Travelling through New Zealand’s beautiful country areas is great fun – and it can be made even better if you have good food while you’re doing it. And we’re not talking about “food on the run” or hastily-packed sandwiches – you can have delicious food that’s prepared in just minutes, and you don’t need to even light your stove to get it!
Back Country Foods freeze dried meals are easy to prepare and great tasting because of the features of the company’s freeze drying process. This combines quick-to-hydrate, freeze-dried vegetables and meats, with sauce mixes that have been processed to retain their natural flavours.
The result is delicious meals that can be prepared in the pack in 10 minutes with the addition of boiling water – or there’s the Flameless Heater pack which uses cold water to heat the meals!
The meal starts as a completely dry product that does not shrink during the drying process, but when prepared it becomes a juicy, tender food product.
Back Country Foods Ltd operates from the Invercargill at the southern tip of New Zealand and was established in August 1998 to take over the freeze dried meal business founded by the Alliance Freezing Company.
In the past five years the company has seen an increase of new types of users of the products, some of these being the fishing and 4WD sectors. Previously the perception of freeze dried food was mainly limited to the walking track, but with word of mouth, new flavours and products, freeze dried food is becoming more adaptable to different activities and users.
In recent years Back Country Foods has extended its wide range to include freeze dried ice-cream bars, fruit snacks, smoothies, and even a new brand of gourmet meal range.
The idea for the Outdoor Gourmet Company brand was sparked by the lack of competitors throughout Australasia as well as an opportunity to target a new demographic. The range was launched in Australia and New Zealand in 2012, and is showing positive sales alongside the Back Country Cuisine brand.
The possibilities for freeze drying different ingredients are endless, with the company continually looking to improve and expand the range, and a crucial part of this is feedback from users, especially those using it day in day out for long periods of time.
Looking ahead Back Country Foods Ltd is planning to introduce the brand to different markets, including the European Union and possibly China.

Back Country Foods is owned by Kara and Brent Crossan, and equity partner Invest South Limited. Brent is a qualified butcher with an extensive background in both the retail and wholesale markets, while Kara has a background in sales and office management and enjoys all aspects of marketing, communication and customer relationships.

Both have a great love of the outdoors which shines through in their products.