As one of New Zealand’s largest seafood companies, Sanford has long been recognised for its premium aquaculture and seafood exports. But the company’s ambition extended beyond raw products. They saw untapped potential in their marine resources – particularly in developing high-value nutraceuticals like fish oils, proteins, and mussel extracts.
The challenge? Validating new product concepts and processes before making major capital investments.
That’s where FoodBowl, part of the New Zealand Food Innovation Network (NZFIN), came in. Over a five-year period, Sanford carried out multiple projects at the Auckland-based hub, using the facility to prototype, test, and refine added-value export products.
“FoodBowl is the perfect place to make prototypes, test concepts and help commercialise our added-value export ideas,” says Adrian Grey, Business and Product Development Manager at Sanford.
With FoodBowl’s extensive suite of equipment and adaptable engineering support, Sanford could experiment with different raw materials and processing methods to achieve the results they needed – without the pressure of early infrastructure investment.
One of the biggest enablers? FoodBowl’s export Risk Management Programme (RMP), which allowed Sanford to produce market-ready samples for international clients.
“This is an incredibly valuable service when trying to develop business and engage with export clients,” Adrian says.
In partnership with Callaghan Innovation – who brought additional technical expertise – Sanford also explored Super Critical CO₂ extraction for mussel extracts, commercialising a new product line that eventually helped justify larger-scale production.
The work done at FoodBowl didn’t just lead to product validation – it paved the way for bold strategic investment. With confidence in their processes, Sanford made the call to build a new $20 million Marine Extracts facility in Blenheim.
“FoodBowl has great people and is very customer-driven. It can really make a big difference to de-risking and fast-tracking your business development.”
Sanford’s journey with NZFIN demonstrates how prototype-to-commercial pipelines can accelerate innovation and reduce investment risk. By partnering with FoodBowl, the company turned early-stage exploration into a fully validated business model – one that’s ready to scale and deliver high-value marine health products to global markets.
