We are proudly 94% New Zealand made. Our workrooms are right here, onsite at our Christchurch head Office, so we know all our local makers personally. By making our clothes here and sourcing many of our fibres here too, we reject the disconnected nature of fast fashion and reduce our footprint, all while prioritising community and transparency.
While our way of doing things may not be the norm in fashion (or beyond), we’re not entirely alone, so we want to take the opportunity on New Zealand Made day to put the spotlight on 14 more brilliant New Zealand brands who make their products locally too.
1. Sophie Divett Jewellery
Another brand with a workshop in Christchurch, Sophie Divett Jewellery creates ethically, sustainably made pieces including engagement rings, necklaces, and earrings. All styles are inspired by the landscapes and plants of Aotearoa and all materials used are carefully selected. The brand works with recycled, conflict-free metals, ethically sourced diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, natural gemstones, and non-toxic substances. Jewellery is presented in beautiful, hand-crafted walnut boxes.
2. Ethique
Famous the world over for its plastic-free beauty products, Ethique was founded in 2012 by Brianne West in her kitchen in Christchurch. Back then, the conversation around plastic pollution wasn’t mainstream in the way it is now, making Ethique a pioneer with its solid beauty bars packaged in cardboard sleeves. In just over a decade, the cruelty-free, vegan, palm oil-free brand has grown beyond its signature shampoo bar, becoming a B Corp and selling hair, face, and body products in over 22 countries worldwide.
3. Cassels Brewing
We stock Cassels at Untouched World Kitchen, as a proudly made Christchurch brand. Cassels is a renowned brewery that has carved a niche for itself in the craft beer industry, offering a diverse range of handcrafted beers. Cassels have spearheaded a number of Heathcote River clean ups, the locals and staff coming together to retrieve and sort river rubbish. With a focus on community engagement and sustainability, Cassels Brewing has become a local favourite, attracting beer enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike to savour their distinctive creations.
4. Mahsa
All of Mahsa’s garments are designed in its Auckland studio and manufactured by trusted makers throughout New Zealand. Eschewing seasons and microtrends, the brand instead produces small volumes from deadstock material and organic cotton in ‘moods’. Previous moods have included New Bohemia, A Single Woman, and Beautiful Imperfection, a mixture of new designs and tweaked silhouettes, designed to last.
5. Twenty-seven names
The friendship behind twenty-seven names started in primary school, but the brand emerged a little later, in 2005. Like us, the brand chooses to make its pieces in NZ, across a range of locations from Newtown to Tauranga. And, like us, the brand prioritises natural fibres (alongside deadstock). But their aesthetic is a little different! Bold, clashing prints, colour pops, and playful silhouettes define this thoughtfully crafted local brand.
6. Whittaker’s
Whittaker’s has been New Zealand’s favourite chocolate maker since 1896. It’s a heritage company but it has modern values, meeting its goal of 100% traceability for all of its cocoa beans in 2022 (which involved mapping around 2,400 farms in Ghana) and carrying out 138 sustainable packaging trials since 2019. Its most recent trial was for plant-based compostable wrappers, during which it found they broke down in compost in 8-11 weeks. The brand has a goal of 100% sustainable packaging across all products by 2025.
7. Fix & Fogg
Another NZ-made brand, another B Corp. The establishment of Fix & Fogg follows a familiar story – the founders decided to wave goodbye to corporate life and focus on something more meaningful, in this case vegan, non-GMO, palm oil-free, natural nut butters. As well as sourcing the best natural ingredients, Fix & Fogg offers cargo bike deliveries and a circular jar return scheme, it also donates jars to local charities and is a living wage accredited manufacturer.
8. Real World
Another one of our favourite brands that we stock in store. Real World essentials bring a sense of restorative care to your skin and luxury to your home. With honest formulations combining heart, soul, and naturally effective plant-based ingredients, they craft items of both beauty and purpose.
9. Prima Roastery
Prima Roastery is a distinguished coffee roastery, dedicated to the art of crafting exceptional coffee experiences. With a commitment to quality sourcing, precision roasting, and a passion for delivering the finest flavours to coffee enthusiasts, Prima Roastery stands out in the realm of artisanal coffee. Their beans are meticulously selected from diverse origins, ensuring a rich and unique coffee journey for every sip. Come and try them at Untouched World Kitchen!
10. No Ugly
Another brilliant brand stocked at Untouched World Kitchen, No Ugly drinks are low sugar, non-GMO, allergen-free and vegan. Their range of tonics are designed to fuel a healthy life, focusing on a variety of issues from immunity and glowing skin to restful sleep and a healthy gut. Naturally powerful ingredients include echinacea, passionflower, lemon balm, and gingko biloba and all products are, of course, made right here in New Zealand.
11. PurePods
PurePods are designed to allow guests to experience New Zealand nature without distraction. The glass eco-cabins keep you warm, dry, and safe, while providing a private, 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape. In building and servicing the PurePods, the company uses sustainable, renewable energy, partners with landowners to promote conservation, and returns rainwater to the surrounding area to water native plants. And half of the founding shareholder profits go towards The Cacophony Project which aims to make New Zealand predator free and restore birdsong.
12. Antipodes
Vegan and certified organic, Antipodes uses native New Zealand ingredients in all its products. Mamaku black fern, rosehip, kiwi oil, cacay oil, bakuchiol, and vinanza grape actives are among the natural ingredients the brand has used for the last 15 years, all sourced from sustainable growers from around New Zealand.
13. Zealong
Before Zealong gave it a try, tea had never been successfully grown in New Zealand. In 1996, founder Victor imported 1,500 cuttings from tea-growing regions in Asia and planted them in the Waikato. Fast forward nearly 30 years and Zealong’s tea plants now grow in an area covering 48 hectares. Traceable from ‘farm to cup’ and certified organic, the tea flourishes in the local climate – the sunshine, the rain and the fog all playing a vital role in creating 20 tonnes of Zealong (New Zealand Oolong) every year.
14. Anathoth Farm
Anathoth Farm uses real, whole fruit in its jams and preserves because it enhances the flavour and supports local growers. The company started on a market stall in 1987 selling jam to use the fruit from its ‘run down’ farm, but its reputation grew quickly and Anathoth Raspberry Jam soon became New Zealand’s best-selling jam. Although the company has changed hands a few times, it remains an NZ-made brand, right down to the original, rolling boil production method.
From jewellery to jam, staycations to skincare, these local brands offer everything you could possibly need, so next time you’re looking for a gift, a holiday or a treat, keep it local and support New Zealand-made.
