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Tip Top (icecream)
Encyclopedia
Fonterra Brands Ltd or commonly known simply as Tip Top ice cream, is a subsidiary of the Fonterra Co-operative Group
based in Auckland
, New Zealand
.
parlour in Manners Street, Wellington
, New Zealand.
The story of the name Tip Top is not known for sure, but it is believed that Hayman and Malaghan were discussing business over a meal whilst travelling in a train dining car one evening. They overheard a fellow passenger commenting that his meal was ‘tip top’, and immediately decided that they would like to hear people say that about their ice cream. The name for their newly founded ice cream business was born.
In 1936 a second milk bar was opened in Wellington, and another one in Dunedin
. The same year, Tip Top Ice Cream Company was registered as a manufacturing company. By 1938 Tip Top was manufacturing its own ice cream and was successfully operating stores in the lower half of the North Island, and in Nelson
and Blenheim
.
In May 1938 Tip Top Ice Cream Company Auckland Limited was incorporated into the growing ice cream business. Due to distribution difficulties and World War II
, this was operated as a completely separate company to the Wellington
Tip Top.
In November 1962, Hayman and Malaghan opened the biggest and most technically advanced ice cream factory in the Southern Hemisphere
, built at Mount Wellington, Auckland
, New Zealand. The Tip Top factory included staff houses and 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of farm land overlooking the Southern Motorway
and cost NZ$700,000. Prime Minister Keith Holyoake
attended the opening ceremony.
By 1964 the Company had expanded to such an extent that a parent company was formed, General Foods Corporation (NZ) Limited. It was rated as one of the soundest investments on the stock exchange and other companies were quick to note its potential.
The Auckland Tip Top factory was originally a seasonal factory, which worked only to produce ice cream for the summer months. They sold for a shilling, and early innovations led to ice cream inventions like Topsy, Jelly Tip, FruJu and Ice Cream Sundaes, some of which are among New Zealand's iconic foods today. The overwhelming success of these products transformed the Mt Wellington site from a summer-centred seasonal factory into a 24 hour, 365 day operation.
As demand grew over the years, 2 further plants were opened in Christchurch
and Perth
. The Christchurch
factory was specially designed to meet the stringent export requirements of the Japan
ese market.
Supermodel Rachel Hunter
appeared for the first time on television in an advertisement for Tiptop Trumpet in the mid 1980’s at 15 years of age. This advertisement was popular and helped the Tip Top brand grow even stronger in New Zealand whilst also helping to launch her career.
In April 1997 Tip Top was purchased by a West Australian
food processor, Peters & Browne’s Foods from Heinz Watties. This merger of Peters & Browne’s and Tip Top created the largest independent ice cream business in the Southern Hemisphere with combined sales of $550 million.
On the 18th June 2001 Tip Top Ice Cream became part of Fonterra
Co-operative Group after Fonterra purchased the Peter and Browne’s Foods Business.
In 2007 the Christchurch Factory was closed with all production moving to Auckland.
) selling 10 cent, 1 scoop cone ice creams for one day as a promotional activity. Usually the price for a 1 scoop cone of Tip Top ice cream at a dairy is $1–2 depending on where it is purchased.
As Tip Top considered rail and bus commuters to be their first loyal customers, on 22 November 2006 at Britomart Transport Centre (Auckland’s New Central railway terminal) a Tracey Collins-designed ice cream tree took centre-stage on the rail platform. Many local schools took the train to the Britomart to view the displays about the history of Tip Top ice cream and see the ice cream tree.
Also as part of Tip Top's celebration, the previously discontinued brand Joy Bar was giving a temporary reprieve.
Tip Top Ice Cream is exported to Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands.
Today, the three most sold bowl ice cream flavours are Vanilla, Hokey Pokey and Jelly Tip. The five most popular (by sales) Tip Top novelties are Choc Bar, Lemonade Popsicle, Memphis Meltdown Big Nuts, Jelly Tip and Pineapple FruJu. The oldest novelty ice cream still in production
is the Eskimo Pie
.
Fonterra
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative owned by almost 10,500 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ$19.87 billion, is New Zealand's largest company.- History :In...
based in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
History
In 1936 Albert Hayman and Len Malaghan opened their first Ice CreamIce cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
parlour in Manners Street, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand.
The story of the name Tip Top is not known for sure, but it is believed that Hayman and Malaghan were discussing business over a meal whilst travelling in a train dining car one evening. They overheard a fellow passenger commenting that his meal was ‘tip top’, and immediately decided that they would like to hear people say that about their ice cream. The name for their newly founded ice cream business was born.
In 1936 a second milk bar was opened in Wellington, and another one in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. The same year, Tip Top Ice Cream Company was registered as a manufacturing company. By 1938 Tip Top was manufacturing its own ice cream and was successfully operating stores in the lower half of the North Island, and in Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
and Blenheim
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
.
In May 1938 Tip Top Ice Cream Company Auckland Limited was incorporated into the growing ice cream business. Due to distribution difficulties and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, this was operated as a completely separate company to the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
Tip Top.
