The Little Big Markets

The Houseplant Wife

‍Sarah Ferguson named her sustainability-focused indoor plant business The Houseplant Wife.
I get tongue-tied and say, “The Housewife Plant” and Sarah laughs. “The name came about when
I was setting up the business. I was a stay-at-home mum and was too busy with all the plant care
to do housework, so I figured I was a houseplant wife.”

A horticulturalist and long-time plant lover, Sarah began planning her business in 2020 and
launched a year later. She grows plants in earth-friendly pots in her small backyard nursery in Pāpāmoa. When choosing what to grow, she’s guided by what’s trending in the online plant community, so she can supply customers with in-demand varieties.

The Houseplant Wife website is a resource for those wanting to grow plants more sustainably, offering plastic-pot alternatives, organic plant food and a range of growing mediums. She has eliminated plastic in the growing and potting process by using Fertilpots that are made primarily
of wood fibres, therefore 100 percent organic and biodegradable. Terracotta and punga pots
are also available.

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Sarah’s always on the lookout for other sustainable innovations. She’s currently partnering with
local entrepreneurs to look at the use of wool pots which, like Fertilpots, allow a plant to be put directly into the ground in its biodegradable container. Jute pots are also in the pipeline.

She’s also interested in nourishing plants with environmentally friendly substances and currently
uses a biostimulant, a type of plant tonic designed to boost growth, that’s made from coconut
water from green coconuts, in a concentrated powder.

Sarah likes to think of plants and people growing together as a community, and once you’ve bought a plant, she offers ongoing care. She can diagnose what ails a plant via a photo or, better
still, at the workshops she runs for people with struggling plants. 

Since starting her business, Sarah regards her greatest achievement as keeping all the balls in
the air. “Running a new business is up and down, and always demanding. This year I was pregnant with my second child, sick and exhausted, but I persevered.” 

A regular at the TLBM, Sarah was busy at the market when she went into labour. Surrounded by
her plants and the market community, she felt nurtured and comforted, and she figured it would all be ok. And indeed it was — she made it home for the birth, and both child and business are thriving.

thehouseplantwife.co.nz thehouseplantwife

Words by Julie Clifton

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Ichiban

The distinct black Ichiban caravan, serving up donburi and poke bowls, has been a fixture at TLBM since it was launched in 2019 by Brazilians Diego Pires and wife Karen Onishi (pictured below).  

The couple met in Queenstown, later moved to Christchurch where they fitted out the caravan
(still not quite sure what they would be serving), before coming to the Mount. “We researched the market here, so we’d fit in and weren’t competing,” says Diego. Ideas varied from temaki to coffee and dumplings. But donburi and raw salmon poke bowls finally won out.

Karen’s parents are Japanese, and although Japanese food is popular in Brazil, donburi wasn’t usually on menus. “My mother would make it for us at home though,” she says. “We believed that with fresh ingredients and Karen’s family recipes for the chicken and sauces, we couldn’t go wrong,” says Diego.

Ichiban donburi comes with rice or quinoa, slaw, fried shallots and toppings such as jackfruit, fried Japanese chicken, prawn tempura or calamari, perhaps with Mama’s Sauce, a garlic and ginger-infused soy sauce.

Aside from markets, they do weddings and other private events while juggling time around their
cute son, Nathan, who’s one.

@ichiban.caravan

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Remy&Co

Taylor Ratlidge (pictured below) knows the hassle of trying to get a brush through a child’s tangled hair in the morning.

Her daughter, who is three — the youngest of her three children, has a halo of curly locks that looks gorgeous but presents a challenge. “It was hard to manage, and there were tears in the morning when I would try to brush out her messy hair,” says Taylor.

It got her thinking, “Why aren’t we offering silk pillowcases for children?” And so Remy&Co was born. While researching, Taylor discovered other benefits of sleeping on silk, including for your skin, so she launched SilkyHead pillowcases for the family (she’s pictured with them, right). A range solely for kids is also planned. They’re top quality, made of Mulberry Silk that’s OEKO-TEX certified (free of toxic chemicals).

Taylor’s other products are inspired by finding solutions to issues she’s faced as a mum, including organic stretchy swaddles (and cute matching beanies and topknot headbands!), and muslin wraps.

Her lovely designs across the range are exclusive — she either creates her own looks alongside a graphic designer or works with local artists.

remyandco.nz  @remyandco.nz

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Small Batch

Name a nut, and you’ll probably find that Nick Parker (pictured below) transforms it into a delicious nut butter.

Small Batch was launched in 2012 by Nick and Elaine Delaney, and subsequently the two Nicks, both chefs, became mates. “I always believed in the Small Batch products — I’d been buying Super Butter for years,” says Nick. So in 2020, when he sold his organic bakery Flaveur Breads, he bought Small Batch and set up a new kitchen in the Mount.

As the company name infers, freshness is key. “We don’t hold a lot of stock, and because we make our products in small batches, it tastes so much better,” says Nick. “There’s a whole raft of innovation in our product range, and our speciality is the amazing peanut butter derivatives.” Top-notch ingredients are key and peanut butters are teamed with the likes of Solomon Gold chocolate (made in the Mount) and rewarewa honey from Pāpāmoa’s The Sweet Life. The super-popular Super Butter adds in almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds.

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Ever the innovator, Nick has recently launched the Occasionally Nuts range — jarred nuts dressed
up with spices and aromatics. It includes Just Add Beer (almonds, cashews and peanuts with a
spice blend with a little kick), and Salad Sprinkles (lightly spiced toasted nuts and seeds). Organic Activated Almond & Vegan Chocolate is another newbie: “I’ll be showcasing it at Vegan Vibes, so come along for a taste,” says Nick (for festival details, see event listings).

Streichcreme is another product you’re unlikely to see elsewhere. “It’s a traditional German spread made from sunflower seeds, cashew nuts and eggplant; we flavour it three ways,” explains Nick.
“It’s vegan, gluten-free, high in magnesium, and great on crackers with avo, or in wraps, and on cheese platters.”

As well as attending TLBM, Nick’s also a regular at the Tauranga Farmers Market. “Markets are
about authenticity; meeting the person who has made the product and getting to try it. If you say you’re a local company, it’s important locals can interact with you.”

smallbatch.co.nz  @smallbatchnz

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Photography by ilk
Art direction by Maddie Banks

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