MEET YOUR {OUTSTANDING} MAKER - WAIHEKE HERBS

Waiheke Herbs is an Outstanding NZ Food Producer multi-award winner, having collected Silver Medals for Waiheke Herb Spread (2018); Waiheke Herbs Aioli with Herbs (2019) and Waiheke Herbs Asian Herb Spread (2020). 2022 marks the a new era for this small producer which founder Wendy Kendall continues to drive with positive energy and good humour.

I’m lucky to chat to Wendy Kendall on this Friday morning, she’s carved out 15 minutes for me as she races around Auckland buying a forklift for Waiheke Herbs new East Tamaki production facility.

After establishing her business in 2005 and nurturing it for the past 17 years, Wendy is about to take a new leap and she’s excited by the challenges and opportunities before her.

Wendy is passionate about health and wellbeing and has always practiced wholesome, organic living and so it was natural that she began using fresh herbs from her Onetangi garden to make nutritious spreads for her growing family. Responding to encouragement to make her Herb Spread for appreciative friends, and to produce it ‘seriously’ she spent a year experimenting with wild herbs and testing recipes before becoming a regular at Waiheke’s Ostend Market.

From this one product – which relied on her garden and herbs which could be foraged every week of year, Wendy has extended the range to include Italian and Asian-inspired herb spreads, as well as herb salts and aioli with herbs.

As the range has extended so has the Waiheke Herbs family, Wendy has grown from a one woman operation working from her home kitchen to a business employing a team to help with production, packaging, sales, accounts, marketing and gardening.

So just before Christmas 2021 when Wendy was told that she could no longer work out of the production facility at the Rangihoua Estate olive oil factory on Waiheke she’d used for years – she thought perhaps it was time to wind her business down.

“When I got the news just before Christmas, I thought ‘that’s it!’  Then the very next day I got orders from every Farro store in Auckland as well as a new Commonsence Organics store and I realised it was a sign, I couldn’t disappoint all my dedicated customers!”

“I feel really excited about the opportunity. In the early years my children came first and I was teaching dance part time. I’ve grown the business without borrowing and at first I was only working three days a week. Now I’m looking forward to really throwing myself into it.”

Moving the production from Waiheke to Auckland comes with some sorrow. Wendy’s saying goodbye to most of the Waiheke team; Arielle, Karianne, Kay and Toni. “I’m sad to leave my lovely team behind we’ve shared lots of laughs and hard work. I’m fortunate that production manager Davina is going to commute to our new factory with me.” 

Looking on the bright side, Wendy’s just been able to employ Holly as a gardener to look after her biodynamic herb garden at her friend’s lifestyle block on Waiheke. And, after years of packing customer orders outside in the open in all weather conditions the new Waiheke Herbs kitchen will have an indoor chiller and everything they need close at hand which will make packing easier and more pleasant.

“There’s so much to do! We need to get our new team up to speed and then I want to focus on working with suppliers and customers. Later on this year I’ll be rebranding and promoting our natural skincare range which features Colloidal Silver and essential oils  including our popular Silver Mist"

But before then, Wendy’s on a mission to purchase a forklift – thrilled that it will be electric (and turquoise) and the start of the next phase for Waiheke Herbs.

Find Waiheke Herbs hand-crafted spreads, salts and aioli at Farro and Huckleberry stores throughout Auckland, most organic stores throughout NZ including Commonsence Organics, and selected Fresh Choice and New World stores. Check out more about the Waiheke Herbs story here.

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