Waikato Business News November/December 2019

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46 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2019 CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES The trouble with tea: a brew under threat Everyone likes a good cuppa, but when not every leaf is as green as you might think, it’s never been more important to know where your tea comes from. The world’s most popular beverage is produced in 58 countries across five continents, but not all teas are made equal. Worker exploitation, the heavy use of harmful pesticides and herbicides, and the ever-increasing threat of climate change threaten the future of the global tea industry. More and more, people are looking towards regenerative agriculture and zero waste from the food on their plate, and they’re seeking that same accountability in their cup. With consumers becoming more conscious of the growing process of their tea, ensuring sustainable production is essential for the future of the tea industry. But producing almost six million tonnes of tea every year is no easy feat. Of the issues facing the world’s tea producers, the changing global climate is undeniably the biggest hurdle they face. Increasing temperatures have the potential to dry soil, rendering it unusable for the already-sensitive camellia trees, and unpredictable weather can ruin entire harvests in days. Frequent poor yields in tea-growing nations like Kenya and Sri Lanka have already driven the international price of tea upwards. It is forecast to rise by up to 26 percent in the next five years if conditions don’t change. Many tea plantations have turned to the heavy use of pesticides to give the plants a fighting chance. But with consumer awareness for pesticide use on the rise and a global movement to limit the use of pesticides in food products, this is becoming less of an option. The health impacts of pesticides on plantation workers is also a cause for growing concern, and many plantations are giving up pesticides completely. But one local tea producer Zealong general manager Gigi Crawford. is proving it isn’t so hard to produce tea that is truly ‘green.’ Zealong general manager Gigi Crawford said as a country built on sustainability, New Zealand tea drinkers should focus on established brands product origins and question where their teas actually come from. “More and more, people are looking towards regenerative agriculture and zero waste from the food on their plate, and they’re seeking that same accountability in their cup.” In less than 20 years, the global consumption for tea has grown over 60 percent, and with more than 5000 years of history already behind the humble brew, the pressure is on to keep the tradition alive and well. - Supplied copy ● Fast, safe, reliable, 24/7 taxis ● Corporate ● Business class and ● 6 & 11 Seater Vans available Download our ihail.nz Taxi app WE WILL BEAT ANY RIDESHARE FARE BY 10% Accept all major credit cards 202187AA Contact our friendly, efficient Team at the Hamilton Taxis Office to negotiate special rates for your Conference or Event on (07) 846-0061 0r info@hamiltontaxis.co.nz CONFERENCES · PRIVATE DINING · LIBRARY · EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM Zealong Tea Estate Ltd • 495 Gordonton Road, Hamilton 3281 • Ph 07 854 0988 • events@zealong.co.nz • www.zealong.com
CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2019 47 Soda showcase fuels entrepreneurial fire One year of hard work and determination for several Soda Inc graduates was celebrated by more than 200 people who left with a fire in their belly and a drive to fulfil their entrepreneurial dreams. The Soda Inc Ambition Showcase – powered by ASB Bank – saw entrepreneurs from all over New Zealand and as far as Australia come together for an evening of storytelling. The evening was kicked off with MC Sacha Coburn singing happy birthday to Soda as the not-for-profit turned 10 Richard Odgers and Colin Young from ASB. Rachel Adams, Ricky Jack and Luke Taylor. Dorenda Britten and Vaughan Fergusson. this year. Soda CE Erin Wansbrough then shared some of the Soda origin story saying that the Soda team wanted to honour their past as it guided them into the future. “Part of that past is our namesake, Mary Jane Innes. In 1900, Mary Jane Innes launched a soda-bottling factory on the corner of Victoria and Bridge Streets in Hamilton. “She laid the foundations, not only for today’s brewery but, also for the soft-drink giant that became Oasis Industries in 1979. Oasis Industries, who after various name and ownership changes, are now the largest bottlers in New Zealand. You might have heard of them… Coca Cola Amatil NZ! “Mary Jane Innes is the beating heart that fuels the team at Soda. The tenacity required to achieve what she achieved as a businesswoman in the 1900s underpins our culture, ethos and purpose. “Soda endeavours to continue honouring Mary Jane’s success through supporting and nurturing like-minded entrepreneurs,” Erin said. The crowd then heard from serial entrepreneur Samuel Junghenn, the founder and head strategist of Think Big Online, who spoke about the 10 biggest mistakes he had made in business. “As an entrepreneur you are always striving to get to that point of success, but like my mum said, ‘it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey’. That’s been the biggest lesson for me. You’re never going to reach the destination of success, it’s about the journey,” he said. Following Samuel were four of Soda’s clients and alumni. Lisette du Plessis, founder of Magpie, spoke about her crowdfunding publishing startup business, highlighting her love for books. Du Plessis said she had been a publisher for 10 years before she decided to revolutionise the industry with own publishing company who publish “books that matter”. Stefan Roesch, co-founder of FilmQuest, said he was the first person in the world to complete a PhD in film tourism and that’s how his startup came about. “FilmQuest provides a platform for movie lovers who want to explore the world's iconic film locations, discover the best film tourism experiences and read about film-inspired travel stories.” Roesch said the Soda Lift programme had enabled Film- Quest to set their sights on taking their business to the world. “We want to make Film- Quest available to everyone and that means bringing on Graduates with ASB and Soda_Richard Odgers, Wes Moir, Anna Latū, Georgia Latū, Erin Wansbrough, Simone Stewart, Stefan Roesch, Tony Brunton and Michael Briggs. board the 80 million film tourism lovers that are already out there right now searching for the spot where John Snow and Daenerys Targaryen had that conversation on that cliff. We will be calling on all of you film lovers to join with us to capture the magic.” Soda alumni Andrew Bishop, founder of Findatruckload, then spoke about his success since finishing the Soda Lift programme in 2013 and the lessons he has carried with him since. “The three big things Soda taught me that helped my business take off were: Find your why, hire great people and realise that change is the only constant in life,” he said. Bishop said Findatruckload had just turned 10 years old and now employed 23 staff throughout New Zealand, just hit $10 million in revenue, delivered 97,000 loads, worked with 1600 carriers and had 1500 customers. Georgia Tiatia Fa’atoese Latū, co-founder of Pōtiki Poi, finished the Soda client stories by challenging the crowd to be more inclusive in their business. “Sometimes as a younger business owner I am overlooked based on my age. We have had meetings where Mum and I have been ignored and only my Uncle Jess has been listened to because of our gender. “I think, far out, because I’m 13, female and Māori I am going to have to really shake things up with some dinosaurs and represent rangatahi Māori Jiabao Zhao (Bao), Callum Macdonald, Namrah Siddiqui Carpio, Chun Ho Tse (Leo). Georgia Tiatia Fa’atoese Latu¯, Eliot Jessep and Anna Tiatia Fa’atoese Latu¯. even more.” Vaughan Fergusson, founder of Vend, stepped up to the podium to share his entrepreneurial journey and wowed the crowd with the amazing things he has done, all in the name of his mum. “My mum sparked the passion I have for what I do and I wouldn’t have done any of it without her,” he said. The showcase was wrapped up by ASB commercial regional manager Richard Odgers. “To get to success, we need a fire in our belly to spark a desire to do something – that’s ambition, that’s what this showcase is about, and after those speeches I have a fire in my belly,” Odgers said. Soda team: Kyra Piccione, Angela Smith, Rachel Adams, Erin Wansbrough and Anna Devcich. Samuel Junghenn and Stefan Roesch.
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Waikato Business News November/December 2019

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