Westpac Auckland Business Awards – Best Of The Best Woop! Woop! They Did It!

Parisian foodie and Woop! founder Thomas Dietz’s topped an incredible five-year journey with the Westpac Auckland Business Awards this evening when Woop! won the Supreme Business Excellence Award.

The best in Auckland business gathered for a Gala celebration this evening to round out the 2020 Awards programme, run by the Auckland Business Chamber.

Woop!, a meal-kit delivery service, has been on an amazing Awards trajectory, aligned with their growth over the years, and were one of the few businesses to have an opportunity to seize and thrive during the pandemic and New Zealand lockdowns last year.

Their long history with the Awards programme has seen them win Best Emerging Business in 2017, both in the Central Region and at Best of the Best, and two years later, win the 2019 Excellence in Marketing category, again both in the Central Region and at Best of the Best. That year they were also Central Region finalists in Excellence in Customer Service Delivery and Excellence in Strategy and Planning.

Now, they’re heading home with the big one!

Dietz launched Woop! in 2015 ready to take on My Food Bag and Hello Fresh, the original players in the meal box sector. Five years on, they now employ over 200 people involved in preparing and delivering meal kits nation-wide.

The meals are aimed at those who want to eat healthy, tasty food and still complete some elements of the cooking process but don’t have the time or energy to prepare large meals every evening.

As a chef does so in a restaurant, Woop! prepares all the food by dicing fresh, locally sourced vegetables, pre-cutting meats, and preparing sauces so all that customers need to do is combine the elements together and have world-class meals on their table shortly after getting home from a busy day.

Woop! (World On Our Plate), reflects Dietz’s passion for food and his own experiences in the kitchen. “Being French, we tend to always put a lot of attention on meals. I’m quite busy myself, so I always find that during the week I never have time to cook”

Alas, Woop! was born. Dietz has lived in Japan, Korea, China and South America so an obvious point of difference for his product was to offer freshness of ingredients alongside international tastes.

The company has grown steadily since its inception but did particularly well in the past 12 months including during the height of the Covid-19 lockdown. Unsurprisingly, there was a rapid increase in demand for foodkit delivery. At the onset of the pandemic, Woop! doubled the number of food deliveries and recruited 39 new staff. They also introduced new initiatives to help customers get through being confined to home including cocktail kits, baking kits, and surprise treats.

Dietz said “The team are amazed. Winning this award is incredibly humbling. I still remember being here all those years ago before we started winning. It’s fantastic to now finally have done it!”

The announcement capped an already successful evening for Woop! after they won the Excellence in Strategy and Planning category earlier in the night.

Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive Michael Barnett congratulated Woop! on their success.

Powered by “Woop! have used the Westpac Awards to measure and review their performance over the last five years.

The story behind the company’s progress to the top has been told through their journey through the Awards programme.

“They have shown resilience and innovation through both stable and unprecedented times and are deserving winners. It is important they are recognised.”

Other category winners this evening included waste management leaders, Waste Management NZ Limited; experts in slip repair and ground reinforcement works, Earth Stability Ltd; Spring Sheep Milk Co, providers of one of the most nutritious milks in the world; Auckland Racing Club, the premier home of thoroughbred racing; craft beer specialists, The Beer Spot; Yashili New Zealand Dairy Company, leading infant formula producers; Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital, a unique care home in Epsom; and Citycare, construction, maintenance and management service providers.

Westpac NZ Acting General Manager of Institutional and Business Banking Andrew Bashford congratulated all winners and finalists from the evening saying Auckland businesses have proved remarkably adaptable in the face of tough conditions.

“Whether it’s hitting the phones, spotting new gaps in the market, building an online presence to connect with customers or changing their operating model virtually overnight, tonight’s winners have not only survived the past 12 months but developed new and better ways of doing business,” Mr Bashford says.

“The landscape for the year ahead remains uncertain, but Westpac will continue to get behind businesses who are helping rebuild the economy in a strong and sustainable way.”

Westpac Auckland Business Awards Best of the Best - WINNERS

Supreme Business Excellence - Sponsored by Westpac

Woop!

Excellence in Innovation - Sponsored by Auckland Unlimited

Waste Management NZ Ltd

Excellence in Customer Service Delivery - Sponsored by Barfoot & Thompson

Earth Stability Ltd

Best Emerging Business - Sponsored by Air New Zealand

Spring Sheep Milk Co

Excellence in Marketing - Sponsored by Cordis

Auckland Racing Club

People’s Choice Award - Sponsored by Bobux

The Beer Spot

Excellence in Strategy and Planning - Sponsored by Z

Woop!

Excellence in International Trade - Sponsored by Ports of Auckland

Yashili New Zealand Dairy Company

Employer of the Year - Sponsored by Catalyst

Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital

Excellence in Community Contribution - Sponsored by Westpac

Citycare

For a complete list of finalists and award ceremony details, please visit www.aucklandbusinessawards.co.nz

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