The Little Big Markets

Golden Balls

Shinji “Dogga” Mizuno (pictured above and below) is well known around the Mount for his longboarding skills, fun-loving personality (look for the video of him surfing in a gold jumpsuit)
and food. He’s been serving up his delicious Golden Balls takoyaki at TLBM for years, with many
fans who immediately beeline towards his stall.

“I just love working outside and in good vibes! The market is amazing ‘cause there’s a chance
to grow our small businesses and it’s great to see creative people doing cool things.”

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Shinji started cooking takoyaki in his hometown of Osaka, Japan, at age 15, around the time he
fell in love with surfing, which has taken him to Byron Bay, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan and Sri Lanka
in search of waves.

Settling in the Mount, he finally opened his own business. “I had lots of takoyaki parties with my friends here and they loved my balls!” he laughs. “So my friend [surfboard shaper] Jordan Griffin helped me set it up.”

Traditional takoyaki include octopus, but Shinji’s are vegetarian with mushies, cabbage and spring onions, served with mayo and takoyaki sauce. He also offers a mean chicken karaage, and his Golden Ball merch ranges from hoodies to condoms and totes.‍

@goldenballs__   @goldenballsnewzealand

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Thirty-Two Halloos

Juliette Gudsell (picture below) of Thirty-Two Halloos handcrafts vibrantly coloured earrings from polymer clay. She’s known for her ranges of one-of-a-kind pieces, including studs and dangles, and once they sell out, they’re gone (she’s pictured with Dijon Hues in the Rainbow Dangle (left) and Pastel Dreams in the Circle Hoop).

Born and bred in Tauranga, Juliette worked in graphic design and marketing for several years
before becoming a stay-at-home mum. “When I first started making polymer earrings, the process was purely for myself, as I found it very therapeutic. The idea of being able to make myself something that brought me so much joy was a great feeling. Then I started making jewellery for friends and family, and it all went from there... Knowing that what I’m creating is giving someone else happiness is what I love the most.”

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Unsurprisingly, given her joyful-looking pieces, Juliette herself is a bright, bubbly personality at TLBM, often sporting colourful hair and clothes. “My designs are inspired by my love of dopamine dressing [Google it!], some of my favourite children’s books, and wanting to share the joy of colour.”‍

thirtytwohalloos.co.nz @thirtytwohalloos

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Mon’s Flavors

“I’ve always been interested in how things grow and how they impact your body,” says Monisha Sharma, who spent her childhood in India learning to use medicinal ingredients to create wholesome, healthy and great-tasting food.

Upon moving to Rotorua 11 years ago, she initially shared her lifelong love of home cooking through her blog and by hosting popular Indian fusion cooking classes. “I really wanted to change the perception around Indian food, and show the unique flavours that can be created using spices from all over the world. I wanted to share that knowledge with others and hoped it would help them create their own Indian fusion-inspired meals at home.”

This led to Monisha launching her Mon’s Flavors spice blends (including tea blends, such as turmeric latte), which have gone on to take out national awards, and Monisha herself is now a much-loved face of the Bay of Plenty food scene. Her business enjoys a dedicated, ever-growing customer base around the Bay and her husband Vishal is also now full time with the business.

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Arguably, the most misunderstood aspect of spices is thinking of them as mere flavour enhancers, when the benefits are much broader. With a background in naturopathy, Monisha brings a unique ability to create blends that not only explode with flavour, but are also intentionally chosen to serve specific functions in the body. She cites an Ayurveda proverb as one of her core guiding principles: ‘When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.’

The blends are made in Rotorua, with no artificial colouring, refined sugar, MSG or salt. This dedication to using only the purest ingredients and remaining close to the process, allows them
to produce the highest quality blends. Monisha believes this is key to their success: “We focus on putting effort and love into the spice blends with a long, careful process that locks in the flavour
and makes all the difference!”

monsflavors.co.nz  @monsspiceblend

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Sawubona

Hand-carved wooden kitchenware adorned with intricate beading and paintwork, chic handwoven baskets in brights or neutrals, soothing teas, delicious sauces and more — Kenyan-born Esther Gathambo (pictured below) is offering Kiwis a stylish, sustainable and ethical taste of Africa
via her homeware store Sawubona.

“Sawubona is a social enterprise with a beautiful collection of handcrafted homewares curated
from African countries,” she says. “We’re on a mission to provide customers with quality, long-lasting homewares while improving the quality of life of African artisans, their families and communities.
A lot of artisans were left without income when Covid hit and have continued to struggle throughout the pandemic due to a lack of support from the government, so I started this business to open
a market for them overseas. I’m hoping to keep working with more artisans as the business grows.”

Esther says Sawubona’s story starts “with two women who are so dear to me”, her mum and grandma in Kenya. “They didn’t finish high school, so jobs in the formal sector were out of
question for them, instead they turned to the ‘informal sector’ of traders and artisans or jua kali,
as we call it, which loosely translates to ‘hot sun’. This is because most people in jua kali work outside... in the hot sun.

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“Most people in this sector have little to no education or can’t find any employment so are much more vulnerable to poverty. Research shows that there is still a large population of people in African countries living on under $2 a day... some are living under $1, and it’s even worse now with Covid.

“My mum and grandma weren’t artisans but they started small businesses in the informal sector
to escape the throes of poverty and this was able to provide an income for their families for so
many years.”

Esther currently works with more than 40 artisans from around Africa. “When a customer buys a product, they’re directly providing an income to the artisan and, in turn, they’re able to afford food and medical care and to take their children to school, among other wellbeing benefits. I’ve been living in New Zealand for four years now so this is also my way of giving back to my community.

Hamilton-based Esther travels to the Bay each month to set up shop at TLBM, which she says
are “quite unique in the sense that there are high-end and well-made products, which fit well
with what I sell”.

“I travel once a month to engage with the community here, plus the people here are so lovely,
and I love the beaches, food and markets.”

sawubona.co.nz  shopsawubona

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