Start-up

Blackball on the West Coast has a well-deserved reputation for its exceptional artisanal food businesses. Now with Blackball Black Garlic, this reputation is only being reinforced. Sam Weston, co-owner of Blackball Black Garlic, explains that the production process involves a five-week fermentation period that dramatically alters both the taste and chemical composition of raw garlic. “We don’t add anything to it. It’s a natural process that happens over the five weeks, and when it comes out the other side, it tastes completely different.” The taste of Blackball Black Garlic is difficult to describe, but the pair say it’s a real umami tsunami. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, and means ‘essence

CannaPlus+ is New Zealand’s first internationally affiliated medicinal cannabis clinic network and telemedicine platform. Founder Eva Neshat reveals the vision behind the business. NZB: Launching a new, consumer focused business during the pandemic can’t have been easy. How have you continued to navigate the ongoing challenges created by the pandemic over the past year? EVA: A challenge would be an understatement. Navigating the continuous roadblocks that have been in our way due to the pandemic has been extremely difficult. Like all businesses we have dealt with multiple lockdowns, a delayed launch, cancelled events, as well as managing the team, consultants, and facilities all through the uncertainty. For us, agile project delivery has been the most beneficial way to mitigate the risk

Looking to build your own business app? Entrepreneurs Erika and Will Palmer share their experience in launching their relationship app for couples. Cupla is a brand new app for couples, founded by Erika (nee Amoore, founder of Synthony) and Will Palmer (founder of Movio). Will and Erika had noticed that so many of their friends were using and had successfully found their life partners on dating apps, however there was nothing to support the relationship once they happily signed off Hinge or Bumble together. Dating apps were seemingly everywhere but there was nothing to support what they refer to as ‘life after the swipe’. Their goal is to build Cupla into the number one relationship app in the world by 2025,

A new estate management app which removes the stress from organising and cataloguing household possessions is designed to function as a conversation starter among family members. Lisa Dooling has spent the last nine months developing the Sought app which helps people to sort and organise their possessions using a simple and intuitive cataloguing system which can be operated using any smartphone or tablet. For Lisa organising and creating systems comes naturally. She had built databases and processes for companies that are still in use over a decade later. Lisa has tended to work for new companies and created or updated their processes so that business can grow with strong administrative structures. Having personally moved 14 times in 15 years with six