Urban Business

In the 1960s The Alliance Freezing Company (Southland) Limited pioneered the development of freeze-drying food in New Zealand to reduce its weight and extend its shelf life, supplying products to adventurers like Sir Peter Blake for Lion New Zealand’s, “Round the World” yacht race and the army.

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BACKCOUNTRY CUISINE

In the 1960s The Alliance Freezing Company (Southland) Limited pioneered the development of freeze-drying food in New Zealand to reduce its weight and extend its shelf life, supplying products to adventurers like Sir Peter Blake for Lion New Zealand’s, “Round the World” yacht race and the army.

By the 1990s The Alliance Freezing Company had changed its ownership structure to be a cooperative, changed its name to the Alliance Group and re focused on core business. So Back Country Foods Ltd was established by Arthur and Shirley Ballantyne and Invest South to take over the freeze-dried meal business founded by the Alliance Freezing Company.

Fast forward 21 years and Invest South has recently sold Back Country Foods to Invercargill-based family business George Wilson Group who is a well-established Invercargill-based family business with more than 65 years’ experience in engineering, farm machinery, and more recently, campervan hire. Group director Murray Wilson says Back Country Foods presents an excellent new opportunity to diversify their Southland operations by growing an already successful business.