Watties product closures

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gzt

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#3474505 27-Mar-2026 16:35

gzt: I just started a "Gregg's Granulated Rich Roast Instant Coffee 100g".

With milk It is kind of bland like I remember - nostalgia and memories are flooding back - but oh boy it's kind of strong in effect!. No wonder I didn't drink much coffee in those days.

I'll be opening the "Greggs Original Blend Red Ribbon Roast" as soon as I find a spare jar for it..

The "Original Blend" (non-granulated) is similar as expected maybe a little weaker in effect.

Ragnor

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#3474685 28-Mar-2026 13:33

This will be dire if beetroot canning goes next, can't stand the recipes the other brands use.

mattwnz

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#3474759 28-Mar-2026 15:51

If we seek out NZ companies, this is what we have to expect. Not sure of many businesses that have sold to overseas entities where things haven’t ended up being eventually worse. It is why we really need to differentiate NZ owned and grown a lot more imo. Also we need massive fines on food being dumped into the NZ market which can put NZ businesses out of business.

Wheelbarrow01

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#3474855 28-Mar-2026 22:54

lachlanw:

The story doesn't even make sense. If the supermarkets were gouging $3.5 a bag of frozen peas then they would be moving heaven and earth to keep the suppliers providing their sweet sweet earnings.

Not if they can cut out the middle man by squeezing the supplier margins till they choke, and then push people to their store brands which by then are the only ones left. This links into my further comments and video below...

Ragnor:

This will be dire if beetroot canning goes next, can't stand the recipes the other brands use.

Funny you say this - Australia has a beetroot problem. The below video on YouTube is well worth a watch. While it specifically references the issues food producers are facing in Australia, New Zealand is part of that story, and in addition we obviously have strong parallels - a supermarket duopoly that tightly controls the entire distribution stack & supply chain, and can therefore exert coercive control on growers and suppliers. It would not surprise me in the slightest if the themes highlighted in this video have played out very similarly for Watties & McCain, not to mention our farmers and growers...

yitz

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#3475316 29-Mar-2026 23:14

Fresh Up is another brand that's gone in recent months. Now replaced with "The Real McCoy".

gzt

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#3475319 29-Mar-2026 23:27

Oh no! I was partial to the occasional freshup old fashioned apple or the crisp green one. The combined orange and apple and other flavours were always too sweet for me.

I recall Just Juice is similar - although they don't do pure apple.

No announcement or anything just a Reddit thread with people putting the story together. Weird. I'm surprised the owner would end line a brand name with so much accumulated value. It happens I guess.

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Groucho

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#3475629 30-Mar-2026 15:35

mattwnz:

If we seek out NZ companies, this is what we have to expect. Not sure of many businesses that have sold to overseas entities where things haven’t ended up being eventually worse. It is why we really need to differentiate NZ owned and grown a lot more imo. Also we need massive fines on food being dumped into the NZ market which can put NZ businesses out of business.

I'm sure Fonterra selling their consumer brands to an overseas corporate won't be an issue at all in the future. The poster child of premium NZ product with a bunch of Kiwis adding value. Soon to be exporting raw product we all get to pay someone else to add value to and buy back from the Northern hemisphere.

Goosey

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#3475853 31-Mar-2026 09:17

yitz:

Fresh Up is another brand that's gone in recent months. Now replaced with "The Real McCoy".

incorrect, my sources tell me it’s just one or two flavours and pack size offers that have been gapped.

if you visit a dairy with “V” and “Pepsi” branding you should be able to find what you need in cans and PET bottles.

id say the supermarkets have gapped some of the ranging due to competitors like Coke tryna block out competitor juice brands and it all comes down to $$$

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