Prolife Foods

What Prolife Foods does

Prolife Foods is a privately held New Zealand food manufacturing company founded in 1984 by Bernie and Kaye Crosby in Hamilton. The company manufactures and distributes a diversified portfolio of branded FMCG products — including nuts, dried fruits, snacks, cereals, confectionery, peanut butter, baking ingredients, premium chocolate and Manuka honey — alongside bulk/self-selection products sold through dedicated in-store stands (Alison's Pantry, The CareFillery, and the Coles Australia Scoop & Weigh format). It also operates a vertically integrated honey supply chain that includes New Zealand's largest continuous Manuka plantation, in-house beekeeping, extraction, processing and packing, marketed primarily under the Haddrell's of Cambridge brand.

The business is built around dual manufacturing platforms in Hamilton, New Zealand and Altona, Melbourne (Australia), supplemented by a growing sales operation in Singapore. Prolife sells through three principal channels: (1) extensive in-house field sales teams — over 500 staff in NZ and over 600 in Australia — covering major supermarket chains with dedicated merchandising at every Self Selection stand; (2) international distribution partnerships supplying 18 countries from its three regional hubs; and (3) contract and private-label manufacturing for major retailers (Coles, Woolworths) and strategic partners (Arnott's, post the January 2025 divestment of the Mother Earth, Flemings and VP brands).

Financially, Prolife Foods grew reported revenue from approximately NZD $50 million to NZD $300 million over 15 years, employs 1,600+ people across three markets, and is majority-backed by Belgian family-owned enterprise Finasucre following a 2022 investment. The company's competitive position rests on its scale manufacturing, vertically integrated Manuka honey supply, embedded supermarket field-sales infrastructure, and a 40+ year portfolio of established consumer brands. Certifications include SQF, Woolworths Supplier Excellence, Coles CFMSR, Halal, Non-GMO commitment, and Rain Forest Alliance / Fair-Trade registration for selected chocolate lines.

Name

Prolife Foods

Legal name

Prolife Foods Ltd

Website

https://www.prolifefoods.co.nz/our-brands-3-old

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Prolife Foods is a privately held New Zealand food manufacturer (founded 1984) producing branded and private-label nuts, snacks, cereals, chocolate, peanut butter and Manuka honey across dual NZ/Australia factories, selling through dedicated supermarket field-sales teams, bulk self-selection stands and contract manufacturing to 18 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Snack Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Food Manufacturing (311), Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113), Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans (311351), Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Nuts, Seeds & Trail Mix Snacks (CRADABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars) (CRADABAG), Fruit Snacks & Dried Fruit (CRADABAJ), Functional Snacks & Bars Manufacturing (High-Protein, High-Fiber, Probiotic Snacks) (AFAKAJAG)

Keywords

• Snack food manufacturing
• Nut processing
• Honey production
• Private label manufacturing
• Bulk food products

Headquarters

HQ city

Te Rapa

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. FMCG Branded Product Sales: Sale of proprietary food brands including nuts, dried fruits, snacks, cereals, chocolate products, peanut butter and honey through retail supermarkets and direct to consumers.
2. Bulk/Self Selection Products: Bulk foods sold through The CareFillery, Alison's Pantry and Self Selection stands in supermarkets. Customers select products by weight/scoop.
3. Private Label Manufacturing: Manufactures Private Label products for major retail customers including Coles and other supermarket chains.
4. Contract Manufacturing: Contract manufacturing for key partners in New Zealand, Australia and internationally, primarily in honey, nuts/snacks, chocolate products and peanut butter. Following January 2025 divestment to Arnott's, Prolife manufactures Mother Earth, Flemings and VP brands for Arnott's on contract basis.
5. International Export: Export of premium New Zealand honey and food products to global markets through distributors and direct sales.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prolife Foods is a New Zealand-based food manufacturing company that produces and sells branded FMCG food products including nuts, dried fruits, snacks, cereals, chocolate, peanut butter and Manuka honey. The company operates self-selection bulk foods stands in supermarkets under brands such as Alison's Pantry and The CareFillery, manufactures private label products for major retailers, and runs a vertically integrated honey supply chain including New Zealand's largest continuous Manuka plantation, in-house beekeeping, extraction, and packing operations.

