Founded in New Zealand by J.H Whittaker 120 years ago, Whittaker’s & Sons remains a family-owned and operated company now managed by the third generation, Andrew and Brian along with the 4th generation of Whittaker’s, Matt and Holly who also work within the business.
With nearly 200 staff at its factory in Porirua, Wellington, Whittaker’s produces the highest quality chocolate products for both the domestic and export markets that include Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, the Middle East, Kenya and many Pacific Islands.
During the 1950’s Whittaker’s developed the Peanut Slab. It has since become an iconic brand and the recipe has never changed. In the 1990s the company started to make their first chocolate blocks, now New Zealand’s favourite blocks.
Whittaker’s is a ‘beans to bar’ company; by controlling the whole process, from roasting the beans to the final product, only chocolates of the highest quality are produced. They are the only New Zealand chocolate manufacturer to utilise a 5 roll refiner to make chocolate that’s as smooth as possible.
Evidence of Whittaker’s popularity and recognition in New Zealand is reflected in numerous awards. This includes being voted New Zealand’s most trusted brand in the Reader’s Digest annual awards for the past 7 years, as well as being voted New Zealand’s most loved brand in the Colmar Brunton survey for the past 7 years.
With a philosophy of purity and environmental consideration the company does not use palm oil or genetically modified ingredients in the manufacturing process.
Whittaker’s continued pursuit of innovations in chocolate can be seen in the introduction of the Artisan & Destinations Collections – chocolate with the most delicious ingredients sourced directly from NZ’s finest and equally passionate artisan producers. Following the success of this line Whittaker’s introduced the Destinations Collection, sourcing the most unique ingredients from all over the world.
Whittaker’s Engineering Manager, Herbert Aregger’s first experience with Enmin was the purchase of a solitary vibratory feeder bought through a third party in 2013.
It was this initial experience with the quality and workmanship of the Enmin vibrators that was instrumental in Mr Aregger requesting Enmin to design and build a custom piece of equipment for a new product line. This new equipment would need to facilitate up to six different flavours of chocolates being weighed and put into assorted bags.
It was this initial experience with the quality and workmanship of the Enmin’s equipment that was instrumental in Mr Aregger requesting Enmin to design and build a custom piece of equipment for a new product line. This new equipment would need to facilitate up to six different flavours of chocolates being weighed and put into assorted bags.
Enmin’s custom design and build ability were ideal for this sort of project; the requirement being identified as a multi-pack delivery system connected to a 6-split multi-head weigher. This was to be a full 360-degree turnkey installation by Enmin and crucial was the requirement that this new equipment integrate seamlessly with existing components.
“Right from the start the communication from Enmin was outstanding. Every question was taken seriously, and every challenge was addressed and discussed. Starting with an erecting plan of the platform, the entire project was designed using Enmin’s state-of-the-art software, Autodesk Inventor,” Mr Aregger said.
All components were prefabricated at Enmin and then shipped over to New Zealand for assembly.
“The integration with the other components was seamless. All the mechanical components fitted with minimal or no modifications and electrical interfaces were also prepared by Enmin. The entire process was well thought through by them,” Mr Aregger said.
“Cabling of the equipment was also prepared and any modifications requested (mechanical or electrical) were taken seriously and executed in a timely manner with good workmanship. Overall it was a great install with no major issues,” Mr Aregger went on to say.
Testament to Enmin’s thorough planning and commitment to customer service is that the entire installation was delivered in the original time frame.
“Since installation it has become a very efficient and reliable line that’s helped us achieve above projected sales,” Mr Aregger added.
Whittaker’s also recently commissioned a mixing line that was once again designed and built by Enmin. “Enmin has again helped us increase our efficiency and productivity and we’re very pleased with this new equipment; manual handling has been reduced by 70% and our output increased by double,” Mr Aregger said.
“I certainly intend to keep dealing with Enmin in the future. The quality of the goods, reliability, and ease of dealing with them are crucial factors; emails are always answered swiftly. Often a phone call is received to discuss the problem or information required. I feel we have an honest working relationship with Enmin and are looking forward to this continuing in the future,” Mr Aregger added.
“Enmin are an important business partner who will continue to assist us in making delicious chocolate using the best possible ingredients coupled with world class people and world class machinery,” Mr Aregger summed up.
