Chris Morrison looks more like a missionary than millionaire entrepreneur reports Stuff.co.nz.
Through Phoenix Organics, the company he and his wife Deborah Cairns and partner Roger Harris laboured in for 20 years, he pioneered the organic drinks market in New Zealand.
Now he’s doing the same with organic Fairtrade bananas. Wayfairer Ltd, trading as All Good Organics, was launched with his brother Matthew Morrison and partner Simon Cowley in February.
For Mr Morrison, the opportunity presented itself. He and his partners had been bringing organic bananas to New Zealand from Samoa since 2008 and “searching for other ethical suppliers so we can all enjoy a fair banana”.
He noticed how strong Fairtrade bananas were in Britain and North America, and seeing the big Kiwi appetite for bananas and how taken we are with Fairtrade coffee and chocolate, he saw an opportunity.
From nothing, All Good Organics grew Fairtrade bananas’ market to a five 40-foot containers a month business, and it is still growing. The fruit is distributed mostly through supermarkets under the Foodstuffs group and in part through health food and gourmet stores.
In a very fierce market dominated by big corporates like Dole and Bonita who do not give away market share easily, Mr Morrison says he is “pleased consumers have seen the value of this product” despite it selling for a premium of about a dollar a kilo.
Screenshot from Phoenix Organics