Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Dr Will Barker, CEO of biotech startup Mint Innovation which recovers valuable metals from electronic waste. ONE: How did Mint Innovation start and what was the inspiration behind it? Mint was founded in … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Offcut founder Adrien Taylor whose company takes fabric scraps destined for landfill and turns them into hats instead. ONE: How did Offcut start and what was the inspiration behind it? I started the … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Erin Harrison, founder of The Freelance Village. ONE: How did The Freelance Village start and what was the inspiration behind it? I’ve been a freelance writer on-and-off for over 10 years and what … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to James Koo, co-founder of student discount and job listings app Niesh. ONE: How did Niesh start and what was the inspiration behind it? Niesh actually started as a project between me and … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to brand strategist James Hurman whose latest venture, Storytech, wants to help small businesses work out their elevator pitch in a single day. ONE: How did Storytech start and what was the inspiration behind … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Wellington-born Jonny McKenzie and Canadian-born Amy Alexander, founders of luxury pre-bottled cocktail company J.M.R. Cocktail & Co. ONE: How did J.M.R. Cocktails start and what was the inspiration behind it? Amy Alexander (AA): … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Jenny Etherington who, along with her partner Thomas Mortimer, founded Solvej (sool-vay) Swings – makers of sustainable and long-lasting swings for babies and toddlers. ONE: How did Solvej Swings start and what was … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Georgia Meek, founder of The Babysitters Club, an online agency connecting families with babysitters. ONE: How did The Babysitters Club start and what was the inspiration behind it? The idea for The … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Haman Shahpari, co-founder of vegan, low calorie, halal certified ice cream brand WāHiki Creamery, which has recently signed a deal to enter the Chinese market. ONE: How did WāHiki start and what was … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Jo McColl about Unity Books Auckland’s new offshoot just down the road: children’s bookshop little Unity. ONE: How did little Unity start and what was the inspiration behind it? I’ve been longing … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Sean Aickin whose Wellington photo store Splendid is hoping to revive film photography in today’s digital world. ONE: How did Splendid start and what was the inspiration behind it? I initially tried to purchase … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to James Fuller whose company, Hnry, handles financial admin (Income Tax, GST, ACC, Student Loans, KiwiSaver etc.) for self-employed people. ONE: How did Hnry start and what was the inspiration behind it? The … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Alexandra Bell, co-founder of smoothie bowl business Soul Boul. ONE: How did Soul Boul start and what was the inspiration behind it? Stacey [Horton, co-founder] and I met at Otago University and through mutual … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Joe Harawira, founder of clothing company Flo, which donates a free school lunch to a child in need for every product sold. ONE: How did Flo start and what was the inspiration behind it? I … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Jo Blair, founder and director of Brown Bread – a marketing and communications agency from Christchurch that focuses on championing the arts, philanthropy and social good. ONE: How did Brown Bread start and … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Human Interface Jewellery founder Amelia Diggle who’s melding fashion and technology together to create a new form of ‘wearable tech’. ONE: How did Human Interface Jewellery (HIJ) start and what was the inspiration behind it? HIJ … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Aaron and Jo Taylor, founders of wellness drink No Ugly. ONE: How did No Ugly start and what was the inspiration behind it? We’ve worked in advertising for over 20 years. We’ve … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Adrian Wills, founder of Trickle, which manages every aspect of a beer’s life cycle and flow from keg to customer. ONE: How did Trickle start and what was the inspiration behind it? I got involved … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Nick Leckie, co-founder of rainwear company Okewa which is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for its newest product line – raincoats made from recycled plastic bottles. ONE: How did Okewa start and what … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to co-founder of The Pure Food Co, Sam Bridgewater, whose business makes nutritionally dense and visually appealing food for people who have a hard time eating. ONE: How did The Pure Food Co start and what … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Mark Stolten, the inventor of flexible, Lego-like brick toy Flexo. ONE: How did Flexo start and what was the inspiration behind it? While I waiting for a physio appointment for a torn … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to sibling entrepreneurs Brittany and Johanna Cosgrove of Nopesisters, the social enterprise championing ‘fashion for a cause’. ONE: How did Nopesisters start and what was the inspiration behind it? Nopesisters started in October 2016 during Breast … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Fresh As founder Tommy Roff whose company freeze-dries everything from mandarins and feijoas to liquorice and Red Bull. ONE: How did Fresh As start and what was the inspiration behind it? I had a … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Abhi Kala of Titan Ideas who’s reimagining cross-cultural storytelling through augmented (AR), virtual (VR), and mixed reality (MR) technology. ONE: How did Titan Ideas start and what was the inspiration behind it? I … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to James Denton, owner of Auckland’s plastic-free supermarkets GoodFor. ONE: How did GoodFor start and what was the inspiration behind it? GoodFor started out of frustration with the amount of plastic I was consuming and the sheer difficulty to … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Steven Korner, co-founder of Method Recycling, whose aim is to encourage better waste disposal habits by making beautifully designed rubbish bins for modern workplaces. ONE: How did Method Recycling start and what … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to David Bowes, CEO of insights agency Zavy, which helps businesses understand in simple, visual terms what all this social media fuss is about. ONE: How did Zavy start and what was the inspiration behind it? … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Craig MacGregor, one of the founding developers of NavCoin, an alternative cryptocurrency that’s gaining steam around the world. ONE: How did NavCoin start and what was the inspiration behind it? NavCoin first … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Little Angels founder Heather Baker whose used her expertise as a postnatal nurse to make healthy, easy-to-prepare food for babies. ONE: How did Little Angels start and what was the inspiration behind … Read more