Quality Foods Southland

What Quality Foods Southland does

Quality Foods Southland (QFS) is New Zealand's largest manufacturer of butter-based bakery products and the country's largest exporter of butter pastry. Operating from a heritage manufacturing site on the outskirts of Invercargill that traces back to 1900, the company produces premium frozen pastry, croissants, Danish, sauces (notably Bechamel made via the French roux method with pure NZ milk and cream), and cookie doughs. Its manufacturing platform centers on a 50m Fritsch pastry line with lamination capability of 64-200 layers, complemented by a dedicated Pastry Laminating Line at a recently established Brisbane, Australia processing facility.

The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market. Domestically, it sells through wholesale distributors Bidfood, Gilmours, and Service Foods across over 50 New Zealand locations, and through the Patisserie L'Amour retail brand at Pak n Save, New World, Four Square, and Moore Wilsons. Internationally, QFS supplies Japanese manufacturers, restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets via a 40+ year partnership network, alongside 30+ year distribution relationships in Hong Kong, China, and Southeast Asia, and contract manufacturing from Brisbane into the Australian market. Revenue is generated through one-time sales of branded finished goods, wholesale foodservice volume, custom contract manufacturing with minimum order quantities, and export of high-value NZ-butter-based products. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company holds Dairy RMP (ULI 1403), HACCP, GMP, FSSC 22000, and CFCP certifications, providing the regulatory credentials required for dairy-containing export.

QFS is a privately held New Zealand company, owned by a private group since 2000 following divestiture from Goodman-Fielder. The current senior team includes CEO Cameron Scott and CFO Tony Gray, with regional account leadership covering NZ (Debbie Low) and Australia (Christina Hamilton). The company operates with no disclosed external venture capital backing and no parent entity.

Name

Quality Foods Southland

Legal name

Quality Foods Southland Ltd

Website

https://qfs.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Quality Foods Southland is New Zealand's largest frozen pastry manufacturer, producing butter puff pastry, croissants, sauces, and cookie doughs for domestic foodservice and retail and exporting across Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, China, and Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Bakery and Pastry Manufacturing

NAICS

Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing (311813), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Commercial Bakeries (311812), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (42442)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated & Frozen Doughs and Batters Manufacturing (AFAKACAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Bakery Products Manufacturing (AFAKAAAF), Frozen Bakery & Dough Products Wholesale (AFAIAHAD)

Keywords

• Frozen pastry manufacturing
• Commercial bakery products
• Foodservice wholesale distribution
• Contract manufacturing bakery
• Frozen baked goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Invercargill

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale/Foodservice Distribution: Sale of frozen pastry, croissants, danish, sauces and cookie doughs through a network of wholesale distributors across New Zealand serving cafes, bakeries, and food service providers.
2. Retail Products: Sale of branded Patisserie L'Amour products through major retail chains including Pak n Save, New World, Four Square, and Moore Wilsons across New Zealand.
3. Contract Manufacturing: Custom manufacturing to customer specifications for global brands, adapting recipes to fit manufacturing equipment. Puff pastry in bulk format, retail formats, foodservice products, bechamel sauce, soup products, cookie doughs and bread blends. Minimum order quantities apply.
4. Export Sales: International export of frozen pastry products to Japan (over 40 years), Australia, Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia through distributor networks and direct relationships with manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Quality Foods Southland manufactures premium frozen bakery products - including butter and flaky puff pastry, short crust, Danish pastry, croissants, pain au chocolat, Bechamel sauces, and cookie doughs - at its Invercargill facility and through a Brisbane processing facility. Products are sold under the Patisserie L'Amour brand and as private-label/contract-manufactured items to wholesale distributors, supermarket chains, foodservice operators, and international customers in Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, China, and Southeast Asia.

