THE BAKER GATHERER (AUCKLAND) Lolly cake cheesecake was what got kindergarten teacher Dane McGregor into social media influencing. When The Edge radio station spotted his sweet creation on his blog two years ago, the 30-year-old’s trickle of followers turned into 10,000 and resulted in McGregor being signed to an Auckland agency which brokers sponsorship between him and major companies such as Chelsea Sugar and Edmonds. McGregor, who calls his cooking “frankensteining recipes”, says he uses their products to come up with new recipes and write posts about them. “It started simply – I love lolly cake and cheesecake, and I couldn’t believe no-one else had put them together before,” he says. www.bakergatherer.com www.foodtechnology.co.nz 87 CHIA NZ (NELSON) Collaboration is what Chia founder Chloe Van Dyke credits with her natural chia seed energy drink’s success over the past few years. The company – which has recently set the Hong Kong market as its next target after Singapore and Malaysia last year – has followed the paths of other local brands that have already established distribution channels in Asia. She shares a container with fellow Nelson brands Pic’s Peanut Butter and Proper Crisps to use their distribution channels in Singapore and Malaysia, and sends a container a month. Twenty-four premium supermarkets across Hong Kong now sell Chia, which provides drinkers with a vegetarian form of Omega 3 along with essential nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium and naturally occurring electrolytes, and holds more than 10 times its weight in water It is rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre. Van Dyke’s range is blended with fruit juice. www.chia.co.nz OFF DUTY (WELLINGTON) When Prue Feely and Julian Wigley gave up their work on super yachts to start their own business, they decided that a high-end meal kit service emulating the international trends would bring something new to the market. Off Duty – launched late last year – offers chef-quality restaurant food to young professionals who are time-poor with pre-ordered meals made in a commercial kitchen in Newtown and finished off at home – from $38 for two. “This is a Wellington inspired endeavour, with the hope that everyone can create a delicious dinner with ease and confidence. Off Duty will give you a moment to enjoy a great meal around the dinner table with friends and family,” the partners say. www.offduty.nz
FT-Annual Directory 2018-eMag
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