NZ Herald editor-at-large Shayne Currie is on a two-week road trip to gauge the mood of the nation and meet everyday and notable Kiwis making a difference in their communities and the wider world. As he nears the end of his road trip, he reflects on the lessons learned while taking an electric vehicle on some of Aotearoa’s scariest roads. Meanwhile, we have Nine Questions With Paddy Gower and Te Awamutu Courier and Waikato Herald editor Dean Taylor meets Tesh Randall – a Raglan entrepreneur bringing a surfie-speak vibe to her business, a market-leading non-dairy yoghurt company about to tackle the US, and who is making big strides in the world of philanthropy.

Raglan by the Sea is how we used to describe the best little holiday town in the Waikato, if not New Zealand, back in the 70s.

Forget The Mount and all that hustle and bustle, Raglan was quaint, quiet and had a better surf break.

It was so good Kiwi poet and comedian Gary McCormick and blues legend, and longtime Raglan resident, Midge Marsden, made a film about it in 1987. It was called Raglan by the Sea.

The village has grown up a bit since then, but it is still quirky enough to attract innovators, artists, creators and free thinkers, but big enough to be able to put plans in place and make things happen.

Such is the case with Latesha (Tesh) Randall, an import from Dargaville, who has lived in Raglan since 2011 and now proudly calls it home.

With business partner Seb Walter, she founded and has grown Raglan Food Co.

The story of the coconut-based dairy-free yoghurt company and related products is incredible and well-documented.

The business has grown from a home kitchen experiment to a sizeable business, employing 30 locals – she calls them yoghurteers – which leads the country in market share of non-dairy yoghurt and exports to Singapore, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and the Pacific Islands.

This month they launch in the United States – starting in the New York area. They have a production partner in the States to ensure it is sustainable.

“We’ve done the testing, and we know our product, but it is a tricky market,” says Tesh.

“It is exciting to think our product will be on their shelves.”

Incredibly that story is but a small part of what this young woman has achieved to date, and what she will achieve in the future.

But the success of Raglan Food Co is also what is enabling Tesh to give her energy, time and knowledge to some important projects through The Values Trust, a new charitable trust she has formed with friends Cheryl Reynolds and Craig Stephen.

And despite all the political turmoil taking place in New Zealand, Tesh says she isn’t a politically oriented person; she is naturally optimistic and says she doesn’t feel affected by whichever political party is in charge.

“My philosophy is just to get on with my own projects and make the positive difference I can within my own sphere of influence,” she says.

“I believe there are always opportunities out there if you look for them, and it’s better to collaborate than to take a negative or oppositional stance.

“We can achieve so much more through working together than we can from doing battle with each other.”

Shayne Currie is travelling the country on the Herald’s Great New Zealand Road Trip. Read the full series here.

Her optimism is even reflected in the new trust where they have made one of their core values “stubborn optimism”.

A quick back-story is that Tesh was home-schooled and started her first business at age 12, buying and selling cellphones on Trade Me.

At 18 she spent all her savings to publish her first children’s book and then went on a road trip to sell the book directly to the stores. Tesh used the same strategy with the yoghurt some years later, loading up the car and going directly to shops that might stock it.

She has worked in numerous fields and used her spare time wisely to study and has certificates in Editing and Proofreading, Business Management and Children’s Book Writing and is a Certified Celebrant.

In everything she has done social responsibility, sustainability and collaboration are key.

Raglan Food Co is a shining example of her philosophies.

She believes in lifting the vibe of plant-based foods for a better future. Awards include Winner of the Gourmet Food Award, Social and Environmental Sustainability Award, Outstanding Sustainability Champion Award and MPI Supreme Employer Award.

The company is one of few that has Climate Positive Certification and is a Certified B Corporation.

Tesh says achieving those certifications is hard work, but she believes it holds them accountable and is proof to the world that they go above and beyond every day to be socially responsible.

Tesh has been recognised in the Forbes 30 under 30 Food Entrepreneurs Working Towards a Cleaner and Healthier Future and she has been a Women of Influence finalist.

Through the company, and individually, Tesh is involved in numerous initiatives and projects that support sustainability and a better future.

It all sounds incredibly serious, but Tesh is also about fun and positivity.

Raglan Food Co. uses fun language and fun graphics.

“We call it ‘The Vibe’,” says Tesh.

