Golden Bay Fruit
BRAND LAUNCH & MANAGEMENET | SUSTAINABILITY | INTERNATIONAL RETAIL | TRADESHOWS | PRODUCT LAUNCH | COMMUNICATIONS | GRAPHIC DESIGN
New Zealand, ASIA, UK - 2021-present
Golden Bay Fruit is a New Zealand apple and pear exporter with orchards in Motueka and grower partnerships across the Nelson region. Over five years as fractional Marketing Director, Eleni led brand strategy and marketing across the full business — from crisis response and sustainability innovation through to building globally recognised premium variety brands and launching value-added consumer products. During this period, the business grew from $40M to $75M in revenue. A few notable projects below.
$40M→$75M
Revenue growth over the engagement period.
20+
International export markets including Greater China, Vietnam, Thailand, UK, Europe.
7 Brands
Built or refreshed from the ground up. Managed a portfolio of more than 15 varieties.
Finalist
New Zealand International Business Awards by NZTE - Large Enterprise category.
Miranda™
Turning sensory surprise into premium brand equity.
50% price premium
HeMa Fresh China-wide listing
A chance seedling with yellow-green skin that consumers expected to be tart — and turned out to be crisp, sweet, and vanilla-noted. The brand refresh built its identity around that sensory surprise, with distinctive packaging that earned a China-wide listing with Hema Fresh, new retail partners in Thailand and Vietnam, and a 50% price premium over standard varieties. Recognised as a finalist in the 2025 Best Design Awards.
2025 Best Design Awards Finalist
Stormy Fruit™
Turning a natural disaster into a commercially viable sustainbility brand - in five weeks.
10M kg of fruit saved from waste
$14M in revenue generated
When a Boxing Day hailstorm caused $20M of crop damage across the Nelson region, Golden Bay Fruit faced a stark choice: discard thousands of tonnes of cosmetically marked but perfectly edible fruit, or find another way. Eleni helped develop and launch Stormy Fruit™ — a new brand built around the idea that imperfect-looking fruit could be a premium choice, not a compromise. The campaign reframed the damage as a provenance story, educated consumers about food waste, and moved product that would otherwise have been lost. It launched in five weeks and became one of the company's most talked-about brand moments.
Sustainable Business Awards Finalist
Posh™ - The Tiffany of Apples
Luxury positioning for premium Asia retail and festival gifting.
3x sales growth 2024-25
90% South Island New World coverage
A premium apple variety built for high-end Asian retail and gifting occasions. Eleni led the brand from naming through to launch — developing both the English and Chinese brand names through consumer testing, directing the visual identity, and creating a distinctive turquoise gifting format with deliberate nods to the world of luxury. Posh™ now commands a clear price premium across China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
NZ Food Awards Finalist
The Boxed Juice Renaissance
Circular economy thinking meets premium value-add NPD
3x sales growth 2024-25
90% South Island New World coverage
Golden Bay Fruit's 100% natural cold-pressed apple and pear juice was designed from the outset as a sustainability product — transforming imperfect and surplus fruit into an affordable, high-quality everyday option for New Zealand families. Eleni led concept development, packaging design, pricing, production management, and retailer negotiations, securing a central listing with Foodstuffs South Island and distribution across more than 90% of South Island New World supermarkets. Sales grew threefold in 2025 versus 2024. The product was recognised as a finalist at the NZ Food Awards.
NZ Food Awards Finalist
