What Would Synlait Be Worth to Fonterra or a2 Milk?
Speculation of a possible joint move by Fonterra and a2 Milk to buy Synlait raises a much bigger strategic question, says agribusiness expert Dr Nic Lees.
It has been confirmed that US ice cream maker, Ben & Jerry's is setting up shop in New Zealand.
A statement from Ben & Jerry's says the "much anticipated super delicious ice cream with signature chunks & swirls" will be available from early December in a Ben & Jerry's scoop store in central Auckland.
"The store opening will be followed quickly by a selection of delicious pints on sale in a number of premium retail outlets," it says.
Kiwis will be treated to 18 iconic Ben & Jerry's cone-coctions from day one – including Chunky Monkey and Phish Food, Strawberry Cheesecake and Choc Chip Cookie Dough.
Fonterra is the market leader in New Zealand with its Tip Top brand of ice cream and products. Global company Unilever, owners of Ben & Jerry's, distributes Streets brand ice cream in NZ.
Unilever says more information will be made available in the coming weeks on Ben & Jerry's arrival.
The company's story began back in 1966, when in a school gym class, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield found they hated running but loved food. Years later in 1978, armed with a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making, they open their first scoop shop in a dilapidated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, US.
The duo soon became popular in the local community for the finest all-natural ice cream. Ben had no sense of taste so he realised on what he called 'mouth feel', so big chunks of chocolate, fruit and nut became their signature. While they disagreed at times over the chunk size, they did agree that they wanted to enjoy themselves – as Jerry put it 'If it's not fun, why do it?'
In the early days the boys were pretty bad at bookkeeping. After two months they closed the store and hung a sign that said 'We're closed to figure out whether we're making any money'. And they weren't. But they learned a lot and by 1979, began wholesaling pints of ice creams out of Ben's VM campervan. The rest, as they say, is history.
