The creation of delicious cafes and gyms goes global
A collaboration between The Lower Hutt’s café and Jim’s personal trainers has resulted in healthy snacks that are now exported to the US, Australia and Japan.
tom and luke snack balls™ Made by millions, the company was a finalist in the Global Gold category for exporters at the 2022 Wellington Gold Awards (this category was awarded to JH Whittaker, a nationally respected Porirua company). & Sons won, as well as overall honors for the annual award). .
Tom and Luke’s Snackball Factory has become one of the largest employers in the Lower Hutt suburb of Wainuiomata, with over 40 staff.
The company’s history began in 2009. Tom was his personal trainer at Les his Mills on Pretoria Street, Hutt Lower, and Luke ran his Abode cafe on the corner of Cornwall Street.
Tom wanted to help his clients get better results from their workouts, and Luke wanted his kids to eat healthier.
First Whole Foods Bar Created
With a clear vision and enough determination, I created a whole food bar and then all kinds of snack balls. All made with fresh and natural ingredients.
The company’s CEO, Matt Donn, simply combines traditional and recognizable pantry ingredients without flavor enhancers or sugar to create products with great flavor, texture and nutrition. said that was the problem.
Instead of sugar, dates are used as both sweetener and binder.
We want our products to be full of goodness and taste, so we’ve packed them with plant-based protein, fiber, and nutrient-dense ingredients.
High quality ingredients and low moisture content keep the product fresh. They use recyclable monoplastic containers that also act as an oxygen barrier.
the supermarket door opened
Matt said the product came about around the same time that supermarkets were looking for healthier snacks that helped open doors to the New Zealand market.
Choose from peanut butter and cacao, tangy lemon and coconut, salted caramel, beet raspberry brownie, cacao mint and chocolate, and strawberry (Matt’s favorite).
The latest addition to the range are chocolate-coated Snackaballs.
More than 60% of total production is exported and we have many customers in Australia, Japan and USA.
Export market help
Matt thanks New Zealand Trade and Enterprise for their continued support in entering the export market.
He says he has found overseas customers want low or zero carbon footprint. This fits perfectly with the company’s commitment to sustainability.
We are very passionate about what we can do for the environment. “
The company works with Toitū Envirocare and is certified net zero carbon.
Although the flexible plastic containers used by Tom and Luke are fully recyclable, most recycling systems are poorly set up to efficiently accept and recycle plastic.
The company hopes to see more done in this area. New Zealand already recycles some soft plastic into useful items such as fence posts.
Due to his commitment to the environment, Luke participates in multiple Sustainability Advisory Boards in New Zealand and Australia.
Tom and Luke support the business’ marketing efforts. Luke has a particular focus on sustainability and is a national salesman for New Zealand.
Future hopes include exporting to more countries and creating new products. The challenge has always been to create products that are both healthy and delicious, says Matt.
There are a lot of healthy snacks out there that don’t taste very good, but everyone has their own idea of what is healthy, he adds.
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