Tasti Product's success statistics make very Tasti reading indeed!
In recent years Tasti has quadrupled its output, tripled its staff numbers and grabbed a massive market slice with its innovative product ranges.The Te Atatu Peninsula-based cereal and muesli bar maker is taking on the industry's giants and performing superbly.
Tasti's director of operations Bryce Howard says that between 2002- 2007 Tasti grew at 18% per annum, success he attributes to the company's investment in technology, people and its "very good cost structures".
"We have invested more than $25 million in muesli bar technology in the past three years," Mr Howard says, "and we've got the most modern muesli bar machinery in the Southern Hemisphere - our machinery is truly world class.
"In 2004 Tasti introduced the first tri-layered muesli bar plant of its kind in Australasia." This investment in technology means Tasti is now capable of producing 10 million muesli bars in a week and has grown its earnings from $20m in 1998 to around $75m in 2007.
Currently, 50% of Tasti's cereal and 75% of its muesli bars are exported to Australia and the company is exploring new exporting opportunities in Europe and the United States. Its rapid export growth led to Tasti being a finalist in the 2006 New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Export Awards.Today, Tasti employs over 200 staff, up from 35 just ten years ago. 90% of those workers live in Waitakere.
Despite Tasti's phenomenal recent growth, Mr Howard says the company is being hamstrung by a lack of labour - it desperately needs more workers. Mr Howard says, "The biggest barrier to our growth and our biggest source of grief is not being able to get enough people; we constantly need more and more people. We're looking for production staff, manufacturing managers, brand managers and payroll staff too. And we look after our staff very well."
"If the right workers were available, Tasti would hire 20 today, and probably 20 more again next month."
Find out more about careers at Tasti
visit: www.tasti.co.nz
contact: 09 839 1051
