Meat co-op dilemma
Meat processor Alliance Group's cash-strapped farmer shareholders face a dilemma - either pour more money into the co-operative or risk losing 100% ownership and control.
The sponsorship builds on Alliance's involvement at a lower level with rowing in 2012 which included Alliance's supply of red meat to the New Zealand rowing team as they prepared for the Olympic regatta in England, and an association with Southland rowers Nathan Cohen and Storm Uru.
Alliance Group also sponsored two races at the 2013 Aon Maadi Cup held in March at Lake Karapiro.
Alliance Group CEO Grant Cuff says the meat processor sees huge potential to engage distribution partners, retailers and consumers in Alliance's key export markets through the rowing relationship.
"We are proud to be associated with Rowing New Zealand which has achieved international recognition through its success at World Cup, World Championship and Olympic Games levels. Rowing is a sport that resonates with the farming community, given many rowers come from farming backgrounds and families and, in a similar way, rowers identify with our products given the need for good protein as part of their training and conditioning."
Cuff says by associating the sponsorship with Pure South, the rowing-related activities would help reinforce and grow visibility of the company's key export brand in strategic markets including Europe, Asia and South America.
The sponsorship runs for four years until 2017 and includes the build-up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
"We will be working on activities to leverage this sponsorship over the next four years and see great potential value for Alliance, our supplier-shareholders and our market partners around the world."
Rowing New Zealand CEO Simon Peterson says: "This new partnership cements an existing relationship and provides greater opportunity for both organisations through to Rio. Our athletes directly benefit from this relationship and it is fantastic to see our high performing sport aligning with a high performing international company."
In the build-up to the London Games, Alliance Group worked with the New Zealand rowing team nutritionist and provided a range of Pure South lamb and beef products to the team in the lead-up to and during their Games campaign.
The supply of red meat to the New Zealand rowing teams both at home and abroad will be a key part of the sponsorship over the next four years.
"In this way, our rowing teams can enjoy a taste of home on the other side of the world, while getting the right nutrition on board for their training and race preparations," Cuff says.