“There is a Raglan surfie style of speak and we channel that to add a unique style to our products, our workplace and our marketing material.”

But it is a serious business as well, it has a chief executive, a board and investors.

Its success means Tesh can scale back her hands-on involvement. She is now head of impact, runs their community fund and hosts The Vibe Lifter Podcast.

That gives her time for her new work with The Values Trust.

She says she has entered a whole new world of philanthropy – and the people are very nice.

“I went to the New Zealand Philanthropy Conference and was inspired by these people who want to help others.

“I think most people would like to do more for others and give back, but they are time-poor.

“I am fortunate I now have time to devote to the trust and I feel I am privileged to be in this position.”

The Values Trust has three focus areas – the Three Cs. They are climate, creatures and children’s literacy.

Tesh says they are involved in several projects collaborating with and supporting other businesses and organisations that share their goals and aspirations.

Climate

In the climate space, one major collaboration is with Daisy Lab, a new startup that Tesh says has huge potential to reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming.

Daisy Lab is developing precision fermentation techniques to duplicate dairy proteins in the laboratory.

Tesh says it is fascinating technology that will mean dairy proteins can be grown and used to make dairy products without the downsides of agriculture.

“Farms can instead be used for crops,” she says.

“The microbes which produce the dairy proteins need food, so crops to feed them could be planted and the dairy taste and quality would be similar without the methane and nitrates.”

She says the use of the technology is growing around the world, but Daisy Lab is the first company in New Zealand.

It was founded by three female scientists Tesh describes as being “very smart” and she is excited to be on the board and a director of a science-based company.

Creatures

Animals and animal welfare are hugely important to Tesh.

“I love animals,” she says.

“I gravitate to dogs and used to ride horses, but I care for all animals and want to ensure they are treated well.”

The trust has partnered with Huha (Helping you help animals), New Zealand’s second largest animal welfare organisation after the SPCA.

Tesh says she connected with the founder and likes what they are doing.

She says times are tough, therefore funding for charities is reduced and it is harder for them to undertake their work.

Her philosophy around the care of all domesticated animals is that humans created them, therefore we should look after them.

She says there are over two million feral cats causing havoc in the environment.

She is also impressed at the work the welfare organisations do, sometimes in horrific circumstances of abuse and neglect, so she wants to make a difference.

In her unique way, Tesh has come up with a way of helping both animal owners and Huha – building a doggie daycare between Raglan and Hamilton for commuters, with proceeds going to Huha.

She says doggie daycares provide a great service, so she is starting in her own neighbourhood and supporting locals, but also hoping it will provide ongoing funds for the organisation.

The trust is hoping the community will support the venture when it is up and running.

If it is successful, the plan is to replicate the model around New Zealand.

Children’s literacy

The new project to help improve children’s literacy in New Zealand was launched last week in Auckland.

Little Libraries is the trust’s own start-up designed to help preschoolers engage in books and fall in love with reading.

After lots of meetings and research, Tesh identified a need in Early Childhood Education (ECE) for more resources to help youngsters engage in reading at this critical stage of their learning.

“ECEs are not funded for books, so often don’t have books, or if they do, they are not always the best options,” she says.

Her answer is Little Libraries, which the trust will sponsor into ECE facilities around New Zealand.

The library is a physical set of colourful and fun bookshelves in the shape of rocks, bushes and trees.

Tesh says the idea is to make it inviting and exciting for children.

There is a user guide on how to make the Little Library work and a list of books that are effective for young learners.

The books support Kiwi authors and will include te reo language titles.

She called upon her partner Dave Stoof and his brother Johny to help research, design and make the Little Libraries prototypes.

“Dave is a mechanical engineer and craftsperson. He can make just about anything,” she says.

“Johny is a graphic designer who also has his bachelor’s degree in education, and he is passionate about educational resources.”

Their production partner to manufacture Little Libraries at scale is Wellington company Play’n’Learn.

Tesh says that based on the learnings from the initial one-month trial launched into four Auckland ECEs last week, they will expand into 100 centres next year.

For more on The Values Trust go to valuestrust.co.nz and for more on Raglan Food Co. go to raglanfoodco.com.

Dean Taylor is a community journalist with more than 35 years of experience and is editor of the Te Awamutu Courier and Waikato Herald.

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