Cow to Cone, an Ice Cream maker that’s Different
Murray and his business partner Julian are third generation dairy farmers from Nelson. In 2017 they did what no one expects from two farmers and went into the ice cream business. From cow to cone, their whole process is a labour of love. We all know that ice cream comes from milk but in the case of most ice cream companies we have no idea where that milk comes from or how good the quality of milk actually is. That is not the case with the ice cream made by Appleby Farms.
From cow to cone, they own the whole process. What does that mean? Murray explains, “we raise the cows, feed the cows, milk the cows, grow the fruit that goes into the icecream, transport the milk to the factory and then make our own icecream.” They are one of the few, if not only icecream maker in New Zealand that follows this philosophy.
Neighbours and friends for years, Julian and Murray are third and fourth generation dairy farmers based in Nelson. Murray says, “I came back to NZ temporarily because I had used up all my work visas. At the same time the farm manager on the family farm had decided to do something different so I decided I’d be the farm manager until they found someone else and 25 years later, I’m still there.”
After spending a few years making sure all their cows were A2 certified, Julian and Murray were looking for a way to grow their dairy farming business, generate better returns and create a product that wasn’t really a commodity. While other farms focus on making yoghurt or cheese, Julian and Murray decided to turn some of their milk into icecream. And, when you consider that on a per capita basis New Zealand is second largest consumer of icecream globally, it feels like a great business decision!
Since selling their first scoop in December 2017, they’ve now built their own creamery in Nelson, won a whole bunch of awards for their icecream and export their premium ice creams to Singapore and Australia. Made using real milk, real cream and in most cases local fruit, Appleby Farms Icecream is a worthy addition to your supermarket trolley.
On the show today we talk about:
- Dairy farming in New Zealand – how it’s different from the rest of the world
- A2 milk – what is it really and what’s the fuss?
- Growing a dairy farming business and how icecream came in to the picture
- Whacky flavours v/s the originals v/s the best ingredients, the secret to being a successful icecream brand
Listen to the Podcast Here:
Quotes:
“Having been involved in a few start-ups before, I can say that it always is more difficult than you expect, it always costs more and it always takes longer.”
“95% of the dairy cow population live in a corral or a shed. They are industrial factory farms. In comparison, in NZ our animals stay outside all year round and are able to express a lot of their natural behaviours. This leads to a really high quality product.”
Appleby Farms: https://www.applebyfarms.co.nz/
Is the Climate Change Commission ambitious enough?
The NZ Climate Change Commission released its landmark report late January. The 650-page discussion document sets an agenda for how New Zealand could achieve GHG emissions reductions to align with our international obligations, such as the Paris Agreement, and achieve the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. It’s a big document, with lots to say and implications that some say are as radical as the Rogernomics revolution of the 1980s. But is it radical enough? And what does it not say about the need for change? To explain the document and early reactions to it, Vincent is joined by the two of the climate change team from Newsroom.co.nz, Marc Daalder and Rod Oram.
Hear the Podcast Here:
Visit Newsroom’s coverage here
Visit the Climate Change Commission here
NZ Tech Podcast Interview: Jason Langley – Managing Director, Ingram Micro
Jason Langley (Managing Director, Ingram Micro) joins Paul Spain to share perspectives on new technology, leadership, cyber security, working from home, technology distribution and more.
Special thanks to organisations who support innovation and tech leadership in New Zealand by partnering with NZ Tech Podcast:
Umbrellar Connect
Sumo Logic
Vodafone NZ
HP
Spark NZ
Vocus
Gorilla Technology
Keep Calm and Curry On
Indika came for a day visit to Waiheke when he had just moved to New Zealand. He loved it so much he decided to start living there. For someone from Srilanka, “it was like home, just without the coconut trees”. Today, he owns his own food truck, Indy’s Curry pot which serves up delicious Srilankan curries and fusion Srilankan food on Waiheke Island. But the journey to this seemingly ‘dream job’ has taken a serious amount of hustle on Indika’s part. He’s gone from cooking a curry as the staff meal at the vineyard he worked at to hosting a popup Curry Monday on his only day off in the week to now owning his food truck. How did he do it? You’re going to have to listen to the whole episode for that!
Listen to the Podcast Here:
On the show we chat about:
- Is there a thing like too much curry?
- How is a Srilankan curry different to an Indian one
- Where in Auckland can you tuck into some Srilankan food
- Following the slow path to food entrepreneurship
- Doing business on Waiheke Island – is it hard?
Favourite quote:
“Growing up, was it curry every night? Oh yes. Sometimes, it was curry three times a day, even for breakfast!”
The $1B Clubhouse – What is the Present and Future of Audio Social Networks?