Product overview

Quality Foods Southland is New Zealand's largest pastry manufacturer offering a unified portfolio of frozen bakery products. The core offering includes Patisserie L'Amour (a premium French-inspired sub-brand) featuring butter puff pastry, flaky puff pastry, savoury short crust, sweet short pastry, croissants, Danish pastries, pain au chocolate, Bechamel sauces, and cookie doughs. Products are available in multiple formats (blocks, rolls, sheets) for foodservice, retail, and manufacturing customers. Custom contract manufacturing services allow bespoke product development for global brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Patisserie L'Amour: French-inspired premium pastry brand featuring croissants, pastry rolls, cookie dough and sauces. Famous with Foodservice customers as the yellow box, synonymous with successful baking and cooking. Available in retail outlets across New Zealand.

Products and services

• Flaky Puff Pastry Laminated flaky puff pastry available in butter or margarine variants, baked to a golden flaky finish, offered in blocks, rolls and sheeted formats of varying sizes for foodservice and retail customers.
• Butter Puff Pastry Premium butter puff pastry made with 100% pure NZ butter for gourmet pies, pastries, tarts and desserts, sold to foodservice operators and retail outlets.
• Savoury Short Crust Pastry Short crust butter/margarine pastry ideal for quiches and pie bases, produced on the 50m Fritsch pastry line with long rest periods to reduce shrinkage, sold to foodservice and retail.
• Sweet Short Pastry Sweet short crust pastry with a premium NZ butter/margarine blend, providing superior presentation for indulgent desserts, sold to foodservice and retail customers.
• Danish Pastry Danish pastry rolls for chefs and bakers to create premium bespoke creations, available pre-formed in pre-proved or unproved formats for foodservice and retail customers.
• Croissant (Pre-proved) French-style croissants made with 100% NZ butter, pre-proved and ready to bake in straight format, designed for convenient foodservice use.
• Croissant (Un-proved) French-style croissants made with 100% NZ butter, un-proved format as a cost-efficient option for larger bakeries or caterers, available in curled or straight formats.
• Pain Au Chocolate Pre-formed pain au chocolate in unproved format for busy bakeries, cafes and caterers.
• Bechamel Sauce Silky smooth sauce made with pure NZ milk and cream using the French roux method, suitable for bechamel creations across foodservice and manufacturing customers.
• Bechamel Sauce for Seafood Chowder Bechamel sauce variant specifically formulated for seafood chowder applications, made with pure NZ milk and cream using the French roux method.
• Cookie Dough - Triple Choc Pre-formed freezer-to-oven Triple Choc cookies for busy bakers and caterers, available from local wholesale distributors.
• Custom Manufacturing Solutions Contract/toll manufacturing service adapting customer recipes to fit QFS manufacturing equipment, specialising in puff pastry (bulk, retail, foodservice formats), Bechamel sauce, soup products, cookie doughs and bread blends, with minimum order quantities, for global brand customers and manufacturers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminated approximately 400km of single use plastic annually by switching foodservice pastry roll plastic interleave to recyclable paper
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Japanese Customers (National retailers and Foodservice suppliers)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1980Long-term partnerships spanning over 40 years with Japanese national retailers and foodservice suppliers. QFS began exporting frozen pastry to Japan in the 1980s. Products include butter puff pastry, croissants, cookie dough and bechamel sauce made to unique specifications. QFS meets Japan's exacting quality standards and has built reputation as a reliable supplier with excellent customer service and logistics support.
• Asian Partners (30+ year relationships)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships of 30 years or more with food service distributors and manufacturers across Asia including Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia. QFS supplies a range of pastry products with focus on high-value products using NZ butter primarily.
• BidfoodcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor New Zealand wholesale distributor with multiple branches nationwide (Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Taupo, Rotorua, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Hawkes Bay, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Greymouth, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, Queenstown, Invercargill). Distributes QFS products including pastry rolls, sheets and blocks to foodservice operators.
• GilmourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand wholesale food distributor with nationwide coverage including Northland, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Hawkes Bay, Palmerston North, Wellington branches. Serves as key distribution channel for QFS pastry products to foodservice customers.
• Service FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand foodservice distributor operating branches throughout the country (Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Taranaki, Gisborne, Napier, Manawatu, Wellington, Marlborough, Greymouth, Westport, Christchurch). Distributes QFS pastry products to cafes, bakeries and hospitality businesses.
• Pak n SavecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor New Zealand supermarket chain and key retail partner for Patisserie L'Amour branded products. Products available at multiple Pak n Save locations nationwide including Wairau Road, Silverdale, Highland Park, Mt Albert, Clarence Street, Hawera, New Plymouth, Napier, Hastings, Upper Hutt, Kilbirnie, Lower Hutt, Kapiti, Porirua, Timaru, Queenstown, Invercargill, and more.
• New WorldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand supermarket chain retailing Patisserie L'Amour products. Available at numerous New World stores across the country including Nelson City, Stoke, Blenheim, Motueka, Greymouth, Hokitika, Westport, St Martins, Fendalton, Prestons, Ilam, Northwood, Stanmore, Bishopdale, Wigram, Rolleston, Halswell, Durham Street, Ravenswood, Kaikoura, Kaipapoi, Lincoln, Ferry Road, Temuka, Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora, City Centre, Three Parks, Cromwell, Dunedin, Alexandra, Queenstown, Balcultha, Mosgiel, Waitaki, Wanaka, Gardens, Oamaru, Waimate, Elles Road, Windsor, Winton, Gore.
• Four SquarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand independent supermarket chain serving as retail distribution channel for Patisserie L'Amour products. Available at locations including Spring Creek, Twizel and Otatara.
• Moore WilsonscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWellington-based food wholesaler and retailer distributing QFS products including Patisserie L'Amour pastry range to foodservice operators and consumers.
• Australian Distributor NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAfter supplying pastry products into Australia for over 20 years, QFS established a Brisbane processing facility. The facility specializes in contract manufacturing for corporate customers with a world-class Pastry Laminating Line processing puff pastry and shortcrust in pastry roll format, sheet and retail products.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bimbo Bakeries: World's largest bakery company with extensive frozen and fresh bakery operations globally. Comparable to QFS in scale of frozen bakery production and foodservice distribution, but with vastly broader geographic and category footprint.
• McCain Foods: Global leader in frozen prepared foods (potato products, frozen meals, snacks). Comparable to QFS in frozen food manufacturing scale and international distribution, but focused on different product categories with broader CPG reach.
• Pladis (United Biscuits, Godiva): Global snacking and bakery company owning brands like McVitie's, Carr's, and Godiva. Comparable to QFS in cookie, biscuit, and baked goods manufacturing, though with significantly larger brand portfolio and geographic reach.

