Launchpad meet the teams: Wilding and Co.

Wilding and Co. distills Central Otago wilding pines into a high-value essential oil. Photo / Supplied

Launchpad is the social enterprise incubator where eleven fledgling businesses are prepared for market.

This month Element readers decide on the 'People's Choice' from the 11 social enterprises in the Launchpad accelerator, thereby deciding who receives the $20,000 prize from Contact to help further their endeavours. Social enterprises are purpose-driven organisations that trade to deliver social or environmental impact. Click below to access the voting form, and click on each team's name to learn more.
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This month Rosie Bosworth talks to Wilding and Co's Maturin Molgat.

Rosie Bosworth: Describe what Wilding & Co is and does?
Mathurin Molgat: Wilding & Co is an ecologically driven social enterprise that creates beautiful and valuable products from environmentally problematic pest plants. Our current operations focus on clearing and controlling the spread of wilding pines in Central Otago, and distilling them into high-value essential oils.

RB: Tell us about the brains behind Wilding and Co.
MM: Wilding & Co is led by three founding directors - Michael Sly, Dave Turnbull and myself. All of us are creatively driven entrepreneurs with a strong ecological vision.

Michael and Dave co-own Chrometoaster in Wellington, an award-winning design agency with a passion for web, brand and user experience. Michael's also a freelance developer of natural perfumes and essential oil manufacture and research.

Dave is a professional photographer. And me, I'm a film director and producer, an ecological entrepreneur, a touring musician and a professional skier. Operationally we have a talented and passionate team; Ray Gazley, our manager, Saskia Van Der Geest, product development, Rory McHarg, brand and creative design and Paul Greaves and Steve Johnson - our forestry specialists.

RB: Tell us about the "aha" moment for Wilding and Co?
MM: There are many invasive plant species in New Zealand and no safe and healthy solution has been developed to eradicate them - until Wilding & Co came along. After years of testing we have a financially viable and ecological solution to help. By distilling these plants and turning them into valuable essential oil we saw a market opportunity around the world. With standing orders for thousands of kilograms of our product internationally, the proof is in the pudding!

RB: What gaps does Wilding & Co fill?
MM: Until now, wilding pine trees have been eradicated at huge cost to the taxpayer and the environment. Wilding offers a solution that is safer, smarter and 100% ecological, while also generating lucrative economic outcomes.

RB: 10 years from now what will Wilding & Co have achieved?
MM: The future is all roses! In 10 years we'll have huge international orders that continue to increase every year. We'll have a foolproof marketing and brand story, and the bigger we get, the smaller our ecological footprint becomes. Our products, through their very creation, are protecting the environment. Consumers worldwide, by buying Wilding & Co products, will be feeling better, looking better and helping to save our unique landscape.

RB: Do you see Wilding & Co evolving into additional areas?

MM: Our model re-examines how we value marginal land and has international scalability. Over 800,000 hectares of New Zealand land is at risk from wilding pine trees and we intend to expand Wilding & Co's infrastructure to match the scale of this problem.

While we are currently using wilding pines to create a commercially competitive infrastructure here, there are so many invasive plant species here and around the world that can and will benefit from Wilding & Co's "pest to product" philosophy.

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