Ashely Berrysmith

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, presented to Ashley in 2007 was in recognition of the two innovative vertically integrated food business he had started and developed, to meet his goal of increasing the consumption of vegetables, by offering consumers a convenient solution. Both businesses were based on his “from seed to plate” philosophy. 

The first business, Sproutman, was established in 1980 and brought bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts and other sprouted beans from an obscure novel food item into a mainstream FMCG Business. Sproutman was sold in 1997. Ashley then started Snap Fresh Foods, establishing a market for prewashed baby leaf greens in New Zealand, developing the iconic household brands of Krispkut Mesclun and Farmer Bill’s Baby Peeled Carrots. When this business was sold in 2014 Ashley had built the annual turnover to $32 million.