It’s a gruelling event and no amount of Old Spice swagger can get you past the finish line unless you’re the real deal. The Coast-to-Coast challenge is the world’s premier multi-sport event and top competitors take almost eleven hours to cover the 243km course. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted but it was just the kind of event that Hayden Pohio was looking for to test his latest sports performance bar.
Branded ‘Mänuka Boosta’, the gluten-free health bar is packed with what all athletes crave – energy – including 18 per cent mänuka honey, pumpkin seeds, cashews, sunflower seeds, organic apricots, and sesame seeds. Pohio, a food technologist, says he decided to develop the health bar after finding that normal protein bars were full of artificial ingredients and were hard on the palate.
Inspired by a secret family recipe and his passion for sport, the former production manager for Allberry House finished his job and set a course towards his family’s mänuka honey business, Nature’s Country Gold.
Like all good kiwi businesses, Mänuka Boosta started with a humble production line in the family garage; it could churn out 200 Mänuka bars a day. Today, a mere two years later, the self-described ‘entrepreneur’ now owns his own factory which produces 10,000 bars a week and employs four staff.
“We now have the capacity to make more and are gearing up to increase our overseas exports,” explains Pohio who has his eyes set on going global.
Taking advantage of Poutama Trust’s new partnership with Kiwibank, Pohio secured a loan to buy the Hamilton-based factory in order to meet the demand for overseas markets.
“Exporting of products was always my ambition. I went to China last year courtesy of Tekau Plus and I’m also in talks with companies in America and Japan,” adds Pohio who is optimistic of his product’s market potential.
With over ten years experience in the health food industry, including a five-year stint in the UK, he says he decided to join his family’s business after discovering the power of mänuka honey which is native to New Zealand.
“Mänuka honey is like a superfood and has so many wonderful qualities. It is high in glucose and fructose which have a slower release of energy than sucrose (table sugar).”
As a successful entrant into the Tekau Plus+ program, Pohio says he is looking forward to becoming a player in New Zealand’s growing export sector and will send his first order abroad within the next six months. He says he hopes his story will help encourage more entrepreneurs to take up the challenge of running their own business.
“The most difficult challenge with any new venture is it takes a lot of money to grow your business. Don’t expect immediate results and don’t be afraid to ask questions all along the way – you never do know everything!”
I love that you’re wearing your Aoraki Bound pounamu.