Beauty Bites took a chunk out of Pead Ltd which applied to the High Court to have Krumbled in NZ liquidated. Photo / supplied
Beauty Bites took a chunk out of Pead Ltd which applied to the High Court to have Krumbled in NZ liquidated. Photo / supplied
An Auckland public relations and communications business has liquidated the New Zealand arm of an Australian health food company for unpaid launch fees and costs.
Deborah Pead of Pead, newly-based on Queen St in the CBD, today expressed unhappiness about dealings with the business which sold Beauty Bites bars.
“Theycommissioned us to launch them here and then just walked away. They’re still operating in Australia. You can’t treat your service providers like this,” she said today of unpaid debts.
Liquidators say the company whose parent is in Australia owes unsecured creditors $24,000.
Pead launched Beauty Bites in this country. Those bars contain collagen and probiotics and are promoted as enhancing good gut health.
“The debt resulted from unpaid public relations services incurred in setting up the new business,” wrote McDonald Vague’s Keaton Pronk and Iain McLennan.
Neither Pead nor Pronk would disclose today how much Krumbled owed Pead Ltd for its services.
Keira Rose Grant Rumble of Australia is a director of the business and the founder and Pead Ltd dealt with her.
“The liquidators have spoken with the director and her partner and were advised that the company had unsuccessfully attempted to enter the New Zealand market after the supermarket retail avenues for the business were withdrawn. The stock of the business subsequently expired and was destroyed,” the liquidators wrote.
Krumbled’s Australian website says Rumble is an Australian entrepreneur who also founded Habitual Beauty and Mini + Me.
Kiera Rumble of Krumbled which launched Beauty Bites in New Zealand but didn't pay its PR firm Pead. Photo / supplied
“Deeply passionate about living a healthy and happy life, Keira is on a mission to truly revolutionise the health food, well-being and beauty industries worldwide....in her early 20s, Keira was diagnosed as pre-diabetic (insulin resistant) and was forced to quickly change the way she was living and what she was eating,” Krumbled says.
She studied nutrition to get a deeper understanding of why her body was reacting to certain foods, so launched healthier alternatives.
But her dealings on this side of the Tasman were not good for everyone.
Inland Revenue is owed money for unpaid GST, PAYE and other payroll deductions, the liquidators said. NZ Tax Accountants of Australia is a third creditor named. How much they are owed is also unspecified.
Countdown listed Beauty Bites as being “scientifically formulated to help improve skin elasticity and firmness, better digestion, and gut health and to help promote collagen formation...low in sugar and a good source of fibre, beauty bites are a great on-the-go option for a snack supplement”.
The NZ arm of Krumbled was only incorporated in July 2021 so it didn’t last long as a going entity here.
The Herald’s Viva said last year that a brush with diabetes in her early 20s inspired Rumble to dive into the world of nutrition.
Rumble wanted to better understand the link between sugar and poor health and her findings saw her lift the veil on many “healthy alternatives” to sugar-laden treats that were, despite their claims, anything but, Viva reported.
“From her Bondi Beach bedroom, Keira founded Krumbled Foods in 2017, to appeal to those who wanted to ‘eat’ their skincare routine. Each bite is said to boost collagen levels and combat the physical signs of ageing, restore skin hydration, elasticity and firmness, all while promoting a healthy gut. Available in six flavours that sound naughty (but aren’t), including Apple Cinnamon, White Chocolate Raspberry, Lemon Coconut, Trip Choc Chip, Salted Caramel and Choc Cherry Coconut,” a Viva article last winter.
That article was about different products to enhance good gut health and featured a range of products of which Beauty Bites was just one.
