In 2005, New Zealand became the first country in the world to try the official version of something we\u2019d long been partial to ordering \u201coff menu\u201d \u2013 Coca-Cola Raspberry. But not as we knew it (ie simultaneously sprayed from a Coke tap and poured from a cordial bottle by the skilled mixologist at your local Cobb & Co). Now, it came premixed in can and bottle form. Not everyone agreed that the official version was better than the original. \u201cThe ratio was all wrong,\u201d one long-time Raspberry Coke enthusiast told me, \u201cand it didn\u2019t have the syrupy sediment at the bottom\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the release, Coca-Cola explicitly described the country as a \u201ctest-market\u201d referencing Kiwis\u2019 reputation as early adopters of new experiences.<\/p>\n
Then came Caramilk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2017, the caramelised white chocolate was resurrected after a 23-year hiatus, to be sold exclusively in New Zealand, and the response was unhinged. One million of the chocolate blocks sold out within three weeks. Frantic shoppers travelled from supermarket to supermarket to hunt down the hallowed blocks. Countdown Ponsonby said it was bringing in an additional security guard specifically to cope with the expected demand of the coveted treat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A literal goldmine circa 2017<\/p>\n
Some entrepreneurial Kiwis cashed in, selling frenzied Australian fans the $3 blocks on eBay for upwards of $40. By early 2018, Cadbury had taken notice of the Trans-Tasman demand and announced it would bring the chocolate to Australian shelves.<\/p>\n
Kate Goodwin, head of marketing at Griffin\u2019s explained why New Zealand makes an appealing test market. \u201cWe can launch, learn and refine an idea relatively quickly and understand whether it has the potential to travel,\u201d she said. Our consumers are \u201crelatively adventurous\u201d, with a strong food culture and diverse population affording companies \u201cquite a lot of licence to explore new flavour combinations\u201d.<\/p>\n
But predicting what will go down well is another matter. Griffin\u2019s was unsure how its limited-edition Black Liquorice Toffee Pops would land, owing to the notoriously polarising ingredient. But the product \u201csignificantly exceeded expectations\u201d.<\/p>\n
Other experiments may simply be too avant-garde. Griffin\u2019s Savoury Nice & Natural muesli bars combined sweet and savoury at a time when the mix was still relatively unfamiliar to consumers and failed to gain the traction the company had hoped for. Sweet and savoury snacks have since become considerably more mainstream. \u201cIt is a good reminder that being ahead of a trend doesn\u2019t always mean the timing is right,\u201d said Goodwin.<\/p>\n
Professor Joanne Hort, Fonterra-Riddet chair in consumer and sensory science at Massey University, says New Zealand makes a good test ground, attributing our small size to lower risks. \u201cIf it succeeds, great,\u201d she says. \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t, well, that\u2019s no big problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
But not every strange flavour is necessarily angling for a permanent spot on supermarket shelves. Hort says limited editions can serve another purpose altogether by keeping us thinking about the brand. Whittaker\u2019s is a prime example. Hort says their limited releases are \u201ca good way of trying out flavour, but it also keeps Whittaker\u2019s in people\u2019s minds \u2013 it\u2019s a marketing and branding exercise.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mmm, marketing and branding (Image: The Spinoff)<\/p>\n
Novelty is also attractive. \u201cWe\u2019re hardwired to want to try new things,\u201d Hort says. If it comes from a brand we already like, \u201cyou\u2019re keen to try something different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nestl\u00e9\u2019s New Zealand foods lead Fern Castellanos also describes the country as \u201can attractive market for innovation\u201d, pointing to Maggi air fryer seasoned coatings, which launched here first after Nestl\u00e9 noticed Kiwis\u2019 growing use of air fryers, before inspiring similar products in other global markets.<\/p>\n
But we\u2019re not just a flavour test zone, we\u2019re also the perfect subjects for trialling formats. This year, PepsiCo decided to shape-shift some of its savoury sundries, taking four beloved Bluebird chip flavours and reincarnating them as oven-baked crackers. Elsewhere in the revamp, familiar snacks were shrunk to mini size and stuffed into tubular canisters to \u201cbring three of New Zealand\u2019s most popular snacks into portable, grab-and-go formats featuring fun and differentiated mini sizes\u201d. Perfect for anyone who has ever found a crinkly bag of chips cumbersome, preferring instead a sleek cylindrical container for more aerodynamic snacking. You know the old saying: if it ain\u2019t broke, differentiate its size.<\/p>\n
On investigation, our status as guinea pigs extends beyond just food. New Zealand has long held a reputation internationally for being a test ground for all manner of new technology and products, we\u2019ve been inaugural samplers of everything from Pok\u00e9mon Go and drone-delivered pizza to Eftpos, which was first trialled right here in New Zealand in the 80s.<\/p>\n
Not everyone welcomed this contemporary currency, with some fearing big brother recording their transactions.\u00a0In what will no doubt go down in history as an absolutely red-hot burn, the banks retorted that they had \u201cneither the time nor the inclination\u201d to follow customers\u2019 movements.\u00a0Another major concern at the time was whether people would cope with the extremely complex task of having to remember a four-digit PIN.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it comes to pioneering new flavour profiles, we\u2019ve had some hits, but we\u2019ve also had some distinct misses. In 2020 in the midst of Covid, Bluebird decided to kick us while we were down by imposing a new limited-edition flavour \u2013 the lamington chip. The chip went down like a shit sandwich, with The Spinoff\u2019s renowned chip connoisseur Madeleine Chapman delivering the scathing verdict: \u201chonestly the worst chip I\u2019ve ever eaten, it\u2019s so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
I can relate to Chapman\u2019s dismay, for I, too, have fallen victim to another snack company\u2019s crime against the lamington.<\/p>\n
On a domestic Air New Zealand flight, I was offered a light cabin refreshment. What was handed to me shook me to my very core: A raspberry lamington cookie.<\/p>\n
I like a lamington as much as the next New Zealander, but the main appeal is its soft, spongy texture \u2013 its moist cakiness, the dollop of whipped cream and jam quivering atop its pillowy centre. None of this je ne sais quoi could be replicated in cookie form. They took a lamington and a cookie, smushed them together, baked them within an inch of their lives, then finished with a sad sprinkling of coconut.<\/p>\n
But that was just one minor transgression in Cookie Time\u2019s long list of absolute bangers. Over the years it\u2019s wowed us with a vast array of tantalising flavour profiles. But in 2023 they introduced a product so pivotal, it deserved a plaque in front of the Beehive \u2013 and possibly a public holiday: The Cookie Time ice cream.<\/p>\n
Soft vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two chewy cookies, perfectly al dente from the servo freezer \u2013 the kind of dessert that could make you briefly forget your 4-digit PIN, but remember exactly why you live in New Zealand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kiwis lost their collective minds over them. They became an instant bestseller, with Cookie Time soon fielding export enquiries from Australia to Japan, all keen to stock the novelty ice cream.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m proud of our status as snack testing champions, and I\u2019m more than willing to continue trailblazing the thrilling road of new flavour profiles.\u00a0Just please, for the love of god, leave the lamington in the bakery, where it belongs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ginger Coke, Caramilk, even Eftpos \u2013 we had them all first. We\u2019re the first to see the sun…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[138,141,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-619118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-kai","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}