Product overview

Prolife Foods is a global food company offering a diversified portfolio of FMCG brands and products. The portfolio includes self-selection bulk foods brands (The CareFillery, Alison's Pantry), acquired consumer brands (Mother Earth, Lucky), specialty honey brands (Haddrell's of Cambridge), chocolate products (Donovans), and baking ingredients (Sun Valley). Beyond branded products, the company operates contract manufacturing services for honey, nuts, snacks, chocolate, and peanut butter. The company also produces private label products for major retailers and maintains a vertically integrated honey production capability with beekeeping operations. Products are sold through retail channels, self-selection stands in supermarkets, and international distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The CareFillery: Re-imagined bulk foods offering. A place where customers are inspired to refill their pantry and household mindfully and positively. Offers nuts, fruits, blends, snacks, and 'Innovation Hubs' with specially curated product selections. Available in selected NZ supermarkets.
• Alison's Pantry
• Mother Earth
• Haddrell's of Cambridge
• Donovans Chocolate
• Sun Valley
• Lucky
• Scoop & Weigh

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arnott'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In January 2025, Prolife Foods completed the divestment of Mother Earth, Flemings and VP brands to Arnott's. Under the agreement, Prolife partners with Arnott's to manufacture these products on a contract basis and seeks mutual opportunities to grow both businesses.
• Select HarvestminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021In 2021, Prolife acquired the Lucky baking nuts brand from Select Harvest. This increased warehousing footprint at the Altona Melbourne site and brought Lucky manufacturing capability in-house.
• Cambridge Bee Products / Haddrell'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Acquisition of Cambridge Bee Products (CBP) beekeeping and Haddrell's honey business in 2015, creating the vertically integrated honey operation with New Zealand's largest continuous Manuka plantation.
• Coles AustraliacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010Partnership with Coles Australia to create Scoop & Weigh Bulk Foods brand, following the Mother Earth acquisition. Prolife is the partner for Coles with Scoop & Weigh branded Wholefoods products in Self Selection format.
• CadburycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Acquisition of Mother Earth brand from Cadbury at end of 2008, which transformed Prolife from a bulk foods business into a strong FMCG Grocery business. This acquisition provided the springboard to enter the Australian market in 2010.
• Alison HolstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Partnership with New Zealand's favourite cook Alison Holst to develop the Alison's Pantry bulk foods brand. Alison championed the original bulk foods product range and helped develop the attractive, user-friendly scoop bins that became the signature of the Self Selection format.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sanitarium Health Food Company: Australian/New Zealand health food and CPG manufacturer producing cereals, spreads, plant-based products and snacks. Direct comparable on health-focused branded food positioning in ANZ retail and on shared retail customers (Coles/Woolworths/Foodstuffs).
• Griffin's Foods: Iconic New Zealand snack and biscuit manufacturer (owned by Universal Robina Corporation). Closely comparable ANZ snack manufacturer with supermarket distribution and overlapping retailer relationships.
• Bluebird Foods: New Zealand snack manufacturer (PepsiCo-owned) producing chips, popcorn and salty snacks for ANZ supermarket channels. Directly comparable branded-snack competitor operating in the same retailers.
• Comvita: New Zealand-listed Manuka honey and bee products company with global distribution. Closest direct comparable to Prolife's Haddrell's vertically integrated Manuka honey business and premium UMF positioning.
• Watson & Son (Manuka Health New Zealand): New Zealand Manuka honey and bee product specialist now owned by Comvita. Direct peer to Prolife's Haddrell's operation in vertically integrated UMF-certified Manuka honey production and global distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Arnott's Group: Largest ANZ biscuit and snack manufacturer (KKR-owned), now the acquirer of Prolife's Mother Earth/Flemings/VP brands and a contract manufacturing customer. Broad incumbent in the same ANZ snack category.

Emerging players

• Proper Crisps: New Zealand premium natural wholefoods snack brand focused on better-for-you baked crisps. Comparable emerging player in the same health-positioned snacks category distributed through ANZ supermarkets.
• Pic's Peanut Butter: New Zealand premium natural peanut butter brand with growing international presence. Directly comparable niche peanut butter manufacturer to Prolife's peanut butter product line.

Regional players

• Select Harvests: Australian almond and plant-based foods business that sold its Lucky baking nuts brand to Prolife in 2021. Comparable nut-focused food manufacturer in the broader Australian market.

Others

• Kelsen Group / United Biscuits-style private label snack makers: International contract/private label snack manufacturers serving supermarket own-label programmes. Comparable as adjacent infrastructure providers competing for similar private-label and contract manufacturing deals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PLFrecruitment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prolife-foods-ltd

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prolife Foods