Fonterra's Ice Cream Company Tip Top Celebrates Building Makeover

Tip Top corner has been the landmark building on Auckland’s southern motorway for half a century. The company produces millions of litres of ice cream each year along with 95 million ice blocks and nearly six million iconic Trumpets.

17 Jul 2012 --- New Zealand’s most iconic ice cream company celebrates the conclusion of a two-year modernisation project, lighting up its new look building on Tip Top corner.

In 2010, Tip Top embarked on a $40 million project to enhance its product development capabilities, improve its working environment which included a raft of new health and safety measures, along with extensive renovations.

Tip Top General Manager Brett Charlton said the significant investment, positions the company to remain New Zealand’s favourite ice cream maker that continually brings to market innovative and exciting products.

The completion of the final phase of this project was to inject new life in to the 50-year-old Tip Top corner building.

Supermodel Rachel Hunter, whose big break came in 1985 following her starring role in a Trumpet television commercial, assisted with lighting up the transformed building before dawn this morning.

Once known for its rainbow stripes, the building now sports a fresh new look characterised by 600m2 of glass walls.

Brett said the makeover marked a significant milestone for the iconic corner.

“Tip Top’s new look reinforces our New Zealandness and pride in who we are – a company employing many Kiwis making a product that has been a part of everyone’s lives since 1936.

“Tip Top has been around for three generations and this investment confirms that we plan to be around for many more.”

Tip Top corner has been the landmark building on Auckland’s southern motorway for half a century. The company produces millions of litres of ice cream each year along with 95 million ice blocks and nearly six million iconic Trumpets.

“This is where we work to make New Zealand’s best loved ice cream, it is more than just a factory, it has meaning to all of Auckland and to many Kiwis. This is why we wanted to celebrate the changes to our building with a breakfast for staff and a few other important guests.

"Lots of Kiwis would be able to dig out an old baby photo which captures the moment they ate their first ice cream with mum and dad on a hot Kiwi summers day – it's a quintessential picture, a Kiwi tradition. There’s a strong family connection with these memories, and Tip Top has been a part of many of them.

“That’s something the entire team at Tip Top is proud of and that’s why we wanted to celebrate.”