A Sweet Stop for the Blenheim Ulysses Club

We were delighted to welcome members of the Blenheim Ulysses Club to the Annies factory recently! Their visit was part of an outing to Fat Tony’s cafe - conveniently located right here on the same property - and after lunch, several members took up the offer of a behind-the-scenes look at how our fruit snacks are made.

Here are some notes from their visit:

The tour began with a warm introduction from Graeme Giles, who, along with his wife Annie, founded Annies. What was meant to be a quick overview turned into a captivating half-hour talk as Graeme shared the story of Annies – from humble beginnings in a home kitchen to growing into a multi-million-dollar export business.

Following the talk, a group toured the factory floor where they got to see our process up close: from bringing in apple puree, blending with other fruits, then drying, pressing, cutting, wrapping, and packing. There were lots of great questions and thoughtful conversation, and it was a real pleasure to share what we do with such an engaged group.

We received some lovely feedback from the visit, with one member noting, “It is very easy to listen to someone who is really enthusiastic about their business, and Graeme showed that. Not only were he and Annie great at developing new equipment and the problem solving that involves, they each have a passion for health and healthy food.”

A big thank you to Allan Graham, member of the club, for arranging the visit – we thoroughly enjoyed having the group and hope to see them again!