They're the inspiring brand putting the ancient wisdom of Aotearoa on the world map. Yet Aotea like to do things the old-fashioned way. When the skincare and wellness brand get together to brainstorm, founder Tama Toki says the most powerful way they glean inspiration, collaborate and "roadmap" their campaigns is via an evolving mood board. Much of the creative marketing around the brand has been conceived this way, which they achieve by printing off inspiring materials and pinning to a cork board.
"I like being able to hold something in my hand, just as I do when I read – I love books," says Tama, who splits his time between the company's Grey Lynn office, the distillery on Aotea (Great Barrier Island) and their bricks and mortar store at Commercial Bay. It's from here they sell their unique blends of native flora-infused moisturisers and cleansers using ingredients grown on Aotea, such as mānuka honey, (also sold in its raw form to eat), plus kawakawa, harakeke and kūmarahou.
"It's nice as well to be able to show the team something you can physically stand up," adds Tama of the printed materials. "You're not limited to the images being flat on a screen. You have a raw canvas to work with, and it's more fun, especially when you're trying to express something. Also, I like having a big area to work with, rather than it being confined to a computer."
The company set up their own production facility on the island they're named after, a process Tama says was "really hard", particularly as Aotea is off the grid, with no reticulated water or power. So finding easier ways to do things, outside of manufacturing and product development, has been key. Having access to HP's smart-printing system HP+, which has been designed especially for consumers and small businesses, has allowed Aotea to streamline the creative and administrative sides of the business.
Meanwhile, with Tama moving around between work locations, the HP+ Smart app allows him to print securely from anywhere – including Aotea, where they grow and harvest mānuka, kūmarahou, harakeke and kawakawa, and distil and package their product, before it's shipped from Auckland. Then there are the practical applications, with the business able to print off paperwork, labelling and packing slips as needed.
All of this has allowed them to seamlessly meet online orders during lockdown, particularly for their export markets in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan, where demand for natural products and an interest in New Zealand are both soaring. With an agent in Sydney too, it's a busy time for the brand, and one that requires ongoing collaboration, creativity and inspiration.
One key way Aotea have utilised the power of printing in their brainstorming sessions has been through the conceptualisation of their broadsheet, a quirky addition to their packaging. When customers purchase an Aotea product they also get a vintage-style chronicle that outlines some of the ways in which they practise sustainability within the business.
"We printed off stills of old newspapers from the 30s and 40s, then put that up on a corkboard and used it as inspiration."
The current edition integrates Aotea's principles with attractive blueprints for their solar-power system and steam distillation unit. Most people buy the product because of what they stand for, says Tama, and the broadsheet gives customers the opportunity to see more of what they do as a company, outside of simply making a product.
While sustainability is a buzzword many brands toss around, for Aotea, it's tied into their kaitiakitanga, me, ngā kōrero i tuku iho, the traditional Māori stewardship of resources. The Aotea product range is a unique expression of the island, says Tama, whose personal connection to the land and his heritage is deeply infused into the ethos of the brand. Tama grew up on Aotea with whānau for whom Tikanga Māori principles held great significance. His kuia was particularly influential in shaping his Te Ao Māori perspective and teaching about the therapeutic properties of many of the ingredients that could be found in the bush.
Aotea's mindfulness around protecting the environment means Tama is equally appreciative of HP's commitments. With HP+, Forest First prints mean for every page Aotea prints, HP is putting the planet first and will plant trees or protect forests. HP's cartridges are also long-lasting, meaning less need for replacement, and all empty cartridges can easily be returned to HP as part of its recycling programme, enabled through HP Instant Ink.
"Any company doing something to address that and make an effort at how we can reduce waste is fantastic," says Tama.
Recognising the potentially problematic nature of the commercialising indigenous wisdom, Tama says he has been sensitive about bridging Te Ao Kōhatu (the old world) with Te Ao Hurihuri (the ever-changing world). Whereas easier way to do it would have been to use a contract manufacturer, Tama instinctively felt that wasn't the direction to take.
"We've had to do everything ourselves from scratch. So it took longer, but it felt like the right way to do things."
Part of that DIY ethos has been to come up with the look and feel of the brand themselves. Just as all of Aotea's products are manufactured on the island, the company also endeavours to keep their design processes in-house too.
"Because we're a small business we do much of the creative work ourselves," Tama explains. "That means we are often making and printing labels and other collateral that comes with our product before contracting them out."
Working with their in-house graphic designer, Tama and the Aotea team will often mock up everything from packaging designs to fliers to certification documents, which they'll then print out. Having something tangible allows them to review the size and scale as well as the aesthetic.
"It really gives us a feel for the products before we go ahead and get them printed with a publisher. It's all part of the scoping-out process."
Being able to print something off, as opposed to emailing it to his team and looking at ideas on a computer screen is a much more potent and tangible way to inspire ideas, Tama explains. Much of their inspiration comes from the internet, whether they're printing from Instagram, scientific journals or other brands they admire.
Before one particular brainstorming session before they had their HP+ printer, Tama discovered the printer in their Grey Lynn office had run out of ink. With a meeting coming up and several ideas yet to print off, he ventured into the office block to see if his building-mates could help.
"I kid you not, another one was running out of ink as well and the other had completely conked out. Three printers in one day!"
Though he can laugh about it now, he's relieved that with HP's reliable Cloud-connected technology, he's unlikely to find himself in that bind, and HP's Instant Ink service also means he doesn't need to worry about running out of ink again. Having a quality printer with smart capabilities means the creative process is that much easier and more fun to work with, he says.
"The cool thing about printing your ideas is you can see them, you can feel them and it's more intimate."
To find out more about how HP+ is modernising today's printing experience, visit hp.co.nz/plus