Green goddesses

Tamra Ewing, who plants fruit trees around Auckland for her company Fruity Gumboot. Photo / Martin Sykes.

Traditionally new businesses were set up primarily to provide their owners with a profit. Making money was the key motivator and other, more meaningful, altruistic considerations seldom figured. But today increasing numbers of women are going into business for much more wholesome reasons than merely making a buck.

These are the so-called green goddesses: women with great ambitions to save the planet, keep us healthy and make us feel good — preferably all at the same time.

Here, we talk to four of them.

Tamra Ewing's aim is to "fruit-up Auckland". She'd like to see a lot more fruit trees growing in our city and for children to become accustomed to the joys of living in an "edible environment".

And the 33-year-old is not beyond using guerrilla-style tactics to achieve her goal. Ewing recently conducted a series of undercover mandarin tree plantings near playgrounds in public parks from Waterview to Mt Eden.

She did not seek council permission to plant the 10 satsuma mandarin trees but, having "subtly" planted them in existing garden beds, she suspects they haven't been noticed yet, that possibly they won't be until they starting fruiting in a couple of years.

But it's not all covert activities for this motivated woman. More conventionally, Ewing also runs Fruity Gumboot — a fledging business operating since May this year, offering packages of fruit trees selected, planted and organically maintained in customers' own backyards.

"I didn't want to just plant a fruit tree and then leave and go: 'Good luck', and never see them again," she says.

Priced from $450, typical fruit tree combinations are persimmon, feijoa and apple or nectarine, nashi pear and mandarin.

"If you're too busy, or not particularly interested in gardening, maybe intimidated by a lack of knowledge or put off by past failures ... at the same time, if you really value the concept of raising fruit trees in the family, then I'm here to kick-start things, give you a positive first year."

Ewing assesses a site prior to planting to ascertain the prime position for the specimens.

Cramped urban backyards can be a challenge but she thinks laterally. Planting in pots and espaliering are ways of successfully introducing fruit trees into unlikely settings.

Fruity Gumboot customers are mainly families, around 80 per cent of them with school-age children.

Ewing ensures that the children are consulted about the mini orchard that appears in their garden. She always asks what they like to eat.

"That's a really good starting point to get them interested in an edible and organic environment," she says.

Ewing keeps the littlies connected, with a range of age-appropriate activities such as "watching ladybirds devour aphids under a microscope or looking at the soil structure."

Pollination activities involving "little knitted bees and big flowers" also feature, as does hypothesising the soil's moisture content from the colour of the resident worms.

She describes the genesis of Fruity Gumboot as "one of those light-bulb moments" that came when she wrote a list of things about which she felt most passionate in the hope she could build a business around them. They were: gardening, fruit, originality, creativity and community spirit.

Ewing's eclectic background, which includes a degree in international communication, study in landscape architecture and a series of marketing roles has proved helpful in her new venture.

As mother to 9-year-old Summer and with a current total of 15 fruit trees and vines in her own garden, Ewing has first-hand understanding of the benefits fruit trees afford children.

"A fruit garden is a great chance to have really positive shared memories as a family," she says. "Eating organically-grown fruit is actually a really small part of the experience. It's all about watching the fruit grow, having some anticipation."

With nostalgia for the days when backyards were more market garden than fashion statement, Ewing is somewhat scathing about recent garden trends.

"I think that we almost ruined a generation with the yuccas and the river stones," she says. "You've got to think of it as normal to be outside and thinking: 'Hmmm, I'm hungry; what is there [to eat]?"'

She dreams of one day being commissioned by Housing NZ to plant feijoa and mandarin trees in the backyard of their properties to spread the fruitful message further.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for a mandarin tree quietly popping up in a public space near you, courtesy of Ewing's fruity mission.

"I'll always do charitable plantings when I have the time."

***

Twins Angela Mead and Meredith Barry-Walsh launched the Raglan-based Green Bean range of organic baby and toddler-wear made from environmentally-friendly bamboo in 2007.

They'd been searching far and wide for an ethical, organic fabric and were both instantly attracted to the bamboo sample they were sent.

"From my nursing background I know that babies have got sensitive skin and it's five times thinner than an adult's and it absorbs more," says Barry-Walsh. "And then we read that bamboo has a natural antibacterial agent in it so that's why it's grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides or any chemicals. It's breathable and cool. It's sustainable, 100 per cent biodegradable. And it feels absolutely gorgeous and it's machine washable."

The bamboo to make the cloth may be organically grown in China but the infant clothing, featuring tiki, waka, pohutukawa and fantail prints, is made in and inspired by New Zealand.

Currently stocked in more than 50 baby boutiques, department stores and design shops throughout New Zealand and Australia, Green Bean has now set its sights on exporting further afield.

The range includes hoodies, bodysuits and separates in a muted colour palette as well as baby gowns, beanies and wraps.

Mead says that upcoming collections will feature trims in organic fabrics with floral designs. Another fabric, made from a mix of organic cotton and bamboo, has the look of denim but is soft to the touch. She is concerned about the detrimental effect traditional cotton growing methods have on the environment.

"I don't think many people know that the pesticides put on cotton are just phenomenal," she says.

