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franchise.co.nz – PUTTING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
ust days away from Cyclone Gabrielle making landfall on the North
Island’s East Coast, Fonterra trucks were making extra-large deliveries
to Anchor Milk Coromandel, Anchor Milk Hawkes Bay and other Anchor
franchisees along the monster storm’s predicted path. Each truck
was loaded with vital food for families and communities who would
be impacted by what was one of New Zealand’s most damaging and
costliest weather events.
Anchor Coromandel franchisees Campbell and Susan Angus had the
foresight to order extra supplies after reviewing the coming weather and
fearing that their access may soon be cut off.
“On February 13, 2023, the East Coast bore the brunt of Gabrielle’s fury.
The cyclone’s impact on the Coromandel Peninsula caused land slips,
which cut off communities for days,” recalls Campbell. “Our refrigerated
truck delivered the first fresh milk and other food supplies to Tairua and
Pauanui after 3-4 days of isolation.”
Leaving retirement behind
“Active, ongoing community support and involvement is a big part of
being an Anchor franchisee,” says Campbell. He explains that he and
Susan became Anchor franchisees after a false start to retirement. “In
2020, I left my job as a container logistics planner at Napier Port and
Susan gave up teaching, to pursue our dream of exploring New Zealand
by motorhome.”
“Some dream,” laughs Susan. “The reality is the travelling lifestyle and
retirement weren’t for us! Being in our late 50s/early 60s, we realised we
had plenty of energy and drive to go into business for ourselves.
“Talk turned to action when we saw the opportunity to become an Anchor
franchisee. Our accountant was lukewarm about a franchise until we told
him it was Fonterra-owned Anchor Milk and that Fonterra pays us for the
deliveries we do to national accounts like the supermarkets. Hearing
this, he simply said, ‘go for it’. We sold up in Napier, built a home in
Whitianga and took over Anchor Coromandel.”
The Anchor Milk franchise model is simple and transparent. From a
Fonterra-owned depot, franchisees generate income by selling and
distributing Anchor products as well as, with approval from the franchise
team, third party products. Refrigerated trucks are bought by the
franchisee, who is also responsible for paying drivers and other staff.
Support beyond amazing
Cambell and Susan enthuse that, “Support from the Anchor franchise
team is beyond amazing. Each franchisee has a dedicated business
development manager and business consultant. Then there’s digital-
based sales, distribution, and customer management systems with
Retail Self Service (RSS). By putting the full range of 325 products at our
customers’ fingertips, this has boosted profits to a point where we now
employ an operations manager, allowing us more free time to visit family
overseas and ease off a bit.
“This year we were honoured to be named Local Legend of the Year, but
in our opinion, it is National Franchise Manager Shannon Davidson and
her team who should be recognised as legends, especially for the way
they have created a real culture of trust. We genuinely feel being part of
Fonterra makes Anchor Milk a blue-chip franchise.
“While franchisees are obligated to support national programmes such
as KickStart, we are also encouraged to get involved in local community
projects. Working with the Whitianga Community Services Club and the
Whitianga Lions Club we helped build and equip an x-ray and ultrasound
facility, saving people from having to travel to Thames. We are now
helping fundraise for a Whitianga-based mammogram facility.”
KickStart celebrates 15 years
Susan continues, “From my teaching days, I’m very aware of the success
of the KickStart Breakfast Programme in schools and the support given
by Fonterra and Sanitarium, with oversight by the Ministry of Social
Development. Celebrating its 15th birthday this year, with over 70
million free breakfasts eaten, Kickstart has also been proven to help
build positive social interaction and attitudes, as well as encouraging
leadership skills and reducing truancy.”
Further down country, in Hawkes Bay, 90 schools currently participate in
the KickStart programme, and all are supplied by Anchor. Hawkes Bay
Anchor franchisees Vaughan Petzer and Neil Cahill also collect empty
milk bottles for remanufacturing into such products as fence posts and
culverts, here in New Zealand.
Like their counterparts in the Coromandel, Vaughan and Neil were
equally up to the challenge of responding to the devastating impact
Cyclone Gabrielle had on their region. Vaughan explains, “One of the
first things we did was give our refrigerated trucks to the Rapid Response
Team and Civil Defense to use to transport food and other necessities to
the thousands whose lives and livelihoods had been impacted.
“The support we receive from the Fonterra Brands team is next level.
Being part of the local community and giving back is a driver for all of us.
In a time of economic challenge for small local businesses, it is good to
pull together and support them as suppliers.”
Franchise Manager, Shannon
Davidson says, “We would
be thrilled to have more
Campbells, Susans, Vaughans
and Neils! If you feel you have
what it takes to be an Anchor
Milk franchisee, please don’t
hesitate to contact me.”
Fonterra Brands (New Zealand) Ltd
www.anchordairy.com/nz
Contact
Anchor Franchise Recruitment Team
anchorfranchise@fonterra.com
Advertiser Info
Opportunity: Food & Beverage
FUELLING
COMMUNITIES
FIRST
Anchor franchisees are local
legends, whatever the weather.
Giving back to the community in Hawkes Bay
Fonterra fun at the fair