We delve into Clubhouse – a new audio social network that’s grown dramatically in recent days thanks to visits by Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and more. What is it and what does the future of Clubhouse look like as competitors prepare to take on this new and fresh company with a >$1B valuation. Hear first-hand comments on use of competitor Twitter Spaces, along with thoughts on the role of Facebook and LinkedIn in this space.
Experts who share the virtual stage this episode include John Kapos (Small Business Social Media Thought Leader – Australia), Mark Derricutt (NZ Podcast Pioneer), James Cridland (Podcast/Audio Futurist – Podnews), Rob Greenlee (VP Content and Partnerships, Libsyn) – along with host Paul Spain (Futurist and Technologist).
Special thanks to organisations who support innovation and tech leadership in New Zealand by partnering with NZ Tech Podcast:
Umbrellar Connect
Sumo Logic
Vodafone NZ
HP
Spark NZ
Vocus
Gorilla Technology
NZ Sales & Marketing Insider – Episode 2: Jamie Beaton
Ben talks to Jamie Beaton, CEO and Co-Founder of Crimson Education – the world’s most successful US/UK university admissions support consultancy helping young people gain scholarships to Ivy League universities.
Listen or Subscribe Free:
NZ Sales & Marketing Insider – Episode 1: Shaun Drylie
Ben talks with Shaun Drylie, Group Chief Executive Officer at SBS Bank.
Listen or Subscribe Free:
Did Patrick Reed cheat?
New Zealand golf legend, John Lister, joins our hosts to kick off the 2021 season by looking at the controversy that developed at the Farmers Insurance Open, in California, when Patrick Reed picked up his embedded ball. As well, Telfer and Hyde look at what’s coming up in 2021 and, with Lister, who to keep an eye on among young Kiwi players coming through the ranks.
Listen now:
Founder Insights: Mike Carden + Philip Carden – Joyous
This episode brothers Mike Carden and Philip Carden share insights from their fast moving startup Joyous – and their past endeavours including Mike’s success with building and selling Sonar6 and Philip’s learnings leading a huge global team as Global Head of Consulting Services at Alcatel-Lucent.
Special thanks to organisations who support innovation and tech leadership in New Zealand by partnering with NZ Tech Podcast:
Umbrellar Connect
Sumo Logic
Vodafone NZ
HP
Spark NZ
Vocus
Gorilla Technology
Building a Doomsday Portfolio / Jim Rickards
Building your doomsday portfolio with Jim Rickards
Post-it notes be damned, we sit down with international powerhouse Jim Rickards to discuss the passive aggressive portfolio perfect for “The New Great Depression”, how revaluing gold could be the escape route for the developed economies, and the irrational gap between Wall Street and Main Street.
“Reality always wins. That gap is going to close. There will be a stock market crash, but not necessarily tomorrow.”
I doubt it’ll take mental gymnastics for listeners to figure out which “gap” it is that Jim Rickards refers to here. Even for the most casual of observers, the United States’ bullish stock market growth feels out of step with the reality of a country hamstrung by a year long pandemic.
“The stock market has never been more detached from the real economy, ever,” said Rickards.
In mid-2019 Rickards wrote an eerily prescient book titled Aftermath: Seven Secrets of Wealth Preservation in the Coming Chaos, which outlines how and why our financial markets are being artificially inflated and the ways investors can protect themselves against the inevitable demise.
So when Rickards says with certainty we’re going to see a major market correction, you should be wary of betting against him. Betting either way of course isn’t advised either way – none of us would likely pick the timing well enough.
If there is a major financial collapse coming though, and more important for us – how can the everyday investor protect themselves and their wealth?
Now, on to what I would call Jim’s ‘Passive-Aggressive Portfolio’ :
Gold: 10%
A lot, right? Watching the Gold price over the last year, it’s easy to see why he’s so hell bent on the shiny stuff, but Rickards explanation is more sophisticated than picking the next big thing.
According to Rickards, Gold is a hedge for both a financial collapse, and a market rebound.
“There’s only one way for the central bank to encourage spending: Raise the dollar price of gold.”
In 1933 FDR raised the dollar price of gold by 70%, which had a powerful reflationary impact on the economy, and was fundamental in helping pull them out of The [original] Great Depression. Rickards argues it’s the best solution to the issue of the current day, too.
In his new book, The New Great Depression, Rickards argues that if the reserve bank fails to do this, the economy will fall into chaos. Chaos, as we know, is great for the price of gold. Basically, Rickards sees buying gold as a hedge both ways.
“Gold will go there either way. It’ll either go through some chaotic collapse in trust for paper currencies, or it’ll get there in a reasoned way by design through central banks and monetary policy.”
