SUPPLIERS
TO WATCH
A HÖPT REALITY:
James & Wells, Lion Ventures, Dotdot create NZ’s first virtual drink
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Is virtual reality the new mixer? Guests of
intellectual property law firm James & Wells’
recent ‘Eats & Geeks’ event might just have
been the first to find out.
Eats & Geeks is an annual gathering of
innovative Kiwi companies operating in the
food and beverage sector. From plant-based
burgers to sheep milk gin, the future of food
and beverage is happening right here in our
backyards.
This year’s theme was centred around the future
of networking and how technology could impact
the traditional role of food and beverages in
social contexts. In collaboration with Lion
Ventures, whose mission is to carve out new
avenues for people to connect and live well,
and Dotdot studio a virtual experience was
created for guests to try.
Participants wore a virtual reality headset
and held a bottle of Höpt soda encased in a
trackable sleeve. Starting in a white room, with
only the bottle visible, each sip taken filled the
virtual environment with vibrant 3D images and
sounds that represented the flavours, textures
and experience of the soda.
“It was a thrill to bring the flavours and
sensations of the Höpt Pink Guava and Rose
to life and let people control their experience
through drinking the actual soda - mixed reality
with a mixer,” says Dotdot’s Kate Stevenson.
As New Zealand’s “champions of innovation”,
James & Wells is proud to help companies
protect its brands and inventions both here and
internationally. The firm has a dedicated team of
food and beverage specialists and showcased a
fascinating range of companies with innovative
products such as Isocream’s hemp protein ice
cream, Primal Future’s cricket corn chips, and
a drink mimicking the relaxing properties of
cannabis from Grassene.
James & Wells’ partner Carrick Robinson
says: “This event grows every year and
we’re constantly amazed at the breadth
and variety of innovation in this sector.
Virtual reality drinks may not be
mainstream, but it was exciting to
craft a new kind of beverage.
“We think the future for New Zealand’s
innovation ecosystem remains as bright and
tasty as ever.”
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