15 Jan 2007

By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki Daily News | Monday, 15 January 2007

Suzanne Fillery relishes selling her chutneys and relishes direct to the public.

A young woman in Hawera has started a small business with no capital outlay. She does it in her spare time, it's growing at an amazing rate and she can't see any limits to where she can take it.

Suzanne Fillery (26) created the Khazana Foods brand and started making and selling chutneys, relishes and mustards in about May 2005. She now sells 400 jars a month at markets and to a growing number of retail outlets.

While this is still a tiny enterprise, success breeds desire and Suzanne has dreams of building her own commercial kitchen, employing staff, giving up her day job, and selling to supermarket chains and maybe even airlines.

"I'd always liked the idea of my own business, but I wasn't sure of the path. I originally wanted a boutique cheese bar."

She is no foodie lightweight. An honours graduate of the Food Science and Dairy Technology masters degree course at Massey University, she works as a new product development technologist at Fonterra Dairy Group's Eltham plant.

"I design and make protein bars using the small components of milk," she says.

The Khazana business is operated with the help of her partner Rob Brockett, who is an inward logistics scheduler at Fonterra. Although they are legally full partners, Suzanne says the business is "her baby".

They're a great kitchen team. She's the chief cook, he's the bottle washer.

Khazana means "treasure" in Indian. The promotional literature (by TGM Design) says Khazana products, hand-crafted in Taranaki, are "contemporary condiments for the more adventurous tastebud".

Whangarei-born Suzanne worked for Fonterra in Auckland before moving to the Eltham division in December 2004.

She'd grown up with chutneys made by her grandmother, knew they were easy and had a long shelf life. She opted for Indian-flavoured chutneys and relishes because she knew people liked the flavours and aromas and because there were few of these products on the market.

She created a label and began making chutneys at home and giving them away as gifts.

"When Rob and I bought a house in Hawera in May 2005, we started making Khazana products for sale to the public. The second Manutahi market day was the first offering and I sold about 80 jars."

In about August, she began leasing the Hawera RSA's certified commercial kitchen. She and Rob now do a monthly cook-up and bottle there, to supply the increasing demand for products.

The product range is: Khazana lava (hot) chutney; Maharaja's chutney (dark, spiced); spiced pear and capsicum relish; tomato, apple and ginger relish; wine and rosemary mustard; dark ale and honey mustard; roasted garlic and sage mustard.

Rob and Suzanne have to be well organised to run the business outside their Fonterra responsibilities.

Retail outlets secured so far are Fresha Foods, the Cottage Wines and the Puke Ariki shop (all in New Plymouth, where she does regular in-store tasting promotions) and Health Nuts in Dannevirke.

Suzanne has a stall at many of the Dunkley's Great NZ Craft Shows around the North Island, and at the New Plymouth Farmers' Market (her next one is Sunday, February 11).

Last Christmas she teamed up with Linda Morrison, who makes Simply Divine products at her Taiaroa Lodge retreat, and together they made and sold Taranaki food corporate giftpacks to business houses.

"I met Linda through the Hawera Business and Professional Women's Society, which I joined when I moved to Hawera.

"They are a fabulous group of very supportive women."

Suzanne thought the food business would be much more difficult than it has been, but she believes there are lots of opportunities and she is always brainstorming new ideas.

She has not experienced any setbacks or sales resistance while establishing the business – and has no debt.

"I now want to really push it along but I need more sales outlets. I'll also need to increase production, but I can now afford to employ an assistant cook.

"It sells as fast as I can make it, but I don't have time to go out and develop sales.

"I feel like the world's waiting for me. I can't see any limitations to growth.

"Ultimately, I'd grow it to be very successful and some big corporate would buy it off me."

Suzanne would like Khazana to be her fulltime job. Until that happens, she's just relishing it.