Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Rachael Speedy Managing Director In 2008 NZ Premium Foods was established by Rachael Speedy. Rachael is a driven business person who is inspired by her passion for quality New Zealand food and produce. Rachael’s food career dates back to The Hotel Corporation of New Zealand in 1984. After working up the ranks from trainee to senior management within Hotels, she went on to work in and manage a number of businesses both locally and internationally. Returning to New Zealand, Rachael decided to pursue her passion to create high quality New Zealand food and produce it for both local and international markets. NZ Premium Foods Ltd was formed in 2008 to do just that.
Rachael has many years business experience with a vast network of contacts throughout New Zealand, Australia, China, Thailand, Japan and beyond. As a result, she has initiated many successful business partnerships both locally and internationally.
Catherine Garcia Administration Manager joined NZ Premium Foods Limited as an Administration Manager beginning of 2019. She originally came from the Philippines with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts and a Diploma in Business Management gained in New Zealand. Before joining NZ Premium Foods, she’s already an experienced Administration officer with knowledge in Financial Services, Accounts, Property Management and Customer Service which she has gained over the years since she started working here in New Zealand in 2016. Moreover, she also has a background and hands-on knowledge in food industry because of their family business, a bakeshop back home, which was established even before she was born.
She believes that giving her best in all that she does will always make a difference in life no matter how big and small it is.
Barbara Raposo Foodservice Account Manager is a self-taught chef born on October 10th, 1976 in Harare Zimbabwe. Being Portuguese she grew up surrounded by food and the passion of feasting with friends and family. Her passion grew for the hospitality industry when she began to work at the ripe age of 14 in the first original Nando’s on main street Rosetenville. She then went onto working for George Calisto’s at Calisto’s restaurant while studying Fashion design, as it was her life-long dream to become a designer. Straight after college she started working for Transvaal clothing factory while working for Dario De Angeli at Yum restaurant in the evenings that actually became her inspiration, as he too was a self-taught chef. Her desire to get back into the hospitality industry was too large to ignore and Founded Let Go Creative catering where she ran a bespoke catering service that supplied various types of cuisine but specialized in rustic artisan food. Her biggest passion is for people to experience what she did growing up, beautiful food with amazing flavor, bringing people together to feast and socialize, after all what would life be without it!
Margriet O'Reilly Graphic Designer has been in the graphic design industry since 2004, and part of the NZ Premium Foods team since 2012. Born in the Netherlands, Margriet migrated to New Zealand in 1987. She has completed a Bachelor of Design majoring in Visual Communication at Unitec in Auckland. Margriet works with the team to create labels, packaging, brochures and various other designs. She is passionate about all things visual - layouts, typography, imagery - and loves seeing ideas come together as a final design.
Robert Ayon, Accountant Hailing from Christchurch, Robert was there when the big earthquake of 2011 hit and counts himself quite lucky as it hasn’t affected him much. Although he does now have quite a lot of experience in dealing with insurance companies on behalf of his clients.Robert moved to Auckland because he wants to play with the big boys – the big entities who handle overseas business. The vast majority of his school and university prepared him for that type of work which he loves. Robert rides a Buell XB 12SS, more for practicality because it’s cheap to run and park.