Turning A Passion For Kombucha Into A Successful Northland Business
MamaZing started as a health journey for Amira and Jo, who then shared their passion for kombucha with their friends and family at their no alcohol wedding. They soon realised that there was a demand for their kombucha and decided to turn their home brewing into a business. They set up a stall at the local farmers market in Nelson and began selling their kombucha to the public in their distinctive refillable, brown bottles with swing top lids.
We love making kombucha and we love sharing it with people. It's been an amazing journey and we've learned so much along the way. I think our success so far is because we've been committed to the vision, the holistic vision, as opposed to being committed to the success of the business.
- Amira, co-owner of Mama Zing
However, running a kombucha business in Northland has not been without its challenges over the past few years. They primarily sold their kombucha through market stalls, but following the pandemic, that sales opportunity was closed to them for several months. Then Cyclone Gabrielle hit Northland and MamaZing had to deal with major flooding issues, plus water quality problems and power outages which prevented them from brewing.
Amira says they also faced competition from other kombucha brands. "The Kombucha industry is extra tough in New Zealand, as corporate brands have taken over the shelves. Many smaller brands have folded in the past few years, as the beverage industry is still dominated by sugar filled, cheap drinks. Changing a culture is not a slow process. The beverage industry is not where we see MamaZing. We are focused on the health and wellness of our products. MamaZing Kombucha is an every day probiotic tonic. We have had our probiotics tested and MamaZing has a large and diverse range of beneficial bacteria and yeast in the brew. Gut health is key for restoring and retaining holistic health".
MamaZing has always stood out from the crowd, as Amira and Jo tend to do things differently being artists before business people. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, Amira and Jo have diversified into a multitude of other products and services based around their passion about plants for life and wellness.
As a trained herbalist Amira developed their second product range, made from mushroom powder blends. These have been very popular at markets and festivals. And then following the success of these blends, Amira also developed a chocolate range with one of her main flavourings utilising Lion’s Mane mushrooms.
A sample of their delicious new chocolate range.
Photo Credit: Joanna Bottomley
And if that wasn’t enough, MamaZing are also talented and popular musicians performing both in Northland and around the country on the festivals circuit in addition to also being artists and educators.
Early on in their business development journey, MamaZing connected with Northland Inc, and our Growth Advisors were able to put them in touch with organisations such as NZTE, Callaghan Innovation, and Manaaki where they sourced funding for various projects.
Earlier this year they connected with our Growth Advisor David Templeton to explore support that Northland Inc can provide for the opportunities they are now pursuing.
One of their key challenges moving forward is systemising their business and getting their recipes and systems in place so that they can pass their jobs on to others. They also want to explore new markets and opportunities, both nationally and internationally.
We're at the point where we want it to grow and it's like that uncomfortably large step between doing it all and and relinquishing those tasks and and upscaling enough production of all the different things so that they start to pay for themselves" - Jo, co-owner of MamaZing
Again, this is where our Growth Advisors come in, with connections and introductions to people and resources who will be able to help them in this next phase of their business development. For many of our customers, it’s not just about providing funding via the Regional Business Programme, it’s often about who we can connect them to. David has put them in touch with Suzanne Hall – founder of Living Nature – who is working out of the laboratories at Mahinga Innovation Centre, with small boutique businesses that are looking to develop nutraceutical products. Amira says this connection will be so useful when it comes to helping her develop and test the shelf life of the lotions and skin care products she plans to develop.
Growth Advisor with David Templeton with Jo and Amira
"MamaZing is a great example of a Northland business that has overcome challenges and seized opportunities. They have a unique product, a strong brand, and a clear vision. They've also shown resilience, innovation, and determination in growing their business. We’re looking forward to continuing our support and seeing them achieve their next goals." - David Templeton, Northland Inc Growth Advisor
And remember how we said they stood out in the Kombucha market? Well recently they celebrated their 9-year business anniversary by launching their new miniZings at GoGreen Expo and the Old Packhouse Market! The 330ml bottle is available in 6-packs from their website as are their wellbeing tonics and chocolates which we can confirm are so good!