Leonard Aloysius Patrick Malaghan

1 Nov

Len Malaghan demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit early on and by the age of 20 he was a qualified manager of a dairy factory.

He developed his own formula for ice cream and in 1935 he and wife Ann opened a milk bar in Wellington - the first in New Zealand to specialise exclusively in ice cream and milkshakes.

Their brand, Tip Top, took off and by 1938 the business was manufacturing in Wellington and Auckland. It came together in 1960 as General Foods Corporation (NZ). Today, Tip Top is a key brand of Fonterra Co-operative Group.

Malaghan was diagnosed with cancer at age 56, leading him to become a major benefactor of medical research.