Wing On closes after 60 years

It has been a great innings, but after 60 years well-known food wholesaler Wing On has closed its doors.

Roger Kan, owner and founder of the Dunedin institution has decided to call it a day, trading in his food scales for fish scales.

The wholesale food business is a household name in Dunedin, dating back to 1959 as Wing On - and to before World War 2 as a family-owned store in the city.

Mr Kan (86) who worked at his parent’s shop through school, says he decided at an early age that he wanted to go into the fruit and vegetable business.

After finishing school he decided to work at the shop rather than head to university, against his parents’ wishes.

His big break came when he approached the visiting US navy in the mid 1950s, making the trip to their Christchurch base at the time to offer them fresh fruit and vegetables for their Antarctic expeditions.

"I got the job and that was really the start of the wholesale business.

"In those days, of course, things were easier to get so we expanded to the point that we needed much larger warehousing and cold stores."

In 2002 Wing On moved into its Strathallan St warehouses, branching out into additional food service products including fresh and frozen meat over the years.

Mr Kan said the decision to close the food wholesaler followed his recent illness and his son, Gregory, "taking a break" after 20 years.

Mr Kan has now effectively handed the business and its customers to the larger Dunedin wholesaler Kaan’s Catering Supplies, with which he had a good relationship.

The warehouse and its cold storage would remain in the family trust, he said.

Kaan’s founder Lindsay Kaan said the two companies shared a lot of history and had enjoyed working together over the years.

He said the Kaan’s team fully expected "uncle" to spend a bit of time touching base with his old customers and generally helping out.

"That would be fun for something to do, but it will also be nice to sleep in or go fishing if I’d rather," Mr Kan said.

A motivating factor was also Mr Kan’s eyesight issues, which had stemmed from a progressive glaucoma diagnosed in 1985 and that resulted in blindness for the past 25 years.

The blindness has not slowed him down and certainly not dimmed his love of fishing.

While he leaves skippering of his boat to a friend, he is still "pretty adept" at not only catching fish, but also baiting hooks, gutting and filleting.

Mr Kan and his wife, Jessie, also enjoy time in the garden.

"I like to grow things that are hard to get, or out of season."