PowerUp

Joop Verbeek & Carmen Castro-Verbeek / IncaFe

IncaFe is all about good coffee done right. It takes effort though - sourcing beans directly from remote plantations in South America and Indonesia, paying above market rates for quality and developing their own compostable packaging. But to founders Carmen and Joop, it’s worth it.

This is a great yarn about how a can-do attitude can help a local business to compete in a global market. IncaFe has become a leading supplier of quality coffee to cafes all around New Zealand, and Carmen and Joop’s dedication to doing it the right way makes their story all the more inspiring. 

Sonia Kiser and John Burling / Carac

When you’re fixing chainsaws at 7 years old and making motorbikes at 10, you’ve clearly got a knack for using your hands. This was John Burling growing up, and it’s no surprise that innovations from his back shed have gone all over the world.

John is the man behind Carac Group, a family owned and run engineering company in Eltham. In this episode of the PowerUp podcast by Venture Taranaki, John and his daughter, CEO Sonia Kiser, talk about how this small firm grew from John’s shed to seven factories. 

John’s appetite for risk and ability to spot an opportunity (like getting involved in the America’s Cup) is as impressive as it is funny. This is a great yarn about a risk-taking, old-school tinkerer going global with innovations that are literally life-saving.

Erin Benton / Knead

Even for a baker, getting up at midnight is extreme. But when you’ve got two tamariki and a dairy farm, baking Artisan Donuts have to fit in around them. This is just one of the many aspects that make Erin Benton’s story so awesome.

The founder of Knead, Erin’s doughnuts are unreal. There’s no other way to put it. She used to go to farmers markets and sell out in just over half an hour. She has lines out the door pretty much every day. 

In this episode of the PowerUp podcast, Erin talks about the sacrifice it’s taken to become New Plymouth’s worst best kept secret. How she learned to bake, how she juggles her time, how she focuses on kaupapa important to her and keeping the balance so her cup can be full for her whānau and business.  

Steve Scott / Rivet

Imagine trying to design and build the famous Len Lye Centre’s stainless steel facade. It doesn’t bear thinking about…unless you’re Steve Scott. Steve and his team at Rivet are masters with sheet metal, illustrated most notably at New Plymouth’s iconic Len Lye Museum.

Steve’s actually an electrician, but don’t let that fool you. He’s taken Rivet to a place where they’re regarded as the team for the hard jobs that other people can’t do. He’s also a passionate supporter of training young people, and a bit of a larrikin to boot.

This is a great example of how to become an expert in your field. Steve brings to life stories of his iconic projects, including gin stills and art sculptures. He brings a grounded approach, throws in a good dash of humour and ends with a great yarn about how to make a local business really stand out.

Glen Stephens / Sol + Sea

Some people are just made different. Plenty of others would be happy with being director of a successful building company while raising two kids…but not Glen Stephens. He saw an opportunity to make an environmentally friendly sunscreen that protects against New Zealand’s harsh sun, and his side hustle is rapidly growing.

Glen is the founder of Sol + Sea, which started after seeing the devastating effects of coral bleaching in the Pacific. After a few years of investment, putting in the hard yards and refining his business strategy, Glen has developed a range of products and got them into stores all over NZ (and soon internationally). 

This is a great yarn about how he did it, what makes him tick, and how something like this is possible from his base in Taranaki. 

James Annabell / Egmont Honey

From being a professional rugby player to running a successful international honey company, James Annabell’s story is a highly unlikely one. Not to mention the fact the Egmont Honey CEO and founder is allergic to bee stings.

 

However, there can be no denying the success of this family-run company. It started with James giving his dad a beehive for Christmas one year, and it’s grown to having more than 4,000 hives and exporting more than 1,000 tonnes of honey each year to more than 20 countries around the world.

 

James talks candidly about the challenges of making honey in some of the most remote parts of New Zealand, and how Egmont Honey is influenced by the local Taranaki region. The world of honey is immensely fascinating, and James’ ability to bring it to life makes this a must-listen episode of The PowerUp Podcast. 

