Chia Sisters

How we successfully diverted 15,000 plastic bottles from landfill… or more accurately, prevented them from ever being made 👀 Last week, we sold our thousandth reusable returnable keg. This represents a huge milestone for our business - and our incredibly supportive trade partners - as this sale proves you don’t have to wait for local infrastructure to catch up before pioneering solutions. So what made this possible? 🍃 Dedication to growing alongside our core values: sustainability, innovation and nutrition. We're always looking for the most sustainable way to grow our business and removing packaging seemed like a pretty good place to start. 🍃 An internal team that was completely onboard and willing to think outside the box (shout out to our Head of Production Kevin and our Operations guru Huw) through a period of trial and error. Most of the waste attributed to a product over its lifetime is locked in at the design phase and, as a small team, redesigning our product’s packaging journey required commitment. For our keg offering we've created a system where we deliver our 30L kegs to big sellers of pressed juice and smoothies (like hotels and humming cafes) and once they are empty they are cleaned, sanitised, refilled and sent back out the door! 🍃 Collaborating with a network of like minded businesses. In particular we looked to the hospitality industry, where our offering made sense in the customer’s journey (and where a growing number of organisations are searching for environmentally sustainable options). Thank you to our early adopters who took a chance on us and said yes to something new Rydges Hotels & Resorts, CARDRONA SKI RESORT LIMITED, Treble Cone Ski Area, Rutherford Hotel Nelson, QT Hotels and Resorts, Grand Millennium Auckland & Atura Hotels to name a few. 🍃 Supporting others to innovate refill options. Through Refill Revolution NZ we are sharing our story and encouraging other FMCG producers to innovate refill options. If all New Zealand food and beverage companies worked together to reduce and remove packaging from our ecosystem we could remove hundreds of thousands of tonnes of packaging going to landfill each year... or more accurately, prevent it from ever being made. Here at Chia Sisters we see reusable kegs as a step toward a new BAU that prioritises convenience AND the judicious use of our planet’s finite resources. Keen to learn a bit more about how kegs work? Check out the link below... and if you happen to know a business who might be keen to keg it up, send them our way 😉 https://lnkd.in/gnpYegjC #fmcg #newzealand #reusablepackaging #refill #waste #zerowaste

What is fair pay and why does it matter? 🕵️ This month we celebrated Living Wage Week, along with a cohort of likeminded businesses across Aotearoa New Zealand. For us at Chia Sisters, paying the Living Wage is a key part of building an awesome team that believes in what we do, so we sat down with our founder Chloe Van Dyke for a kōrero on what it's all about. Check out the video below and let us know what you think! 👇 #fmcg #livingwage Kate Robertson

Our Prebiotic Feijoa Smoothie just won GOLD at the NZ Artisan Awards (!!!) and the team are chuffed about this one for a couple of reasons. For starters, it goes to show that better-for-you can be certified delicious. Gold kiwi prebiotic power? Check. Freshly pressed New Zealand feijoas and apples? You bet 🍏 This flavour however was particularly exciting for us because we were able to collaborate with the good folk from AuOra, a Māori-whānau business here in our beautiful region, to source our key ingredient from within Aotearoa New Zealand. Livaux™ is the gold kiwifruit prebiotic that gives our Feijoa Smoothie its digestive punch. AuOra have pioneered this ingredient by combining traditional knowledge with scientific research, harnessing the health benefits of plant bioactives and creating something super tasty in the process! This team really knows their stuff and it’s been a privilege to put our heads together to create something we can both be proud of. For us that’s what awards like this are all about. A huge cheers to this year’s finalists, award winners and the wider food and beverage community here in Aotearoa New Zealand! Always an exciting time to see what feedback the judges come back with and this year was no exception 👏 Wakatū Incorporation Chloe Van Dyke Florence Van Dyke Abbie Tebbutt ⭐️Nikki Neate⭐️ #prebiotic #fmcg #collaboration

