The Little Big Markets

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Meraki Honey

When you buy Meraki Honey at the markets, you’ll also get to meet the enthusiastic beekeepers, partners Caitlin Young and Jim Kristensen.

“Jim started working for a honey company in 2017, then bought 12 hives of his own, which were supposed to be a part-time job but he loved it too much,” says Caitlin. “I was a personal trainer
at the time, but I picked up a Beekeeping for Dummies book and thought, ‘hey this is pretty interesting’. So I started helping him.” 

From those original dozen, Meraki has now grown to 400 hives, which the couple manage themselves — they’re able to trace every aspect, from the hive to the honey jar. “We loved it enough
to practically make it our life,” Caitlin laughs.

Learning about beekeeping was their focus at first, but of course they were amassing a golden byproduct. “We needed to sell the honey we were making, so we started looking for packaging
that fit our brand: something simple, affordable and smart looking.” Meraki was born.

Most of their hives are located in the Waikato. “We move them through the season to make different honey,” explains Caitlin. “We might travel up north, near Whangarei, or to Taranaki for mānuka, and our bush honey usually comes from Waikato.” Meraki offers the sweeter blend of clover honey along with the bush honey (more bitter in flavour), and the multi-floral manuka that’s not as strong tasting as pure manuka. There’s always a seasonal honey too, such as kānuka — which is a lot sweeter than mānuka, with a milder aftertaste. 

The goodness doesn’t stop at honey. “We were going to The Little Big Markets — our first market
— and I thought I’d give some honey fudge a go,” says Caitlin. “From there, it took off. Everyone was
like, ‘this stuff is amazing!’” She hints of more innovations to come. “We feel like we’re in a position
to explore new avenues — how to use honey differently, not just on toast. We’re able to do some trial and error right now.”

Stop for a chat when they’re at TLBM. Caitlin and Jim love to share their knowledge about bees, honey and the industry. “It’s good to let people know about where their honey is from, who’s making
it and how it’s made,” says Caitlin.

“Summer is when we’re busy collecting our honey, but we’re still at TLBM every winter. We have
the same market customers — the people there are awesome.”‍

merakihoney.com merakihoney

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Tildy & Co

Lance and Sam Tomalin made their first candles as wedding favours for guests at their 2020 wedding. They were so well received that family members planted the idea to sell candles at
local markets.

They now have a Tildy & Co candle studio at home in rural Katikati and retail stockists across
the country. Sam’s mostly involved, with Lance helping out at TLBM and pouring the beautiful
soy candles when possible. The couple both work full time and have three children: Luccas,
Nixon and Matilda (who the business is named after, pictured above with Sam).

“We’re very proud of our product: small batch, 100% soy, sustainable wooden wicks, lead- and
zinc-free cotton wicks and phthalate-free fragrances,” says Sam. They also offer lavender-scented magnesium products, to assist with sleep, stress and aches.

Tildy & Co offers a vast array of fragrances: “Avocado Mint has to be the top-selling soy candle,”
says Sam. “Totally divine, so fresh.”

“We’re proud to be a part of TLBM community — such a welcoming space. It’s an amazing way to get brand recognition and to grow our small business, with a lot of customers visiting week after week.”‍

tildyandco.com

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The Cottage Gallery

Brian and Meg Claxton (pictured above) live and work in Judea, in their 1903 weatherboard cottage — an original farmhouse in the valley. It’s now home to their pounamu workshop and Meg’s lovely flower garden, where she sometimes picks posies to sell.

Brian was previously a residential builder, mainly in Tauranga and Auckland. “I had a sojourn in Matamata and learned the greenstone work with Meg’s Mum and Dad, Don and Mona Brooker,
who were accomplished greenstone carvers for many years,” he explains. However, these pounamu skills weren’t used for many years, until after retirement, when they had the opportunity to take
over the carving business.

“We both share the greenstone work, creating earrings, pendants and bracelets,” says Brian. Meg
is also a florist, gardener and painter — her love of flowers reflected in her mixed media artworks.

“The Little Big Markets are a great way for a little business to get up and fly,” says Brian. “It has
been good for us.”‍

329 Waihi Rd, Judea, Tauranga
thecottagegallery.co.nz 

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Innerbloom

Oliver (Ollie) Puddick has built a career around a love of water, being active and living a healthy lifestyle. And as an ex-professional waterman, Ironman competitor and firefighter, performance
has always been a top priority for him. It was that interest that inspired the launch of his company, Innerbloom Cold Brew Coffee.

Ollie grew up in Gisborne, has intermittently called the Mount home over the years and is currently working at Kawerau Fire station. But he was based abroad when he discovered the joys of cold brew.

“I was living and working in America from 2014–2016, when I fell in love with the performance
and mood benefits of cold brew coffee,” he says. Upon return to New Zealand, Ollie struggled
to find a local high-quality cold brew, and he saw an opportunity to develop his own recipes.

“I decided to experiment with my own brews, with a focus on producing something that was
‘more than just coffee’ and offered health or performance benefits too.” This led to the creation
of Innerbloom’s signature cold brew coffee, which is made using a blend of Fair Trade Organic
coffee from the Lempira region in Honduras along with natural ingredients, including collagen protein, vanilla, cocoa and coconut.

Ollie’s drinks are cold-brewed to ensure a smoother, more refreshing taste. “Cold brew coffee is
up to 65% less acidic than regular coffee, making it easier to digest. What’s more, the actual process
of cold brew coffee extraction is a lot more delicate, meaning you get more of the antioxidants and flavours from the coffee beans.”  

The company has grown and production has shifted from Ollie’s kitchen to a larger facility — all
three of the delicious ready-to-drink varieties are batch brewed right here in New Zealand.

Despite his success, with over 60 stockists nationwide, Ollie remains a regular at TLBM, noting that
he enjoys the community aspects and being at the coalface of the business, where he gets to interact with customers. “I find it valuable being able to test new flavours on customers and get some good (and honest) instant feedback. And we love seeing people enjoying our coffee!”‍

innerbloomandco.nz  @innerbloom.nz

Photography by ilk
Art direction by Maddie Banks

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