In November 1962, Hayman and Malaghan opened the biggest and most technically advanced ice cream factory in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, built at Mount Wellington, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand. The Tip Top factory included staff houses and 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of farm land overlooking the Southern Motorway
Auckland Southern Motorway
The Auckland Southern Motorway is the major route south out of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is part of State Highway 1....
and cost NZ$700,000. Prime Minister Keith Holyoake
Keith Holyoake
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party Prime Minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7...
attended the opening ceremony.
By 1964 the Company had expanded to such an extent that a parent company was formed, General Foods Corporation (NZ) Limited. It was rated as one of the soundest investments on the stock exchange and other companies were quick to note its potential.
The Auckland Tip Top factory was originally a seasonal factory, which worked only to produce ice cream for the summer months. They sold for a shilling, and early innovations led to ice cream inventions like Topsy, Jelly Tip, FruJu and Ice Cream Sundaes, some of which are among New Zealand's iconic foods today. The overwhelming success of these products transformed the Mt Wellington site from a summer-centred seasonal factory into a 24 hour, 365 day operation.
As demand grew over the years, 2 further plants were opened in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. The Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
factory was specially designed to meet the stringent export requirements of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese market.
Supermodel Rachel Hunter
Rachel Hunter
Rachel Hunter is a New Zealand born American model, actress and reality TV show host who now resides in the U.S. She is best known for her appearance in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her longtime marriage to singer Rod Stewart, which ended in 2006...
appeared for the first time on television in an advertisement for Tiptop Trumpet in the mid 1980’s at 15 years of age. This advertisement was popular and helped the Tip Top brand grow even stronger in New Zealand whilst also helping to launch her career.
In April 1997 Tip Top was purchased by a West Australian
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
food processor, Peters & Browne’s Foods from Heinz Watties. This merger of Peters & Browne’s and Tip Top created the largest independent ice cream business in the Southern Hemisphere with combined sales of $550 million.
On the 18th June 2001 Tip Top Ice Cream became part of Fonterra
Fonterra
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative owned by almost 10,500 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ$19.87 billion, is New Zealand's largest company.- History :In...
Co-operative Group after Fonterra purchased the Peter and Browne’s Foods Business.
In 2007 the Christchurch Factory was closed with all production moving to Auckland.
Pre 1950s
- Tip Top Ice cream available in quarts (1 litre approx) and pints (600ml approx)
- Eskimo PieEskimo PieEskimo Pie is a brand name for a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar wrapped in foil, the first such dessert sold in the United States. It is now marketed by Nestlé, owners of Dreyer's of the Western United States, and Edy's of the Eastern United States...
(Tip Top's first novelty product) - Topsy (first stick icecream produced by Tip Top)
1990s
- Memphis Meltdown
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (in a 2 litre bowl with the ice cream resembling one of the turtles)
- Moritz
- Cadbury Ice Cream range (in 2 litre bowls and novelty cones)
- Sonic the Hedgehog Milk Ice
- Paradiso
- Jelly Tip in two litre tub
2000s
- Popsicle Creamy (previously Chill)
- Screwball
- Soft Serve
- Plus many more flavour additions and variations on historically produced Ice Creams.
- Popsicle Milky
- Popsicle Fruity
- Popsicle Slushy
Tip Top's 70th anniversary
Celebrations took place throughout the country in November 2006 to mark the 70th anniversary of Tip Top Ice Cream. This included 13 selected dairies (a New Zealand term for convenience storeConvenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
) selling 10 cent, 1 scoop cone ice creams for one day as a promotional activity. Usually the price for a 1 scoop cone of Tip Top ice cream at a dairy is $1–2 depending on where it is purchased.
As Tip Top considered rail and bus commuters to be their first loyal customers, on 22 November 2006 at Britomart Transport Centre (Auckland’s New Central railway terminal) a Tracey Collins-designed ice cream tree took centre-stage on the rail platform. Many local schools took the train to the Britomart to view the displays about the history of Tip Top ice cream and see the ice cream tree.
Also as part of Tip Top's celebration, the previously discontinued brand Joy Bar was giving a temporary reprieve.
Tip Top today
Tip Top produces around 50 million litres of ice cream a year, and Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) Ltd has around 380 employees. New Zealanders alone consume the equivalent of 1.9 million litres of milk in the form of Tip Top ice cream every year. Also, New Zealand's 4.2 million people population, consume around two million Jelly Tips every year.Tip Top Ice Cream is exported to Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands.
Today, the three most sold bowl ice cream flavours are Vanilla, Hokey Pokey and Jelly Tip. The five most popular (by sales) Tip Top novelties are Choc Bar, Lemonade Popsicle, Memphis Meltdown Big Nuts, Jelly Tip and Pineapple FruJu. The oldest novelty ice cream still in production
is the Eskimo Pie
Eskimo Pie
Eskimo Pie is a brand name for a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar wrapped in foil, the first such dessert sold in the United States. It is now marketed by Nestlé, owners of Dreyer's of the Western United States, and Edy's of the Eastern United States...
.