Hancocks has started a new initiative that helps staff grow organic fruit and vegetables and harvest honey at work, as a solution to rapidly increasing food prices. More than 20 contained Vegepods surround the fence line at Hancocks Mangere site and will support over 200 Auckland staff. There are also 30 lemon, lime, apple and mandarin trees and six beehives for staff.
“We recently merged our warehouse and office teams with staff taking turns picking fruit and vegetables which are bagged and left in the communal kitchen for everyone to help themselves. We have had experts come in and give us some tips on gardening so many of our team are becoming quite green-fingered. The teams have also learnt how to harvest just what they need to get the best out of the garden from a sustainability perspective and we are also collecting our own rainwater,” said Joe Jakicevich, Hancocks managing director.
“It’s wonderful to see how proud the teams are of these pods, we call it our community garden and often staff will bring their kids and extended families in to have a look and show them what they’ve been doing. Right now, we’re getting underway for our spring planting, so we’ll be adding cherry tomatoes and obviously more lettuces as they are pretty pricey for people,” he continued.
To supplement the community garden produce, Jakicevich also provides a monthly box of fresh fruit and vegetables for all staff members. He hopes to expand the garden programme to the firm’s Wellington and Christchurch offices and one day look at a Vegepod in each staff member's home.
“Pandemic-driven food shortages, the rising cost of produce, inflation, petrol and heating is having an impact on all Kiwis. We wanted to do something tangible for our staff, that also gives them a sense of pride and teaches them new skills. As we look to life beyond COVID we can see the impact this has had on Kiwis mentally, physically and financially. I feel a responsibility to my staff to help ensure they are in the best possible place. I want Hancocks to be a good company, full stop. That we are looking after people, looking after our community, and looking after customers.”
Lisa Lowe, Owner of Vegepod NZ has said the company saw a 55 percent sales increase in the last 12 months as kiwis look for ways to save money and combat rising vegetable prices.
“We have been selling more Vegepods in all cities and towns across the country with the most growth in sales coming from Auckland (Central & South) and the South Island. We have also noticed a trend towards more people in the Millennial age group buying Vegepods and getting back to basics by growing their own produce to lower their food bills,” said Lowe.
