Kaiate Kawakawa is a small business dedicated to providing exceptional, effective and affordable products. Sustainably sourced and harvested from family land near Kaiate Falls, their balms, butters, serums and other skin care products boast the benefits of only natural ingredients, renowned for their healing properties. Free from harmful chemicals and kind to your skin and body, Kaiate Kawakawa’s offers a line of beautiful natural products for the whole family. Here, founder Marnie Mehan talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the passion behind her business, her biggest breakthrough, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
What really inspired me was having my daughters. I had never really put much thought into what I put on my skin, and honestly it didn’t really worry me one bit. To think back on how oblivious I was is actually a bit scary. The thought only began to cross my mind after having my first daughter, almost 6 years ago. My midwife gifted me a natural NZ-made balm, and a friend did also. Those were all I ever used – until I didn’t have either on me and I used a mainstream nappy cream, just one of the common ones from the supermarket, and it did something horrible and made her skin go raw. It was awful because she was bleeding and in pain. For me, that’s when I really began to question what was in these mainstream pharmaceutical products – how harmful can they actually be? Turns out, very. I didn’t want to be putting harmful chemicals on my daughter’s skin, or mine for that matter. I knew how well the natural products had worked, and with no downside to using them whatsoever, I wanted to make them available for everybody to use – a range of products, suitable for every individual’s needs and safe for all ages. I wanted to make products that I wish I had, which is where the idea for Kaiate Kawakawa‘s bump/belly oil and hair serum came from.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I was buying kawakawa balms through a local lady who sold them, for 5 years! The whole time knowing that I had an endless supply of kawakawa leaves at my fingertips, as well as access to local beeswax, as my brother worked as a beekeeper before he passed away. But it just seemed easy buying it elsewhere as I was studying full time, working and looking after my daughter. That is until this other business closed down. I then thought, this is it, it’s either now or never. I had not long had my second daughter so I wasn’t working and I had a bit of time on my hands to play around with the balms, so that’s exactly what I did. I have done countless hours of research to ensure I follow the right processes and precautions for each ingredient in order to preserve those powerful natural healing properties. It was also important to me that I respected the practices used in Rongoā Māori, as kawakawa in particular has been utilised by Māori for hundreds of years for its versatile healing properties. I started with a kawakawa balm and body butter, which I would sell on my personal Facebook to family and friends, but with the first batch of each I realised quickly that there was a lot of interest and this could be a good little side hustle for me, so that’s when I came up with Kaiate Kawakawa! I made socials, a website and my own little brand, and I did it all myself while my daughter had her day nap. It’s amazing what you can get done when you only have a small window of opportunity each day.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
As much as I want to say it was the popular interest for my products, I think for me it was actually one customer in particular. He messaged me very early on and asked whether I had anything for his painful arthritis and at the time I didn’t. I honestly hadn’t even thought that far ahead. I told him to give me a week or so to do my research and I’d get back to him. It took me a few weeks but I did eventually get him a tin of my new arthritis balm, and he was so grateful. He had said that everything else he had ever tried would work but only for an hour or so, whereas mine would work – and keep on working! For me, this was my biggest breakthrough, because my vision of natural, safe-for-the-whole-family balms had turned into something much bigger, something where I actually had the chance to help people overcome severe pain and discomfort that affects their quality of life. Something really clicked for me and it was the moment I really figured out what my goals were and how to keep it practical at the same time.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I think so far I have managed to balance work and family pretty well. At times it can be challenging particularly because my husband has also just started a new job in real estate, meaning his hours are unpredictable and he often works 7 days in order to get himself out there. However I’m very lucky to have my Mum who helps us by looking after our girls whenever I want to do markets. It really is a team effort here; my husband and neighbour have basically been my guinea pigs when I’m trialling a new product haha – they don’t seem to mind though! Aside from that, I try to get the majority of my work done while my youngest has her nap. On a good day, she’ll sleep a couple of hours and that gives me enough time to either do a bunch of admin or I’ll be able to make a batch of balms in that time. When my big girl is home from school, she’ll sometimes help me, or hang out with her sister so I can get a bit more done. I love doing markets whenever I get a chance because my mum will bring the girls along and it’s just a really nice way to spend time with them whilst getting my name out there and interacting with people at the same time.
