You’d be hard pressed to describe Hawke’s Bay as New Zealand’s Silicon Valley but Tom Wallace, the founder and CEO of fast-growing local software company Re-Leased, can’t see why it couldn’t be. Re-Leased is on a mission to double the size of its current team of 60 staff, and that
Since it began in 2012, F.A.W .C! has become such a drawcard for locals and visitors alike that it’s hard to imagine Hawke’s Bay’s event calendar without it. But now the woman who established the Food and Wine Challenge – and has nurtured the growth of the twice-a-year celebration of
Global and national interest in hemp seed products may be growing but when Kanapu launched into the market, its founders knew they needed to establish a unique selling proposition to ensure success. At that point, the market was focused on hemp seed oil as a nutraceutical and it was commonly
Having to ramp up your target production because product demand significantly exceeds initial forecasts is one of those business headaches it can be nice to have. It’s the situation Isaac Beach and Simon White of Otane-based Kanapu Hemp Foods found themselves in this year. Kanapu has been growing hemp on
When Hawke’s Bay-based beverage company Parkers decided to add a craft beer to its portfolio, it started with a simple objective. “Our aim was to produce best-in-class beer,” says Parkers founder Doug Speedy. “Before we considered the branding, our starting point was that the beer had to be good.” Doug
Much-needed ‘angel’ funding is beginning to flow into local start-up businesses thanks to a new group that brings entrepreneurs and investors together. Deals are being done between Hawke’s Bay entrepreneurs and members of a new group established to bring together local investors willing to provide venture capital to early- stage
Katie Nimon has been working in her family business – Nimon Luxury Passenger Transport – since she was 14. Now she’s been recognised as a leading influencer for Hawke’s Bay tourism. When this year’s Hawke’s Bay Tourism Awards were announced in September, Katie Nimon was honoured with a special individual
Chefs and foodies have been quick to develop a taste for Otane-based Kanapu’s premium cold-pressed hemp seed oil. But that’s just the beginning. The company’s founders want to put Hawke’s Bay on the map as a global supplier of top-end hemp foods. Having to ramp up your target production because
Today’s high school students face a world where technological change makes it much harder to plot out a career path. That’s one reason Woodford House has embraced the Young Enterprise Scheme. Woodford House is one of 15 schools across Hawke’s Bay participating in the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) this year
As the Young Enterprise Scheme grows in popularity across Hawke’s Bay, a team with a difference has taken up the challenge of learning to run a business from inside the region’s prison. The walls of the training room inside the youth unit at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison are plastered with