Every now and then in life a pinch-me moment arrives... and the Chia Sisters team landed one last week at the Deloitte Fast 50 Awards! We're absolutely fizzing to have been recognised as the fastest growing manufacturing business for Christchurch and upper South Island - and even more stoked to be in such great company alongside innovators including Hnry, Halter, Anihana and GREATURENZ LIMITED 👏 A huge congratulations to all the finalists and regional award winners across Aotearoa New Zealand. We'll see you at nationals next month! 😉 #fmcg #startup #innovation https://lnkd.in/gb9rPdQ6

Come join the team - we are looking for a switched on, tuned in marketing and sales expert who wants to grow with one of the fastest growing functional drinks brands in Aotearoa, based in Whakatū Nelson.

This is a Chia Sisters kegerator sitting in the QT Hotels and Resorts Wellington Museum Apartment Hotel restaurant. Well known for it’s artwork, the team wanted a look that matched their visually stunning space. 🍃Not your average kegerator for sure! But the best part and why we are on this mission, is it has saved them over 500 single use plastic bottles of juice.🍃 Big thanks to Desiree Almaraz-Saavedra Aaron McKenzie ⭐️Nikki Neate⭐️ Florence Van Dyke Chloe Van Dyke

We had a blast at last weekend’s Go Green Lifestyle Expo in Christchurch. We sampled 4,000 sips of our Chia Superfoods and Functional Fruit Smoothies. We chatted all about our pressed juices in kegs project, why our chia bits matter, news of banning energy drinks to under 16, and the nostalgia of feijoa hedges from childhood. We also gained a few helpful insights that we will action. Nothing beats the natural high of face to face time with drinkers - those new to us and those who have supported us from the start. We also want to say cheers to the tremendous foodie Nelson Tasman brands there - Pic's Peanut Butter, Proper Crisps NZ & Australia, Neudorf Black (Fine Foods). Aaron McKenzie, Chloe Van Dyke, Florence Van Dyke ⭐️Nikki Neate⭐️

Who doesn't love a sample-sized surprise & delight in their online order? We know our drinkers appreciate that little bit extra, as well as being introduced to a new business and it's a lovely way for us to thank them for their support. We have a thriving e-commerce business that serves a premium, health-conscious audience. If you have a perfectly formed sample, online offer, or prize opportunity and would love us to e-introduce you to our drinkers, then get in touch. #smallbuiness #innovation #sampling

We’re busy making New Zealand’s most natural nutritious drinks so it’s amazing to work with Upstock who streamline our orders so we can get Chia Brain Boost, Natural Energy and Gut Health out to store for your daily dose of goodness. Sips and software matter. Choose well.

There are legends, and then there is Neil Hodgson. For over 25 years, he has written his Wine & Food Column for The Nelson Mail to hero the efforts of local growers, producers, winemakers and hospitality. He has tasted his way around the region, is gracious with his commentary and feedback and is generous with his compliments and sharing our food & beverage stories. His column is read by locals, New Zealanders and many across the globe. A true supporter of local. We thank you. PS Neil has shared our newest drinks news - a Prebiotic Feijoa Smoothie using Livaux®, sourced from our local friends, AuOra available now across NZ. Pic's Peanut Butter, Proper Crisps NZ & Australia, Yum Granola, New Zealand King Salmon, Sealord Group Ltd, KONO NZ , kevin hopgood, #JamesRutherford #MattBouterey, Melissa Munro, Appleby Farms, Nelson Honey & Marketing (NZ) LTD, #TheBoatShed, Connings Food Market, Veronica Hippolite-A'Court, NaturKidz Snacks, Little Beauties, Tasman Bay Food Co., Karl Hogarth, Sublime Coffee, Neudorf Black (Fine Foods), Neudorf Vineyards, Eddyline Brewery, Townshend Brewery & Tap Room, Golden Bay Fruit, Nelson Market, Dancing Sands Distillery, Harvest Kitchen, Scott McCashin, The Food Factory, Nelson, New Zealand, THE SMOKEHOUSE