In 1976 when pâté was virtually a foreign word to most New Zealander’s a small production kitchen in Auckland was producing pâté for restaurants and delicatessens. In 1978 Earl and Jo Meek were looking for a business and gourmet food appeared to be an area with a distinct future. They entered into a partnership with the owners and so La Bonne Cuisine was born.

The first pâté product range was sold under the Breton brand; however, the partners recognised a huge opportunity to expand in the ‘fresh’ market segment. They advertised in the UK for the expertise and this materialised in the form of French Master Chef, Jean Conil, whose image is now the logo for the Master Chef range. This was the Meek’s – and the country’s introduction to European-style pâtés, oven-baked, rapidly cooled and packed immediately. The result was a fresh pâté product with a vastly improved texture, a good shelf life and nationwide distribution.

In 1986 Earl and Jo’s bought their partners out and to this day Earl and Jo remain the owners and operators of La Bonne Cuisine Ltd.

New product ranges were brainstormed and Little Ripper Salami Sticks were the next products launched, from these the next tasty initiative was Dip and Hummus products. In late 2005 the very successful Mediterranean Chunky Dips were launched on to the New Zealand market.

The search has continued for new products and flavours to tempt the New Zealand taste buds and there are now 6 brands in the La Bonne Cuisine portfolio; La Bonne Cuisine, Mediterranean, Gourmet, Little Rippers, Master Chef and Breton.

La Bonne Cuisine is located in East Tamaki Auckland and has two state of the art factories, one for our pâtés and salamis and the other for our hummus and dips. At least half the 60+ staff has been with the company for over 10 years – some for over 25!

Earl, Jo and their team enjoy developing and producing delicious premium quality products for New Zealander’s to enjoy.