Regional players

• Bridgestone: New Zealand food manufacturer producing a range of frozen and ambient products including pastries. Comparable to QFS as a fellow NZ frozen food manufacturer with foodservice and retail distribution, though smaller and more diversified.
• George Weston Foods (Tip Top): Major Australian and NZ bakery manufacturer (Tip Top bread brand) owned by Associated British Foods. Operates in adjacent bread/bakery categories with overlapping foodservice and retail channels in Australia and NZ.
• Tegel Foods: New Zealand's largest poultry producer with expanding frozen meals business. Comparable to QFS as a major NZ frozen food manufacturer serving retail and foodservice channels, though in different protein categories.
• Goodman Fielder: Australasia's largest packaged food company and the previous owner of QFS (via Quality Bakers NZ Ltd until 2000). A clear comparable on geographic and product overlap in NZ/Australia bakery, though at much larger scale and broader category scope.

Direct peers

• Aryzta: Swiss-headquartered global leader in frozen bakery products serving retail, foodservice, and QSR channels. Directly comparable to QFS in frozen pastry, croissant, and dough product categories, but at much greater global scale.
• Dawn Foods: Global bakery ingredients and finished products manufacturer serving retail bakeries, foodservice, and manufacturers with mixes, doughs, and frozen bakery products. Closely comparable to QFS in serving manufacturer and foodservice customers with dough-based products.
• Lantmännen Unibake: One of Europe's largest frozen bakery manufacturers with operations across breads, pastries, and Viennoiserie. Operates in many of the same product categories as QFS (croissants, danish, puff pastry) for retail and foodservice customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quality-foods-southland

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Quality Foods Southland