Forty Thieves was founded in 2016 by husband and wife team, Brent Godfrey and Shyr Gelber. Since then, the brand has gone from strength to strength and has just celebrated it's fourth year in business.
Two of the nut butters in its delicious range has recently been ranged in Countdown.
"Everything really came together at the same time - right after the Covid-19 lockdown," said Shyr. "In the same week that our two best selling lines were accepted into Countdown, we received the keys to our new factory. It was a huge push for us and the team to get Countdown's first order out the door and then move into a brand new premise the following day."
The team celebrated its fourth birthday in the new factory with a Salted Macadamia cake from The Caker.
Having outgrown their previous space, the team had already rented a second garage in the same complex to hold its stock, but found it was becoming unproductive for the team to be pushing pallets back and forth. It made sense to have one big space that was designed holistically.
"We have also recently invested in new machinery for our production process which needed more space too. We've been in the new factory for about a month and it's been so exciting to see the fit-out unfold. The new kitchen with brand new floors, freshly painted walls and all new electrical and plumbing was the first thing to be up and running so we didn't have to stop producing. We're now adding all the fun touch-ups - new signage and even a neon light of our logo!"
Brands and businesses in the food industry have always faced challenges along the way, however, a new set of challenges have come out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The biggest challenge for us, and I'm sure many other businesses, is upholding values, staying price competitive while still finding a little margin to keep the business profitable."
Shyr and the team at Forty Thieves are unwilling to compromise on ingredient quality. For example, the country of original for its nuts is really important to the brand and also use real maple syrup and vanilla pod over cheap imitations.
"We're also not willing to use cheaper packaging materials like plastic, instead, sticking to recycled glass jars, metal lids and FSC approved paper labels. I think there needs to be a huge shift in the mentality of leading supermarket brands about the 'true-cost' of its products, especially those made for single-use consumption. There also needs to be more education about why spending a little more on a product can not only be better for their health but also the environment."
Currently the brand are busy focussing on its recently releases SuperFood Butter, but there are a couple of really cool collaborations that retailers and consumers can look forward to in the coming weeks as well as another limited edition product.
Forty Thieves is always looking to partner with like-minded organisations where they can make an impact. The team have just donated 100L of nut butter to the hardworking team at Love Soup.
"It's great to know that our healthy products will be enjoyed by many New Zealanders who are experience hardship, particularly in the colder months."
