New Zealand Edition 1 Phoenix
PHOENIX ORGANICS: THE NATURAL ALTERNATIVE Sustainability is the current trendy catch cry in business. It’s what everyone is trying to achieve, or is being pressured to achieve. But 21 years ago, amidst the advent of the shopping mall, the invention of counter culture, parallel importing and Duran Duran, Phoenix stood outside of the norm and started working with natural and organic ingredients. In those days they were called crazy old swinging pot smoking hippies. Nowadays, they’re called visionary.
In 1987, husband and wife team Chris Morrison and Deborah Cairns, met Roger Harris. Together they talked into the wee small hours about health, organics, natural ingredients, and how all of these things were not readily available to the public. Together they purchased a ginger beer bug for $50.00, made lots of organic ginger beer, loaded it into a Morris Minor truck and hit the streets selling it to anyone who would buy it. People did. 21 years on, Phoenix dominates the natural beverage industry in New Zealand. They have successfully filled a hole in the market for the consumer who wants a beverage made with integrity, not in a science lab. And although Phoenix is famous
in the land of the long white cloud, Australia is now a key export market for Phoenix, along with constant international interest that has meant export deals to more than five other countries. Apart from filling the consumer need for certified organic soft drinks, Phoenix has also developed organic juices, sparkling fruit juices, light sparkling products and water, and even has a natural hot beverage range. All Phoenix products are premium, made to the highest quality. This quality has been recognised recently when an independent panel of experts and consumers judged Phoenix the best in a number of categories, at the 2007 New Zealand Juice & Beverage Awards:
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• Water – Still: Phoenix Organic Mineral Water - Still • Water – Carbonated: Phoenix Organic Mineral Water - Sparkling • Carbonated Drinks: Phoenix Organic Cola • Diet/Light Drinks: Phoenix Organic Light Sparkling Lime Blossom
Overall open category winner for local and international: • Packaging Award: Phoenix Organic Mineral Water – Still • Water – Near Natural/Flavoured: Phoenix Organic Sparkling Feijoa Fruit Water New Zealand category winner: • Reconstituted Fruit Juice: Phoenix Organic Feijoa and Apple Juice
The Packaging Award is particularly noteworthy as it reflects Phoenix’s commitment to producing drinks in accordance with environmentally sustainable practices. To make their water 100% environmentally friendly, they use an enviroSense label. Manufactured from renewable wood-pulp, it is certified compostable to several international standards. Since using enviroSense in their water labels Phoenix have started using it on other products too – the next to follow was the Phoenix Organic Sparkling Fruit Water range. All of the Phoenix products are produced on-site at the Phoenix plant in Henderson, Auckland. And although organic ingredients are still hard to find, the people at Phoenix go out of their way to source organic ingredients from all over the globe. If it’s not organic, Phoenix isn’t interested. And that attitude made Charlie’s very interested indeed. There was obvious synergy in the way the two companies thought and did business. Why not combine them? So, after some negotiation and a few Honey Colas, Charlie’s gave Phoenix this promise: “Sell us Phoenix and we promise to stay true to the founding Phoenix values and mission to provide a premium natural alternative that’s made from ‘organicy goody goodness’ with love and respect for people and for the world we live in.” Along with this big promise they also gave a big cheque. The cheque was honoured, and so was the promise. Septmber 2007 saw the beginning of Phoenix’s first ever marketing campaign, an edgy one, which challenges consumers to think about whether what they are drinking is really good for them, and of equal importance - good for the planet. The campaign runs across print, street posters, TV and online, using cartoon characters to bring to life the Phoenix mission to make drinks from natural organic ingredients that are genuinely good to drink, and are made with respect for the world we live in. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of organic products. This has been demonstrated over the past few years as the demand for great tasting organic products has increased – consumers want to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies.
“At Phoenix we go to great lengths to deliver delicious drinks made from 100% organic ingredients while striving for an environmentally sustainable business model. Our new advertising campaign is fun and light-hearted, but it does carry a serious message, and we think it will really get people thinking about what goes into the drinks they consume and how those ingredients might affect them and the wider environment”. As people look for alternatives to corporate products, excessive waste and mass produced food made by scientists, it looks like there’ll be no stopping the Phoenix brand. Keep up to date with Phoenix at www. phoenixorganics.co.nz where you can have your say on the latest ‘Phoenix Speaks’ topic and register to receive Phoenix news delivered straight to your inbox.
