Small-town nut butter maker lands where bigger NZ brands have struggled

From farmers’ market to 1,200 Australian shelves

Forty Thieves, the Hibiscus Coast nut butter maker founded in 2016 by Brent and Shyr Godfrey, has landed in more than 1,200 IGA stores across Australia as of August 2026. The NZ Herald confirmed the launch on 13 September as the company’s next growth phase.

The pitch is simple. As Shyr Godfrey put it, “We’re a nut butter producer from the Hibiscus Coast. We’re on a mission to fuel everyday and epic adventures because we believe when you do hard things, your life is better for it.” The company started at Hibiscus Coast farmers’ markets and worked into Farro Fresh, Foodstuffs and Woolworths New Zealand from there.

The numbers behind the launch

This is not a hobby brand going global on hope. As of March 2026, Forty Thieves was producing 30,000 jars a week from its Hibiscus Coast factory, stocked in more than 500 New Zealand stores, and running a team of 12. The company was recording 80% year-on-year growth in New Zealand grocery and had tripled its market share in the category.

A defensible home base like that is the foundation for any credible export push. You do not fund an Australian expansion off a weak domestic position.

Why IGA is the smart entry point

Getting national shelf presence in Australia without wrestling Woolworths and Coles for space from day one is a deliberate, capital-efficient move. IGA’s national footprint of independently owned supermarkets gives Forty Thieves reach across the country in a single ranging win, at a fraction of the negotiating leverage the two dominant chains demand.

The launch is also tightly focused. Three SKUs, Peanut Butter Not-Too-Smooth, Crunchy, and Organic Hulled Tahini, rather than the roughly 15 flavours the company runs across its core lines. It mirrors the discipline the company used entering The Warehouse in March 2024, launching with three SKUs across 85-plus stores. Prove the core, then broaden the range.

Asia was the proving ground

Australia is not the first export leap. Forty Thieves has been in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with Singapore the largest market and distribution doubled after securing ranging in FairPrice, shipping a 20-foot container roughly every two months. Back in 2024 the company recorded 122% growth across Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia.

That matters because Asian distributors have long reported that consumers will pay a premium for New Zealand food on the strength of the country’s safety and quality reputation. Forty Thieves used that structural advantage to test its export thesis in smaller, provenance-friendly markets before taking on a larger, more competitive Western one.

The cash flow catch every food founder knows

The honest constraint is working capital. As of March 2026 the company flagged an approximately 60-day gap between paying for ingredients and getting paid by retailers. Scaling into Australia widens that gap: more inventory, longer lead times, more cash tied up before a dollar comes back. It is the reason plenty of good products never make it across the Tasman, and it is the real test of whether this launch converts into a durable business.

The tailwind is real

The macro backdrop helps. New Zealand’s total goods exports rose 14% to $24.3 billion in the June 2026 quarter, with export volumes up 6.4%. MPI has forecast processed food export revenue growing 5% to $3.5 billion in the year to June 2026, driven partly by innovative processed foods.

For food manufacturers watching, the Forty Thieves playbook is worth copying. Build a defensible domestic position, use provenance-hungry Asian markets to prove the export case, then enter Australia through an independent network with a focused SKU set rather than a full-range assault on the majors. Whether the working capital holds will decide how far it goes, but the launch itself is a straightforward win, and evidence that the demand for premium Kiwi brands across the Tasman has not gone anywhere.

Sources

• Forty Thieves expands into Australia with nut butter in 1200 supermarkets (2026-09-13)
• Forty Thieves Has Landed in Australia! (2026-08-06)
• The Small Business Project – Fuelling business growth with nut butters (2026-03-22)
• Warehouse Debut for Forty Thieves (2024-03-18)
• Achieving sustainable growth: How Forty Thieves scaled from start-up to international success
• International trade: June 2026 quarter (2026-09-03)
• Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries