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FruChocs stay on top Beyond Violet Crumble, Robern Menz has continued to build on the successes of its Menz FruChocs brand. “Menz FruChocs still remain number one in its category here in South Australia, and in the past year we’ve continued to develop creative ways for people to enjoy their favourite snack,” Ms Love said. “We’ve recently launched a mango flavour, and last year we had a hugely successful collaboration with a local brewery, Big Shed Brewing Concern, creating the BruChoc beer, which famously sold out in less than 20 minutes in SA, and was also a big hit interstate. We’re hoping to release it again this year for FruChoc Appreciation Day in August, but we’ll have to see how things pan out.” Ahead of Easter this year, the first ever Menz FruChocs 110g egg was launched in SA. The milk chocolate egg contained pieces of peach and apricot within the shell. A FruChocs Hot Cross Bun was also available in an eight-pack at Foodland supermarkets and selected gourmet fruit and vegetable stores. From last year, Robern Menz has been selling Menz FruChocs in Big W nationally, SPAR in Queensland, and in selected P&C retailers in NSW. “In all cases,” Ms Love said, “consumer interest has been strong, and sales have justified the products staying on sale.” The nature of the business Robern Menz is an independent, family-owned company, which Ms Love says makes it “a little bit different” to many of the larger, global confectionery companies. “It allows us to be nimble, make quick decisions and be on the front foot when it comes to responding to consumer demand and trends,” she said. “We’re able to make decisions quickly, collaborate with whomever we want to, and turn around new products efficiently and to short time frames. The office headquarters is on-site at the factory, so we don’t have any challenges regarding communication, being proactive and responding quickly to opportunities.” Succeeding in SA Ms Love believes Robern Menz is fortunate to be based in SA. “SA has a comparatively smaller population than the eastern states, and \\\\\\\[its people\\\\\\\] are, by nature, a patriotic group,” she said. “Where other states \\\\\\\[and territories\\\\\\\] have landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House or Uluru, here we’re known for our exceptional produce, and our customers know that and are proud to be part of ‘team SA’.” Robern Menz, according to Ms Love, has a loyal and “always extremely supportive” customer base in the state. “As well as working with the big supermarkets here, we’re also fortunate to have a strong presence in many of the independent supermarkets and local P&C chains,” she said. “Strong local relationships also fuel some exceptional activation opportunities within these very valued retailers.” On this topic of relationships, Ms Love adds that SA is home to much collaboration, with other independent brands and retailers wanting to come together and support one another. When it comes to the challenges of being based in SA, Robern Menz, says Ms Love, sees “very few”. “Despite \\\\\\\[at the time of writing\\\\\\\] border closures, we’re still able to distribute our products interstate,” she said. Employment and production Since acquiring Violet Crumble in late 2018, Robern Menz has grown its team significantly. Ms Love comments that “it’s great to be responsible for employing over 100 people locally”. “More than 30 of our 105 staff members are dedicated to purely making sure we have Violet Crumble available at all times,” she said. More recently, Robern Menz has had to ramp up production to meet increasing demand, both locally and internationally. “This year, for the first time in our 170-year history, we began producing for 24 hours, seven days a week,” Ms Love said. The future Given the current global uncertainty, it’s difficult for Robern Menz (as it is with most businesses) to predict with 100 per cent accuracy what the next 12 months will hold. Despite this, at the time of writing, Ms Love said all was going well for Robern Menz, and that the company would continue to invest in innovation, both from a product and packaging perspective. “Violet Crumble will continue to be the centre of much of our focus over the next 12 months,” she said, “as we continue to drive distribution into different selling channels and bring new and exciting additions to our Violet Crumble range of products.” ROADSHOW SA SPONSORED BY “Where other states and territories have landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House or Uluru, here we’re known for our exceptional produce.” MAY/JUN, 2020 CONVENIENCE WORLD 31