Room to Move
It’s been 26 years since a small butchery business in Christchurch outgrew its premises and moved north to a new factory just outside Kaiapoi. And in that time, the business that New Zealanders now know as Hellers has grown into the country’s leading bacon, ham and small goods company, with a second factory and a thriving export trade.
Hellers Marketing Manager Brydon Heller says that the 1993 move into the Waimakariri District made sense for a number of reasons, and many or those reasons still stand today.
“It was the right time for us and it was a great opportunity to move into a larger factory with room for expansion,” Brydon explains. “It was still close to Christchurch and has easy access.”
The factory location, on Main North Road, just over the Waimakariri River, also made recruitment from the city much easier.
“Being 20 minutes out of Christchurch helps us recruit staff. We employ around 400 plus people and although we do like to target North Canterbury staff, we also look further afield. When we have new staff moving here we look at living options for them in North Canterbury as it is generally cheaper to rent.
“We are now a large employer in the Waimakariri District, and we are proud of what we have achieved here.”
As well as winning a raft of product awards over the years, Hellers has opened a second factory in Auckland and began exporting their sausages to Australia.
Despite their ongoing development and expansion, Brydon says the company is “very committed” to North Canterbury.
“The area has embraced us and worked with us to help us where they can. We remain very committed to North Canterbury and appreciate all the support and exposure we get in our local community.”
Hellers factory and factory shop are located at 67 Main North Road, Kaiapoi. For more information visit www.hellers.co.nz.
