A blueprint for the future of food and fibre

Branching Out is a long-term strategic project for Taranaki, developed from Tapuae Roa and aligns with the Taranaki 2050 Roadmap, the region’s strategic vision for a high value, low-emissions future. 

Land use and food and fibre diversification offers a multitude of environmental, social and economic benefits to New Zealand. Branching Out provides a real-world case study for the start-to-finish process of land-use and value chain diversification, using Taranaki as a trial region.  

 

This project takes a full value-chain approach to ensure informed decision-making, embedding consideration for product development, markets, and consumer trends from the outset, and ensuring diversification opportunities are pursued in a sustainable way. 

If you’re a landowner, farmer, grower, food manufacturer, or investor looking for a new high-potential food and fibre opportunity we encourage you to take a look. We need you, your skills and capabilities, entrepreneurial mindset, and suitable land to take the ventures to the next phase. 

We’re paving the way for farmers, investors and other regions - pioneering a strategic, repeatable research process

Phase One (Completed)

Phase One identified 11 innovative, commercially viable food and fibre value chain opportunities, with potential to strengthen and diversify the Taranaki economy. 

The project took input from a wide range of industry participants, from landowners to interested growers, manufacturers to food and fibre entrepreneurs, as well as potential commercial partners and investors to ensure community support and buy-in for each opportunity. 

Crown Research Institutes and universities were engaged to provide robust research that underpins each venture selection. Work has also been undertaken with commercial partners to support the development of product prototypes with significant market potential, and a core focus on sustainability and waste reduction.  

The project’s investigations, collaborations, and potential commercial pilot opportunities have been presented as investor-ready Venture Blueprints. 

Phase Two (Underway)

Phase Two builds on our research by conducting crop trials around the region, targeted commercial viability studies, and investigating value chain development opportunities. 

Crop trials are already underway in partnership with committed landowners of whānau, horticulturalists, and dairy farmers. The trials will be held over two production cycles to assess the performance of different crop varieties and cultivation practices. Through systematic observations and data collection, the project team aim to provide farmers with enough data to make informed crop selection decisions for a given region, as well as optimizing agronomic practices to ensure economic viability and sustainability.  

Simultaneously, the project is progressing each venture towards launch stage, developing investment models required for implementation. Extensive market research is underway to validate that locally grown products address specific business needs and provide tangible value in the commercial environment. 

We’re paving the way for farmers, investors and other regions - pioneering a strategic, repeatable research process

Phase One identified 11 innovative, commercially viable food and fibre value chain opportunities, with potential to strengthen and diversify the Taranaki economy. 

The project took input from a wide range of industry participants, from landowners to interested growers, manufacturers to food and fibre entrepreneurs, as well as potential commercial partners and investors to ensure community support and buy-in for each opportunity. 

Crown Research Institutes and universities were engaged to provide robust research that underpins each venture selection. Work has also been undertaken with commercial partners to support the development of product prototypes with significant market potential, and a core focus on sustainability and waste reduction.  

The project’s investigations, collaborations, and potential commercial pilot opportunities have been presented as investor-ready Venture Blueprints. 

Phase Two builds on our research by conducting crop trials around the region, targeted commercial viability studies, and investigating value chain development opportunities. 

Crop trials are already underway in partnership with committed landowners of whānau, horticulturalists, and dairy farmers. The trials will be held over two production cycles to assess the performance of different crop varieties and cultivation practices. Through systematic observations and data collection, the project team aim to provide farmers with enough data to make informed crop selection decisions for a given region, as well as optimizing agronomic practices to ensure economic viability and sustainability.  

Simultaneously, the project is progressing each venture towards launch stage, developing investment models required for implementation. Extensive market research is underway to validate that locally grown products address specific business needs and provide tangible value in the commercial environment. 

Download the Blueprints here

Branching Out Blueprint Avocados
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Gin Botanicals
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Grains, Legumes and Vegetables
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Hemp Fibre for Construction
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Hops
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Kiwifruit
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Medicinal Plants
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Sheep Dairy
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand
Branching Out Blueprint Trees and their value chain
The opportunity for Taranaki, New Zealand

The scope and scale of Branching Out is significant - take a look.

