names = {{plainlist|

Griffin & Sons, Ltd. (1895–?)

}}

| logo = Griffins foodcompany logo.png

| logo_size = 200

| image =

| image_caption =

| type = {{plainlist|

Private (1864–95)
Public (1895–1962)
Subsidiary (1962–present)

}}

| fate = Acquired by Nabisco in 1962

| foundation = {{start date and age|1864}}[http://www.theprow.org.nz/enterprise/griffins/#.YS1RXY4zY2w Griffin's Factory in Nelson] on The Prow.org.nz

| founder = John Griffin

| location_city = Auckland

| location_country = New Zealand

| products = Cookies, chocolate confection, crackers, cereal bars, snacks

| owner =

| parent = {{collapsible list|

Intersnack (2021–present)
Unisnack ANZ{{refn|A joint venture between Universal Robina and Intersnack|group=note|name=unisnack}} (2019–21)
Universal Robina {{refn|Part of JG Summit Holdings|group=note|name=univ}} (2014–19)
Pacific Equity Partners (2006–14)
Danone (1990–2006)
Britannia Foods (1990)
Nabisco (1962–90)

}}

| subsid =

| brands = {{plainlist|

Griffin's
Huntley & Palmers {{refn|Under license|group=note|name=licen}}
Kettle

}}

| num_employees = 800

| num_employees_year = 2014

| website = {{URL|https://www.griffinsfoodcompany.com/|griffinsfoodcompany.com}}

}}

The Griffin's Foods Company is a New Zealand food company currently headquartered in Auckland and established by John Griffin as a flour and cocoa mill in the city of Nelson in 1864.[https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1405/150_Years_of_Griffins__Pictorial_Timeline.pdf Celebrating 150 Years of Griffin’s], timeline on Scoop website The company started biscuit manufacturing in 1890. Products commercialised by Griffin's include cookies, chocolate confection, crackers, cereal bars, and snack food.

Since 1962, Griffin's has been owned by several companies including Nabisco, Danone, Pacific Equity Partners and Universal Robina. As of 2021, it has been wholly-owned by Intersnack. Griffin's had sales of approximately NZ$300 million in 2011.{{Cite news |date=2011-09-22 |title=Australia's PEP set to tap buyers for Griffin's Foods |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/australia-griffins-idUSL3E7KM0Q420110922 |access-date=2019-01-28}}

History

File:John griffin.jpg

The company was founded by English John Griffin (1813–1893)[http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-NHSJ05_06-t1-body1-d2.html JOURNAL OF THE NELSON AND MARLBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6, 1995] in Nelson, New Zealand in 1869{{Cite web |url=http://www.griffins.co.nz/about-griffins |title=About Griffin's | Griffin's |access-date=31 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080902111641/http://www.griffins.co.nz/about-griffins |archive-date=2 September 2008 |url-status=dead }} as a flour and cocoa miller in 1864. Griffin had arrived in Nelson in 1854, commencing business in a bakery shop one year later. After it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1855, Griffin moved to Christchurch, then returning to Nelson a few years later when conditions improved.

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.

File:Griffin factory 1905.jpg, {{circa|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 a public company with a capital of £5,172. In search of further capital to expand the business, in 1897 a chocolate factory was acquired. Griffin's expanded, making army ration biscuits during World War II, 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.

Griffin's opened a new factory in Lower Hutt in 1938, transferring its entire biscuit manufacturing operation there and leaving the Nelson factory entirely to confectionery manufacture. In 1959, Griffin acquired the Southern Cross Biscuit Factory, a rival company owned by the Dustin family.

In 1962, Griffin was purchased by Nabisco.[http://www.eta.co.nz/Corporate/CompanyInformation/History/1962.aspx Company information] {{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Griffin bought confectionery manufacturer Sweetacres in 1971. The company also added British Huntley & Palmers' crackers to its brand portfolio, and two years later Griffin acquired "Eta Foods" including its range of snacks and potato chips brands. 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. In 1989 Griffin's acquired biscuit company Hudsons, taking on the copyright for the famous Hudson's icon Cookie Bear. When Nabisco was effectively broken up, Griffin's was acquired by Britannia Foods in 1990, but in December of the same year Danone bought it from Britannia Foods.{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=1127 |title=Big players call tune |date=9 January 1999 |work=The New Zealand Herald |accessdate=2 October 2011}}

In 2006 Danone divested Griffin's to Pacific Equity Partners.{{cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Business/Pacific-Equity-buys-Griffins-Foods/2006/04/01/1143441365530.html | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | title=Pacific Equity buys Griffin's Foods | date=1 April 2006}} One year later, Griffin's acquired the "Nice & Natural Wrapped Snacks" company to become the leader snack food manufacturer in New Zealand.

The Lower Hutt plant closed in 2008 with the loss of 200 jobs,{{cite news |date=16 November 2007 |title=200 jobs set to go as cookie factory crumbles |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |agency=NZPA |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/200-jobs-set-to-go-as-cookie-factory-crumbles/SITPPWRHWSNGDDPUOURZDH3A3Y/?c_id=1&objectid=10476364 |accessdate=2 October 2011}} 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, to Fiji.[http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3084306/Griffins-moves-biscuits-to-Fiji Griffin's moves biscuits to Fiji]

In July 2014, Pacific Equity Partners divested of Griffin's Foods, selling the operations to Philippine company Universal Robina for NZ$700 million.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-universal-robina-idUSKBN0FQ0CP20140721 Australasian food rush continues with PEP selling New Zealand firm to Philippines' Universal] on Reuters, 21 July 2014[http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/10292623/Biscuit-maker-Griffins-sold-for-700m Biscuit maker Griffin's sold for $700m] on Stuff NZ, 22 July 2014 In October 2015, Universal Robina announced they were expanding the Griffin's brand to the Southeast Asian market starting with the Philippines.

In December 2019, Universal Robina and German company Intersnack formed Unisnack ANZ, a joint venture comprising Griffin's and Snack Brands Australia. Intersnack held a 40% stake in the consolidated business.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-30 |title=URC sells stake in snacks joint venture to partner Intersnack |url=https://www.bworldonline.com/corporate/2021/07/30/386078/urc-sells-stake-in-snacks-joint-venture-to-partner-intersnack/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=BusinessWorld Online |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Berry |first=Kim |date=2019-07-17 |title=Snack Brands Aust owner and Intersnack Group deal |url=https://www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au/news/snack-brands-aust-owner-and-intersnack-group-deal |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Food & Drink Business |language=en}} In August 2021, Universal Robina exited the Australian and New Zealand market by selling its remaining 60% stake in Unisnack ANZ to Intersnack.{{Cite web |last=Burgos |first=Jonathan |date=2021-08-02 |title=Philippine Gokongwei Group Exits Australia, New Zealand Snack Foods Business |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanburgos/2021/08/02/philippine-gokongwei-group-exits-australia-new-zealand-snack-foods-business/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

Products

The company's food range comprises:

width= 200px\| Brand ! Products
class="wikitable"
Griffin's	Cookies, chocolate confection, crackers, muesli bars
Eta	Potato chips, nachos, cheese puffs
Nice & Natural	Muesli bars, protein bars {{cite news \|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10426763 \|title=Griffins tipped to gobble up more \|author=Ward, Stephen \|date=3 March 2007 \|work=The New Zealand Herald \|accessdate=2 October 2011}}
Huntley & Palmers {{refn\|group=note\|name=licen}}	Crackers
Kettle	Potato chips