Green Bean supports the drive by global body Organic Exchange, of which their fabric supplier is a member, to promote the production of organically grown cotton. And despite the requests of some retailers, Mead is standing firm on the policy to not individually package the garments when sending out an order.

"You know, at the end of the day it just gets thrown out," she says.

The items for dispatch will continue to be simply layered between acid-free tissue paper inside recycled cardboard boxes. Reducing waste is a preoccupation.

Mead says they try to "be a non-paper company" and send out a lot of catalogues electronically. Any paper they do use is recycled and printed with vegetable inks.

"People talk about this green-washing now, don't they?" she says, referring to the term coined to describe cynical attempts by businesses to falsely position themselves as environmentally friendly.

However, Mead's green credentials are more than skin-deep. She is determined to leave a "minimal footprint" in her personal life too.

Her husband is an environmental scientist with an interest in the ocean; they previously built a recycled timber eco-lodge complete with a composting worm toilet and have issued a household ban on plastic food wrap.

Barry-Walsh admits her sister has the upper hand when it comes to the environment.

"I wouldn't say I'm as green as Angela. But we compost and use eco-friendly cleaning products," she says.

The 44-year-old fraternal twins, who describe themselves as "chalk and cheese", each have their own distinct roles within the business.

Barry-Walsh has responsibility for production, sales and accounts while Mead handles "more behind-the-scenes stuff" — the marketing, graphic design, photography and sourcing the fabrics.

"We've never actually had an argument over it which has been quite good. I know her strengths and weaknesses and she knows mine and we did before we started this business," says Barry-Walsh.

The sisters operate like a well-oiled machine despite being based in different parts of the country — Mead in Raglan, Barry-Walsh in Wellington.

"Today we're doing the graphic colours so it's all over the phone. It is a little bit more challenging but we still manage," says Barry-Walsh.

The Green Bean proprietors have their eyes firmly on the future with hopes that their label will become a household name in New Zealand and dreams of undertaking the Sustainable Business Network's Get Sustainable Challenge, a programme designed to improve a company's efficiency and productivity as well as its eco-friendliness.

***

Janine Matchitt describes the evolution of her company, Viola Organics, as almost accidental.

"It was never meant to be a business originally. It was more a salvation for my mum."

Her mother, Pam Blowers, had started making organic skin, body and hair care products back in 1986 as part of a concerted effort to remove toxins from her life when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

It's a chemical-free move she credits with saving her life, along with eating organic and shunning commercial household cleaning products.

Eventually demand for her products from family and friends saw the cottage industry transform into a fully-fledged commercial venture. While organic is very much the catch-cry of the moment, in the 80s it was a groundbreaking concept.

"She did all of that when it wasn't fashionable. And that didn't matter to her, the money was secondary as well," says Matchitt, who recalls her mother devoting time to customers who would telephone her personally to chat.

"My dad would almost tear his hair out because there'd be things she needed to be making but she'd spend an hour on the phone with some poor person who had cancer. And she would do all of that freely."

Perhaps, in part, due to its early roots as a purely personal enterprise, Whangarei-based Viola Organics still has a relatively low profile despite having 35 stockists nationwide.

"Some of our new customers who find us go: 'You've been here for 23 years? You're New Zealand's best-kept secret'. And I'm, like: 'Well, I don't want to be'," says Matchitt, who took over the business when her mother retired in 2003.

Organic certification for more than 80 items in its range is the company's key point of difference. To achieve this Viola Organics' formulations are audited by BioGro which, in turn, is audited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.

Customers can be assured that these products have had no contact with chemicals anywhere in the process from "plant extraction to jar". Matchitt is confident this certification gives her the competitive edge over other skincare ranges.

"It does put us out in a league of our own," she says.

The formulations, which are handmade in small batches for freshness, contain organic oils and natural plant extracts rather than parabens, mineral oils and artificial preservatives. Almond and avocado oil, chamomile and green tea extract, honey and shea butter are among the ingredients that sound good enough to eat.

Matchitt says the Rosehip Elite face cream and Jojoba body lotion are two of the biggest sellers. In addition to face and body products, Viola Organics offers specialist items too such as an eye cream, anti-stretch mark oil and insect repellent.

The range is continually being added to as research and development allows; a hydrating cleansing lotion and a lavender sleep balm were recently introduced.

Observing green principles of sustainability, the company packages its orders in cardboard boxes discarded by other local businesses — "we recycle their recycling" — and most of the products are bottled in glass. Matchitt would like to see women select skincare products with more rigour.

"It's a little bit of a personal crusade for me," says the 44-year-old.

"Sadly, 95 per cent of women just go for smell first, touch second and then they might buy it without even looking at the label. I try to encourage people to at least turn the product over and read the ingredients' list."

Following in her mother's footsteps on a personal as well as a business level, Matchitt is particular about living as healthily as possible in all areas of her life.

In addition to using all the Viola Organics products, she chooses spray-free or organic produce, buys organic rice and milk and uses Enjo cleaning cloths that require only cold water.

And while Blowers may no longer be involved in the day-to-day running of the business, she is a constant source of inspiration and influence for Matchitt.

"We get together over a coffee every Saturday after the farmers' market. She is definitely my sounding board."