Branching Out has fostered an environment for diversification opportunities to be investigated.

Through extensive research and collaboration with our engaged community our selection of ventures prove the possibilities in front of us to diversify the Taranaki economy, building on our strengths and capitalising on our untapped potential.

Take a look.

Why invest in Taranaki’s food and fibre opportunities

Taranaki is renowned for its food production, from dairy and red meat to poultry, coffee and high-end baked goods. The region’s food and fibre sector contributes over $1.5B p.a. to our GDP, accounts for over 10,000 jobs, and has a long history of delivering domestic and international export products.

With rich volcanic soil, good water availability, and a temperate climate, there exists untapped potential for a range of complementary and sustainable food and fibre ventures.

Our strong entrepreneurial spirit here in Taranaki presents credible opportunities that are attractive to potential investors, and our enterprises and start-up community are actively seeking value-added food product opportunities. 

Land Use Register 

The Branching Out project is looking to connect with landowners, and investors who may be considering complementary and / diverse uses for their land. By adding your details to this register we can: 

  • Link you with other like-minded landowners or producers based on geographical location, growing conditions or opportunity.
  • Understand the amount of land potentially available across our region. 
  • Invite growing groups (like Zespri) to the region to promote growing opportunities in new sectors.
  • Recommend or share relevant information that may assist you on your journey.
  • Keep you in the loop to present opportunities to diversify into other, complementary land uses based on geographical location or land suitability.  
  • Understand the regional potential for specific opportunities.

Taranaki Land and Climate Assessment

Venture Taranaki has released an assessment by Plant & Food Research on Taranaki’s land and climate, which provides an overview of our region’s growing capability, and the opportunity to help meet long-term goals of building diversity, value, sustainability, and market and supply-chain resilience.

 A key finding of the released Taranaki Land and Climate Assessment is that there are around 207,000 hectares of land potentially suitable for generic horticulture within the boundaries of the Taranaki Regional Council.

The eight mainstream crops covered in the assessment include apples, kiwifruit, avocados, blueberries, hops, hemp and CBD cannabis, hazelnuts and walnuts, potatoes, and wine grapes.

Taranaki Land and Climate Assessment
Providing Land Owners with a Down to Earth View of our Region's Growing Capability

Sign up to receive the latest news and updates from Branching Out

Subscribe Here

The Branching Out backstory

Branching Out, is a project initiated and led by Venture Taranaki, and underpinned by local sponsors and MPI’s SFFF Fund. Throughout the two-year project a number of innovative, commercially viable food and fibre value chain opportunities for Taranaki have been identified. This supports the region’s strategy and long-term vision for a resilient, high-value, and low-emissions future as articulated by Tapaue Roa and Taranaki 2050 – the guiding strategic documents for the region, co-created with the people of Taranaki.

The project aim is to strengthen and diversify the Taranaki economy and has worked collaboratively with a wide range of industry participants, from landowners to interested growers, manufacturers to food and fibre entrepreneurs, and potential investors.

Through a process of investigation, a shortlist of feasible ventures has been selected. Crown Research Institutes, as well as universities including Massey, were engaged to provide robust research that underpins each venture selection. Work has also been undertaken with commercial partners to support the development of prototypes with significant market potential, and a core focus on sustainability and waste reduction. 

Branching Out’s investigations, collaborations, and potential commercial pilot opportunities for the region have now been presented as venture blueprints.

Taranaki Food Database

The Taranaki Food Database supports the development of our region’s food sector, helping to create resilient and growing enterprises and economies by connecting and unearthing future potential opportunities.

The Taranaki Food Database is open to all enterprises along the entirety of the food value chain, including growers, processors, products, and service providers. It allows our community to create connections and networks, which help foster an environment for food entrepreneurship and innovation to flourish.

Contact our Branching Out project lead

  • Michelle Bauer
Contact Michelle

Branching Out is funded by the region’s three district councils - New Plymouth District Council, South Taranaki District Council and Stratford District Council, and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFFF). Significant in-kind support is provided by Venture Taranaki, Massey University, New Zealand’s Crown Research Institutes, and enterprises involved in Taranaki’s primary sector, and food and fibre industry.