Marlaina Curtis is a TV presenter turned spice maker, and her New Plymouth brand MK Spice was born live on camera. Meet the maker behind the jerk seasonings in our Tasty Taranaki Gift Box.
Supplier Stories
The Taipa Salt Pig: Sea Salt Made With Nothing But Sunshine and Patience
Meet The Taipa Salt Pig from Taipa in the Far North. Their natural sea salt starts as seawater collected by hand, then dries in the sun for three to five weeks with nothing added. You’ll find it in our Notable Northland Gift Box and our Vegan Gift Box.
MALVA Chocolate: Stone Ground Bean to Bar From the Ōākura Coast
Meet Bronwyn O’Hara of MALVA Chocolate in Ōākura, Taranaki. She makes stone-ground, bean-to-bar chocolate by hand in micro batches, using cacao sourced directly from farming communities in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. You’ll find her Stone Ground Full Bean Organic 70% cacao Bean to Bar in our Tasty Taranaki Gift Box.
Theory Food: A New Plymouth Fruit Spread Built on Doing Good
Meet Momo Martin and Michelle Hartley, the New Plymouth pair behind Theory Food. What started as a pancake stall at the local seaside market has grown into a catering business that puts a share of its revenue into feeding local families. You will find their Reduced Sugar Raspberry and Chia Fruit Spread in our Tasty Taranaki Gift Box.
Treasured Morning: A Taranaki Health Journey That Became Hemp Powered Granola
Meet Liz O’Callaghan, the New Plymouth founder behind Treasured Morning. What started as a breakfast problem in her own kitchen, solved with almonds, chia and NZ-grown hemp protein, has grown into a small-batch granola business with a 2024 NZ Food Awards Pantry finalist nod. You’ll find it in our Tasty Taranaki and Healthy Habits gift boxes.
Yum Granola: From a Lake Hāwea Kitchen to Nelson’s Finest Breakfast
Meet Sarah Hedger and Mike Cowlin, the chef and marine biologist behind Yum Granola. What started in a Lake Hāwea community hall kitchen, with the first batch delivered by mountain bike, has grown into a Nelson-based breakfast brand with Gold at the 2025 NZ Artisan Awards and a Climate Positive certification. You’ll find their Pancake & Waffle Mix in our Gluten-Free, Breakfast Bliss and Healthy Habits gift boxes.
Meet Due North Foods: Bold Flavours from Aotearoa’s Far North
Cable Bay sits tucked into Doubtless Bay, about as far north as you can go in New Zealand. This is where Due North Foods handcrafts every one of its sauces, jams, and chutneys. From Karikari Peninsula olives to wild Northland blackberries, every jar connects to the land around it.
Preservation Jam: From Bay of Plenty to Kāpiti, Rescuing Produce One Jar at a Time
Meet Samantha Burgess, founder of Preservation Jam. What started as a mission to rescue excess produce in the Bay of Plenty has found a new home on the Kāpiti Coast. Sam crafts all-natural, small-batch preserves and jams from local seasonal fruits that would otherwise go to waste. You’ll find her creations in our Kāpiti Goodies Gift Box.
Northland’s Olives On The Hill: From Forgotten Grove to Award-Winning Olive Oil
Chris and Linda Smith discovered a neglected olive grove during a bike ride in Mangawhai in 2012, restored it, and now produce award-winning EVOO from five varieties. Their grove was selected for a national research programme that doubled olive yields across NZ. They’ve won medals every year since their first harvest and still run community picking days. We stock their oil in our Notable Northland and Vegan gift boxes.
Wonderland Chocolate: Wellington’s Plant-Based Chocolate Pioneer
This article is part of our Supplier Stories series, where we share the people and stories behind the products in our gift boxes. There’s something special about discovering a local producer who’s genuinely doing things differently. Wonderland Chocolate first caught our attention through their branding. That distinctive turquoise packaging with carnival characters immediately stood out […]
