I started a small start-up business with my husband at Pili NZ Ltd. We discovered a premium, healthy nut called the ‘Pili Nut’, which was not yet sold in New Zealand. We then found and secured suppliers before developing our brand and packaging alongside our designer (including NIP labels based on NZ lab testing). We developed a website/e-commerce store (alongside our website designer) and initiated and grew our social media marketing platforms to sell directly to consumers. We slowly built up a selection of retail stores (mainly in the whole foods category). We were approved through the NZ Food Certification programme and Foodstuffs programmes to supply several of their South Island New Worlds.

As the owner of Pili NZ Ltd, I have gained experience in food business registration, food safety, food labelling/guidelines, packaging/website design (alongside our designer), importing food products into NZ (outsourcing to a customs broker), packing direct to customer and wholesale orders, social media and email marketing, and providing great customer service. All these skills are self-taught. I especially enjoyed creating social media content and this is something I would like to continue gaining experience in.

I was in charge of our Instagram business profile and grew it to nearly 2000 followers. I learnt the importance of creating a community within our niche, creating content in line with our content pillars, nurturing our community by adding value (sharing recipe's etc) and educating our followers about the Pili Nut. I also learnt the effectiveness of storytelling and informing our audience about our journey.

As well as creating posts/video content, I organised and ran a number of giveaways collaborating with other NZ businesses to help grow awareness of our brand.

Feel free to look up our Instagram profile @lovepilinz as we have not yet closed it.