A small Waikato bakery supplies cakes to all the major supermarket chains nationwide and it all starts with Fastway Couriers Waikato. Fastway Couriers allow them to deliver nationwide from Kaitaia to Invercargill. Fastway Couriers operation sees the Waikato business send the cakes onto 16 other regional distributors, by way of a line haul operation which runs up and down the North and South Island, or by transferring to couriers in neighbouring areas.
A normal week sees them transporting and delivering at least 10,000 cakes and 15,000 at peak times. “Sometimes it's five van loads a week,” said David Williams, the franchisee owner of Fastway Couriers Waikato. “We call there every day to pick-up the cakes and start the distribution process.”
Williams added that the Kihikihi operation is one of their biggest customers since 2010. Three of the Waikato Bakeries' main specialties are madeira cake, chocolate Swiss rolls and jam rolls, all of which are packed into 'snuggly' specialty boxes so they can't move around. With 12 cakes to a box, three boxes to each parcel... 300 to 400 parcels a week find their way around the country. Fastway Couriers has learned to cope with the fluctuating demand for its services, another demonstration that the company can handle more unusual and seemingly delicate and fragile goods.
