I founded Produco in 2016 as I saw the need for food safety leadership and regulatory guidance in the food and dairy industries.

Raised on a Dairy Farm which also ran sheep and beef gave me a good grounding and knowledge of on farm practices.  I then studied Science at University and was lucky enough to work at MilkTest NZ and then landed my first role at Tatua Dairy Company in the micro and functional foods laboratory. This was quickly followed by some time in the Chemistry laboratory which would prepare me well for future roles in all aspects of Quality and Regulatory compliance from cow to customer for Dairy/Food and FMCG.

I gained extensive experience in NZ’s regulatory environment including NZ Standard Development, Regulatory Interpretation, Market Access and Official Assurance Specification implementation through my previous roles working for NZ’s major Dairy companies.

I’m passionate about developing great teams and giving people opportunities to grow and expand their careers.

I also relish the challenge of creating quality solutions to ensure compliance while adding value and opportunities to continually improve.

Colin Oliver

An engaging senior leader, with many years in the Dairy industry, working for NZ’s largest dairy company in Food Safety & Quality. She has managed regional quality teams across multiple manufacturing sites for many years.  Her specialties lie in the Infant Formula and Nutrition areas as well as Regulatory, Laboratory Management and Sensory Evaluation. 

Liz has a natural style and warmth allowing her to quickly build rapport with any team; from diverse nationalities, senior execs to operators and vendors. She builds capable, engaged teams of people with a strong focus on Food safety culture.

Her energy comes from developing individuals and teams of people to create quality systems a strong food safety quality culture and I’m also passionate about working with clients to create the best possible outcome.

Liz has represented her previous company many times during Customer, Regulatory and Internal Audits and hosted international organisations. She is comfortable managing multiple projects across sites and her major achievements include:

• Implementation of FSSC22000
• Implementation of Infant Formula standard (Manufacture of Dairy Based Infant Formula Products & Formulated Supplementary Foods for Young Children)
• Country Listing audits , China, CNCA , EEU, EU
• Development and implementation of Sensory training programs

Liz Maloney

Based in Auckland, I have been involved in the Food Industry all my working life.

Initially starting with Dairy FMCG, at the now Fonterra site in Takanini. Here, we manufactured iconic brands across a range of products and processes; Fresh and UHT milks, Yoghurt and other Cultured products. We also produced Dairy foods, custards and Fruit drinks and juices. Working with ‘living’ products triggered my love of microbiology.  My responsibilities during this time included Quality Assurance, Quality Systems and Lab Management.

I then moved into other food industries holding Quality Management positions, working with a variety of Standards and programmes including:

• VITAL Allergen Management, Food Fraud and Food Security
• HACCP, FSP and FCP
• AIB (Unannounced audits)
• Customer standards (WQA, McDonalds, PepsiCo, YUM)
• FSSC22000, ISO9001

I enjoy writing and reviewing HACCP plans, drafting procedures and systems, staff training and undertaking audits, including gap audits against new standards and encouraging continuous improvement projects.

Due to my diverse background I can quickly get up to speed and contribute to the company I am assisting. I enjoy the variety that working for Produco offers and also being able to play a part in our client achieving their quality and food safety goals.

Delwyn Askew

Helen has a strong Laboratory background, having worked for AsureQuality and Massey University in laboratory supervisory roles.  Following that, she then moved to a Quality Assurance role at The Foodbowl in Auckland for several years.

She provides a very hands-on, practical approach when performing pre-start checks, internal and external audits, water sampling and pathogen swabbing activities.  A strong coach, Helen takes people on a learning journey weaving past experience and situations.

Holder of a Masters degree in Science, majoring in Chemistry (University of Otago).

“I am excited to be part of Produco. My role incorporates the experiences, skills, relationships, knowledge and practical how-to expertise from my time in the NZ food industry, as well as refreshed perspectives and attitudes gained from my part-time adventures as a Conservation Ranger in the Fiordland National Park.

I have also found working for Colin that I am able to match my personal philosophies and values to the work I am asked to do, which brings joy and fun”.

The framework of my food industry skillset is built upon;

• Laboratories – people, documentation, tests, methods, quality systems, equipment, training, instrumentation and facility management
• Customer/Client Relationships – communication, project management, problem-solving, interactions and service
• Food Safety – creating, writing, implementing, auditing, maintenance and management of food safety quality systems and risk management programmes
• Risk Management – people, programmes, documentation, audits, training, environmental, compliance
• Technical – validation processes (IQ, OQ and PPQ) for factory systems, processes, equipment, components and people; specification reviews and development for raw materials and finished goods
• Workplace health and safety – people, facilities, equipment, documentation, systems audits, CIMS2 and emergency preparation, training, hazards and risk ID, chemicals, accident investigations.

Helen Matthews

Recently after graduating with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Food Science, Saipriya joined the Produco team. She is a Food Technologist with one year experience in New Product Development and eight years Customer Service experience.

Saipriya is passionate about food and its quality and having opportunities to work creatively with food. She has a strong attention to detail and passion for solving challenges, which allows her to work well independently.

She has a growing list of major New Zealand food producers she has worked with, particularly in the Dairy industry. Her goal is to improve food safety and quality and ultimately contribute to a healthier future.  She enjoys being able to incorporate her love for photography and travel into this role.

Key strengths and skills:

• Quality Assurance
• Verification and Validation
• GMP, HACCP, SOP, RORP
• Regulatory Compliance
• Nutritional Information Labelling
• Sensory Testing
• Review and Documentation
• Customer focussed

Saipriya Shahi