Gregg's (New Zealand)

Cerebos Gregg's is a New Zealand food and beverage company, best known for their coffee, desserts, and condiments. The company has been in operation since 1861,[1] making it one of New Zealand's oldest food companies. The company is now run as part of Heinz Watties Limited, a subsidiary of Kraft Heinz.

Cerebos Gregg's Limited
TypePrivate
IndustryFood and beverages
PredecessorW Gregg & Co. Limited
Founded1861, Otago
FounderWilliam Gregg
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
Number of locations
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin
OwnerKraft Heinz
Number of employees
300
ParentHeinz Watties Limited
Websitecerebos.co.nz

The company employs over 200 people in its two factories. The Dunedin North factory has operated on the same site since 1925; the East Tāmaki site in Auckland was opened in 1972 and now contains the current head office.

History

Company founder William Gregg emigrated from Northern Ireland to Australia's Ballarat gold fields during the 1850s, and from there moved to Dunedin at the time of the Central Otago Gold Rush. There he established W Gregg & Co, with wide-ranging food interests, but most notably a coffee and spice merchants. Gregg's became a limited liability company the 1920s, and in 1925 all the Gregg's operations were combined in one enterprise in Forth Street, Dunedin North (a site which still houses the company's coffee processing operations).

During the 1930s to 1950s, a range of other products were launched, including salad dressings and instant puddings. Gregg's also launched their first instant coffee in the 1950s, the first such product to be made in New Zealand. In 1991 Gregg's launched granulated coffee, under the brand name of Red Ribbon Roast. Decaffeinated instant coffee was launched the following year.[2]

A 1970 advertisement for Gregg's coffee was the first multicultural television advertisement broadcast in New Zealand.[3]

In 1984, the New Zealand arm of international food company Cerebos merged with Gregg's to form Cerebos Gregg's Limited. In 1990, the company added the Robert Harris coffee brand to their company,[4] and in 2005, Atomic Coffee Roasters was also purchased by the company.[5]

In 2018, Kraft Heinz acquired most of Cerebos Pacific's food and coffee division, including Cerebos Gregg's Limited from Suntory.[6] Subsequently, Cerebos Gregg's Limited operations were consolidated into Heinz Watties Limited.

References
  1. Gregg, W. and Co., Ltd, The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts], 1901. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  2. "Gregg's brand history". Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  3. New Zealand Identity: Part I Archived 15 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, On Disc: A moving image resource for New Zealand classrooms, New Zealand Film Archive. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  4. "Cerebos - History". www.cerebos.co.nz.
  5. Inder, Richard (12 July 2005). "Atomic spills the beans". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  6. Hartley, Simon (10 March 2018). "Kraft Heinz to buy Cerebos, Asian". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
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