Creating a positive change for people and planet
In a study done in late October, 2019, consumer dietary attitudes and behaviours revealed that one-in-three New Zealanders (31%) were actively limiting their consumption of meat and dairy, while a further three percent of New Zealanders were following a vegetarian or vegan diet, eating no meat or dairy at all.
EHF Fellow, Tesh Randall has been following a mostly plant-based diet since the age of 18, and has spent the last six years working to bring dairy alternatives to market at an affordable, accessible price with no compromise on taste and quality. Along with her fiance, Seb Walter, she has not only accomplished this incredible feat, but she’s also leading from the front when it comes to ensuring people and the planet come first.
The scale of the industry
The dairy industry in New Zealand is well established. Companies like Fonterra, Goodman Fielder and Sanitarium, hold a large amount of shelf space and often make it near impossible for small start-ups to claim even a square meter of shelf space.
As with most consumer-facing industries, the dairy industry is intensely competitive and often forced into inter-company innovation in order to stay on top. There are numerous scaling and manufacturing challenges, consumer behaviour trends to follow, and the all important - visibility in store and online.
However, as the awareness around climate change and nutritional standards continues to grow around the world, many dairy-based businesses are looking to find ways to enter the alternatives market.
As one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, Tesh knew that she wanted to be at the forefront of change and help put New Zealand on the map as a leader in the dairy-alternatives industry.
The “book-worthy” origin story
Homeschooled and with no University education, Tesh has been working full time since she was just 16 years old, with multiple small-businesses under her belt. She has worked as a copywriter, magazine editor, professional house-sitter, in startup incubators, accounting and insurance firms, and radio.
Just six years ago, Tesh stumbled into the dairy-alternatives industry in what can only be described as a book-worthy origin story. Both Tesh and her fiance, Seb, were always into cooking and often dabbled in creating their own kitchen experiments. As Seb was dairy intolerant, they began looking to create a tasty coconut yoghurt that they could substitute in their morning breakfast. Little did they know that it would sell like hotcakes.
After selling on Raglan’s Facebook Noticeboard page for a few weeks, they soon grew beyond their own home kitchen and the rest has become history. Just six years on and Raglan Food Co has become New Zealand’s leader in dairy-free yoghurt and are now looking to expand their product range to become New Zealand’s leading dairy-alternative company. No small feat, from a small town deep inside dairy country in the Waikato.
“If things happen, they happen for a reason. You just need to follow where it leads.”
But changing the way people consciously consume and championing an emerging climate positive industry in New Zealand isn’t enough for Tesh. She wants to ensure she is leading the charge in the way businesses can look after their people.
Looking after people and the planet
As part of Raglan Food Co, Tesh and the team have become Carbon Zero Certified (tracking, reducing, and off-setting their emissions), Living Wage Certified with a company wage cap of 3x the lowest paid employee, they have a team profit share programme in place, a team health fund, annual team retreats, and have worked with customers to clean up a mammoth half a million pieces of plastic from the New Zealand shores to do their part in the sustainability of the New Zealand shoreline.
Pouring everything into their business including multiple loans against their home, a commitment to continue to employ locals rather than contract manufacture and their commitment to sustainability and the future of people and planet, Tesh says, “You don’t have to have all the answers when starting out. You learn by doing, and it’s completely possible to create and run a successful business that stays true to its values and makes a positive difference for people and planet.”
Get involved, connect and learn more
As Tesh and Raglan Food Co continue to grow and expand into offshore markets, they’re calling all New Zealanders to get behind the mission and values that got Raglan Food Co this far. With a small local marketing budget, they, like most small-businesses rely on word of mouth.
You can support Raglan Food Co by following them on social media to stay up to date with product development, brand updates and of course follow their incredible mission to merge people and planet on their journey to seeing positive global impact.