 

We’re proud to bring you the voices of our entrepreneurs, innovators and creators, delivered with their own experiences, insights and humour in mind - the views, thoughts and opinions shared by our guests are uniquely theirs. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Venture Taranaki.

John Matthews / Technix

In this episode of the PowerUp Podcast, prominent businessman John Matthews lifts the lid on his successes, challenges, and belief in taking risks - like shipping the largest oil tank to ever go on water from Taranaki to Fiji...without insurance. 

 

John is a hugely influential figure in Taranaki’s cultural and art scene, as well as its business and infrastructure. A successful engineer and businessman, John’s expertise in roading and bitumen have seen him made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. 

 

A close friend of the late Len Lye, John is an adamant believer in the beauty of art. He was at the forefront of installing New Plymouth’s iconic wind wand - what was a highly divisive project at the time, as well as the city’s unique Len Lye gallery.

 

We’re proud to bring you the voices of our entrepreneurs, innovators and creators, delivered with their own experiences, insights and humour in mind - the views, thoughts and opinions shared by our guests are uniquely theirs. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Venture Taranaki.

Dave and Jo James / Juno Gin

The story of how Juno came to be one of New Zealand’s leading spirits companies is hard to believe. After successful corporate careers, Dave and Jo James returned to Taranaki with a dream to distill premium gin. They invested a whole lot of time and money to source everything they needed, before trying to figure out the small matter of how gin was made.

 

Dave and Jo’s journey to winning a New Zealand gold medal in just two years is a tribute to dedication and creativity. With a considerable amount of help from Taranaki business advocates, engineers, growers and marketers, Juno Gin is now forging a path ahead for all New Zealand spirits. Dave and Jo’s ambitious dream is for kiwi spirits to be thought of internationally in the same way New Zealand wine is. 

 

This is an awesome story about enthusiasm and a can-do attitude, showing just what’s possible when you strive for the very best.

 

We’re proud to bring you the voices of our entrepreneurs, innovators and creators, delivered with their own experiences, insights and humour in mind - the views, thoughts and opinions shared by our guests are uniquely theirs. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Venture Taranaki.

Pania Winterburn / Ngā Rauru

If there’s a book on how to run an iwi business, Ngā Rauru would feature in it heavily. Ngā Rauru iwi is behind the smoothie company Kaitahi, they’ve used a socially and environmentally friendly model to deliver healthy food all over New Zealand. What’s more, their traditional Māori ingredients add significant cultural significance to their operations.

 

In this awesome episode of the PowerUp Podcast, Pania Winterburn talks through how Kaitahi has gone from a small community nursery in south Taranaki to making unique frozen smoothie drops with ingredients like puha and kawakawa. She talks about the evolution of the business, how they navigate its iwi ownership and how they’ve been guided by their culture and their people.

 

Kaitahi is an amazing initiative in its own right, but its principles and its purpose make it truly special. This is a must listen!

 

We’re proud to bring you the voices of our entrepreneurs, innovators and creators, delivered with their own experiences, insights and humour in mind - the views, thoughts and opinions shared by our guests are uniquely theirs. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Venture Taranaki.

James Donald and Letitia Stevenson / Yonder

What happens when an oil and gas executive meets an anthropologist for the first time, and they decide to start a software company? It might sound like a bad joke, but for James Donald and Letitia Stevenson, it was the start of a hugely successful business developing chatbots for the tourism industry. Honestly, you have to hear this story to believe it.

 

James and Letitia are the founders of Yonder, a company that’s designing custom bots for leading tourism companies all over New Zealand. From a chance meeting at a business event to bravely going into business together, their determination and initiative has helped them make their far-off dream a reality.

 

This is another business tale about perseverance and determination. James and Letitia have been on a rapid learning curve that keeps getting steeper each time they tackle a new challenge (thanks a lot, COVID-19). They are adaptable and creative, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way are SUPER relevant for anyone in business. 

 

We’re proud to bring you the voices of our entrepreneurs, innovators and creators, delivered with their own experiences, insights and humour in mind - the views, thoughts and opinions shared by our guests are uniquely theirs. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Venture Taranaki.