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MARKETING NEWS A NEW WEB OF CHANNELS FOR HI-CHEW Fruity confectionery brand Hi-Chew has rolled out a new website in both Australia and New Zealand in the hopes to help drive customers to hundreds of new retail channels. In Australia, Hi-Chew's 100g Original Mix will be ranged nationally in Coles supermarkets, reaching some 700 stores by the end of June. Other retailers carrying the Japanese confectionery include Costco and Daiso, as well as stores in the P&C channel. In New Zealand, about 140 Countdown stores have begun ranging 100g Original Mix, 100g Tropical Mix, and 90g Sweet & Sour Mix. The Foodstuffs group has ranged the products for several years, so Hi-Chew will now be available in most major outlets nationwide in New Zealand. The new sites can be found at: hi-chew.com.au and hi-chew.co.nz. ALLPRESS ESPRESSO PART OF ASAHI’S BREW Premium fresh coffee business Allpress Espresso is looking to expand the market for its “world class” product following its acquisition by Asahi Beverages. The deal marks Asahi’s entry into Australia’s estimated $1 billion fresh coffee market as it expands its portfolio to meet more consumers’ needs and strengthen its offering to cafes, restaurants, licensed venues and grocery stores. “Asahi Beverages and Allpress are a great fit,” Asahi CEO Robert Iervasi said. “We've been impressed by their premium branding, commitment to flavour, quality customer service and track record of growth – attributes that Asahi Beverages shares. “We’re thrilled to extend our portfolio of brands into the large and complementary coffee category, which will also help us meet more of our customers’ needs, whether they be cafes, restaurants, pubs or retailers. This acquisition consolidates our position as the multi-beverage provider of choice for customers and consumers.” Allpress’s major focus is selling fresh roasted coffee beans to cafes and restaurants. The business recently launched a specialty iced coffee drink and a cold coffee concentrate, and sells direct to consumers via online and through more than a dozen Allpress cafes, including in Melbourne and Sydney. DIP SPECIALIST GAINS JET PROPELLED PRODUCTIVITY Australian family owned and operated boutique producer of hand-crafted dips, Fresh Fodder, says it has tripled its productivity rates with the Ilpra FS2500 rotary cup filler, part of the packaging and lidding range from Jet Technologies. On top of a claimed “major surge” in demand driven by the pandemic, Fresh Fodder received new business from more than 400 Woolworths stores nationwide, which prompted a review of its technology investments to meet customer needs and maintain competitiveness. “As demand began to rapidly pick up, there soon came a point where our previous operational capabilities were outrun, which is where the investment in the FS2500 came into play as a crucial tool to increase our productivity and efficiency levels,” Fresh Fodder founder and Managing Director Max Schofield said. “As all of this was happening right in the middle of the pandemic, we needed a solution fast. Thankfully, Jet Technologies was able to organise and install the new machine in a very tight time frame, which helped us greatly throughout Covid-19 and to meet the high demand coming from Woolworths.” The FS2500, from Italian packaging manufacturer Ilpra, is a mechanical rotary filling and sealing machine with eight stations, designed to fill dispensable plastic cups and containers with liquid and semi-solid products. As part of Jet Technologies’ premier range of fill seal solutions, the FS2500 is said to be the “ideal” system to streamline the manufacturing process of a diverse range of products including dairy, dips, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, desserts and ready-made meals. Based in Orange, NSW, Fresh Fodder claims to produce 15 tonnes of product weekly across 12 different flavours in both retail packs and foodservice bulk sizes, distributing nationwide to stores such as Woolworths, ALDI, IGA, Costco, Harris Farm Markets, and independent grocers, fruit markets, cafes and delis. 20 CONVENIENCE WORLD MAY/JUN, 2021