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In 1987, husband and wife team Chris Morrison and Deborah Cairns, met Roger Harris. Together they talked into the wee small hours about health, organics, natural ingredients, and how all of these things were not readily available to the public. Together they purchased a ginger beer bug for $50.00, made lots of organic ginger beer, loaded it into a Morris Minor truck and hit the streets selling it to anyone who would buy it. People did. 21 years on, Phoenix dominates the natural beverage industry in New Zealand. They have successfully filled a hole in the market for the consumer who wants a beverage made with integrity, not in a science lab. And although Phoenix is famous
in the land of the long white cloud, Australia is now a key export market for Phoenix, along with constant international interest that has meant export deals to more than five other countries. Apart from filling the consumer need for certified organic soft drinks, Phoenix has also developed organic juices, sparkling fruit juices, light sparkling products and water, and even has a natural hot beverage range. All Phoenix products are premium, made to the highest quality. This quality has been recognised recently when an independent panel of experts and consumers judged Phoenix the best in a number of categories, at the 2007 New Zealand Juice & Beverage Awards:
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• Water – Still: Phoenix Organic Mineral Water - Still • Water – Carbonated: Phoenix Organic Mineral Water - Sparkling • Carbonated Drinks: Phoenix Organic Cola • Diet/Light Drinks: Phoenix Organic Light Sparkling Lime Blossom
Overall open category winner for local and international: • Packaging Award: Phoenix Organic Mineral Water – Still • Water – Near Natural/Flavoured: Phoenix Organic Sparkling Feijoa Fruit Water New Zealand category winner: • Reconstituted Fruit Juice: Phoenix Organic Feijoa and Apple Juice
The Packaging Award is particularly noteworthy as it reflects Phoenix’s commitment to producing drinks in accordance with environmentally sustainable practices. To make their water 100% environmentally friendly, they use an enviroSense label. Manufactured from renewable wood-pulp, it is certified compostable to several international standards. Since using enviroSense in their water labels Phoenix have started using it on other products too – the next to follow was the Phoenix Organic Sparkling Fruit Water range. All of the Phoenix products are produced on-site at the Phoenix plant in Henderson, Auckland. And although organic ingredients are still hard to find, the people at Phoenix go out of their way to source organic ingredients from all over the globe. If it’s not organic, Phoenix isn’t interested. And that attitude made Charlie’s very interested indeed. There was obvious synergy in the way the two companies thought and did business. Why not combine them? So, after some negotiation and a few Honey Colas, Charlie’s gave Phoenix this promise: “Sell us Phoenix and we promise to stay true to the founding Phoenix values and mission to provide a premium natural alternative that’s made from ‘organicy goody goodness’ with love and respect for people and for the world we live in.” Along with this big promise they also gave a big cheque. The cheque was honoured, and so was the promise. Septmber 2007 saw the beginning of Phoenix’s first ever marketing campaign, an edgy one, which challenges consumers to think about whether what they are drinking is really good for them, and of equal importance - good for the planet. The campaign runs across print, street posters, TV and online, using cartoon characters to bring to life the Phoenix mission to make drinks from natural organic ingredients that are genuinely good to drink, and are made with respect for the world we live in. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of organic products. This has been demonstrated over the past few years as the demand for great tasting organic products has increased – consumers want to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies.
“At Phoenix we go to great lengths to deliver delicious drinks made from 100% organic ingredients while striving for an environmentally sustainable business model. Our new advertising campaign is fun and light-hearted, but it does carry a serious message, and we think it will really get people thinking about what goes into the drinks they consume and how those ingredients might affect them and the wider environment”. As people look for alternatives to corporate products, excessive waste and mass produced food made by scientists, it looks like there’ll be no stopping the Phoenix brand. Keep up to date with Phoenix at www. phoenixorganics.co.nz where you can have your say on the latest ‘Phoenix Speaks’ topic and register to receive Phoenix news delivered straight to your inbox.
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