Grow Wellington - Case Studies

Wellington Chocolate Factory

“There’s something in the air in Wellington,” says Gabriel Davidson and he’s not referring to the aroma of cocoa beans and chocolate at The Wellington Chocolate Factory, run by himself and co-founder Rochelle Harrison.

Kapiti Artisan Bakehouse

Pastry chef David Winterbottom moved from the UK to New Zealand with a dream of running his own bakery business and enjoying a better lifestyle.

Parrot Dog Brewery

“People in the food and beverage industry are definitely innovative in Wellington,” says Matt Stevens, co-founder of Parrot Dog Brewery in Wellington. “Market outlets are willing to stock beers that are different from mainstream. People are really caring more about what they consume and will taste something new.”

Future looks bright for Futrix

Wellington is one of the best places in the world to run an ICT business according to Clare Howden, former CEO of Futrix. “When we first moved into our Wellington offices it was like coming to IT-ville,” says Clare who relocated the business from London in 2001.

Wellington still the centre of the Carnival 2013 has been an exhilarating ride for Wellington’s Carnival Labs. In August the company secured a $2.4 million venture investment co-led by Gary Vaynerchuk and Lerer Ventures, with others taking part including Mike Lazerow, Google Ventures and FlyBridge Capital.

Insightful Breast Cancer Innovation

Millions of women around the world are being helped by breast density screening software developed by Wellington company Matakina. Matakina’s Volpara suite of software allows medical professionals to better identify a woman’s potential to develop breast cancer and the probability of that cancer being detected by conventional screening.

Wellington city a global choice for business start-up Wellington’s smaller size compared to other global hubs presents a unique opportunity for new businesses, says ex-Britain Mark Pascall, owner and director of 3months.

Homemade with love

Tasting just like your nana’s homemade jam is what makes Te Horo Foods jam so unique - it actually is homemade, 100% natural jam.

Crowdfunding kiwi creativity

Funding a project can be no easy feat. Tapping into your network of family, friends, and fans to help raise funds upfront is a new trend known as ‘crowdfunding’ and Wellington startup PledgeMe has turned crowdfunding into a very successful business model.

Making usability testing easy Helping you make your online products and services easier to use is what Optimal Workshop excels in. The Wellington based company started in 2007 and creates tools for measuring the usability of websites, and improving information architecture.

Ritzling Bottled happiness

With a passion for the ‘under-appreciated’ Riesling, Chris Archer wanted to make a Riesling that’s more accessible and attractive to consumers, so he came up with Ritzling - bottled happiness.

Love at first bite It was ‘love at first bite’ for Nathan Meyer when he tasted his first cone of delicious gelato while on a business trip to Italy. What started as a simple idea has now turned into a successful business.

Bees Blessing the bees knees of natural cordials

Being inspired to get crafty in the kitchen, due to an extra plentiful honey harvest, triggered the start of successful family business Bees Blessing.

Colouring Wellington and Beyond

A leading force in the South Pacific paint market, Resene has operations in Australia and Fiji and local production plants in Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt, Tauranga and Auckland. It has over 55 company owned colour shops and over 20 franchised outlets around the country.

Chocolate glorious chocolate

The Whittakers story begins in 1890 when James Henry Whittaker arrived in Christchurch from Macclesfield, England, where he first got a taste for the sweet stuff while working in a confectionary factory.