Cash: 30%
Not only is that a lot, most of us are conditioned to think we should decrease our cash holding when interest rates are super-low. I would have normally thought this amount would also be too high, for reasons mentioned above as to why you would want gold (a collapse in confidence of our paper currency).
“We could be facing deflation, in which case you give yourself optionality,” said Rickards.
I think what he means here is with cash during this time, you have a call option effectively on opportunity. When markets pull-back, like big time, people need to sell at any price. If you’re there ready and waiting (and you have a bit of courage), you could take the ground others leave behind
The rest: you choose
For the remaining 60%, Rickards is less prescriptive, but he does recommend some combination of residential real estate in attractive cities, high grade government bonds, and some exposure to equities. Interestingly, he’s not a fan of commercial real estate.
Where to from here?
For my generation and younger, I think we need to ask some challenging questions around how we’re going to build wealth knowing what we know today. Are we still going to follow old methodologies that are tried and true, or are we going to adopt new strategies in the hope this could provide us an edge in the new world to come?
If you also believe that transformation is coming, the good news is that there is something we can do. Whatever strategy you have, will it be durable, all things considered? With equity markets, even our monetary system, I think there’s a growing chance we’re either in the eye of the storm or in the calm before the storm. Either way, things may soon get shaken, so perhaps investors do need to think about how to get themselves ready.
The NZ Everyday Investor is brought to you in partnership with Hatch. Hatch, let’s you become a shareholder in the world’s biggest companies and funds. We’re talking about Apple and Zoom, Vanguard and Blackrock.
So, if you’re listening in right now and have thought about investing in the US share markets, well, Hatch has given us a special offer just for you… they’ll give you a $20 NZD top-up when you make an initial deposit into your Hatch account of $100NZD or more.
Just go to https://hatch.as/NZEverydayInvestor to grab your top up.
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The NZ Everyday Investor would also like to acknowledge the support of kōura.
Most people fixate on just fees or historical returns when trying to choose a KiwiSaver fund. But professionals know there’s the third, arguably more essential component to consider – asset allocation. kōura’s digital advice tools will build you a KiwiSaver portfolio that has the perfect asset allocation just for you. Of course you could also just choose your own KiwiSaver portfolio with them too. Give them a try and see what your ideal KiwiSaver asset allocation looks like for you.
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Please ensure that you act independently from any of the content provided in these episodes – it should not be considered personalised financial advice for you. This means, you should either do your own research taking on board a broad range of opinions, or ideally, consult and engage an authorised financial adviser to provide guidance around your specific goals and objectives.
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Your Silent Business Partner
New Zealand’s hospitality industry is worth more than $11 billion and as of 2019 employed close to 130,000 people. Yet as many of us know, succeeding and owning a profitable hospitality business that lasts a long time is notoriously difficult. That’s where the Restaurant Association comes in.
The Restaurant Association supports NZ’s diverse and creative hospitality businesses. They give advice, provide buying groups, give discounts and make sure our industry’s voice is heard in both the media and the government.
A common misconception is that the Restaurant Association is just for cafes and restaurants. In reality, CEO Marisa Bidois shares that they can help any business for whom food is the hero. From food delivery businesses to meal kits to even rest-homes, the Restaurant Association has helped them all. They act as a link between good food and good business. “We’re like your silent business partner, available at a moment’s notice to answer questions, offer advice, navigate the terms of your lease or advocate on your behalf, we’ve got your back”, says Marisa.
On the show today we chat about:
- The size and diversity of NZ’s hospitality industry
- Mentors, buyer groups, legal helplines and job boards, why all of these are important support systems
- Stories of hope and resilience, how the hospitality industry has pivoted
- Importance of advocacy in times of strife
- Minimum wage, finding the right balance
Find out more about the Restaurant Association and how they can help you.
Listen to the Podcast Here:
Top Quotes:
“I’ve been exposed to a lot of diverse food from traditional Māori kai to American cuisine, if that’s a thing. I also lived in Arizona and I have fond memories of a family friend Olga who taught me how to make tamales and tortillas.”
“Owning a business is lonely. It’s nice to have someone that you can regularly check in with who has been there, done that who can help you figure out what to do next.”
NZ Bitcoin Roundtable
What’s driving the current craze in Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies? Darcy Ungaro (NZ Everyday Investor), Paul Spain (NZ Tech Podcast), Janine Grainger (Easy Crypto), Brooke Howard-Smith (Entrepreneur) share insights on recent price rises and opinions on what the future holds.
Special thanks to organisations who support innovation and tech leadership in New Zealand by partnering with NZ Tech Podcast:
Umbrellar Connect
Sumo Logic
Vodafone NZ
HP
Spark NZ
Vocus
Gorilla Technology