Calling Home: The More I Travel, the More I Miss New Zealand
Talking to Jim on RNZ's Calling Home recently made me realise just how much I miss and love New Zealand.
My husband Noah and I have been away from our beloved New Zealand for the past 18 months. When our youngest daughter went off to university, we decided it was time to make a change. Noah works remotely for a company based in Boston, but back in New Zealand, he was getting up every day at 3am to work. It was taking a toll on his health, and since he could work remotely, we decided to move somewhere that would be a little kinder to his body clock.
I was nervous about how I would run Secret Kiwi Kitchen from so far away. As it turns out, it has worked remarkably well. The manufacturers and warehouse teams I work with in New Zealand have been incredibly understanding, and being away has actually given me more opportunity to focus on what we are building in the US.
Two weeks ago, we opened our California warehouse, and our New Zealand-made mixes are now starting to ship to customers across the United States. That is a pretty exciting milestone for SKK.
Over the past 18 months, Noah and I have lived and travelled through the Pacific and Latin America, carrying most of what we own in a couple of bags. It has been an incredible experience, and Jim wanted to know what it is like running a New Zealand food business while living this rather unconventional life.
The conversation made me think more and more about home.
We are probably a little biased, but I think New Zealand is the best place in the world to call home. And although I have always known how lucky we are, being away has made me appreciate it in a completely different way.
I used to pinch myself at how beautiful New Zealand is. It really is one of the most photogenic countries in the world. I miss the landscapes, the beaches, the people and the feeling of space. And, of course, I miss the food and our incredible ingredients.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love New Zealand ingredients, particularly our grass-fed dairy, and that love was one of the reasons I started Secret Kiwi Kitchen in the first place.
Travel has given me plenty of inspiration, too. I am constantly discovering new flavours, ingredients and ways of using food, and I find myself thinking about what we could bring back to the SKK kitchen. I love the idea of taking inspiration from around the world while keeping the heart of everything we do firmly rooted in New Zealand.
And now, being closer to the US has allowed us to take that next big step.
Our NZ-made mixes are beginning to make their way into American kitchens, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Secret Kiwi Kitchen may be travelling around the world, but New Zealand is travelling with us.
You can listen to my conversation with Jim on RNZ's Calling Home HERE.
To find out more about Lulu's travels check out her website: A Table Called Home
--------
About Secret Kiwi Kitchen
Secret Kiwi Kitchen is an award-winning New Zealand food company founded by Lauren Lulu Taylor, an American-born entrepreneur who discovered a passion for New Zealand's exceptional ingredients after making New Zealand her home. Inspired by the country's world-class dairy, non-GMO wheat, and natural pantry staples, Lulu created Secret Kiwi Kitchen to showcase the very best of New Zealand through beautifully crafted baking mixes, edible flowers, spice blends, and pantry favorites.
Today, Secret Kiwi Kitchen products are sold throughout New Zealand and are now available across the United States through the company's California warehouse. Known for premium ingredients, award-winning recipes, and botanical packaging inspired by the work of New Zealand women botanical artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Secret Kiwi Kitchen is on a mission to bring a little piece of New Zealand to kitchens around the world.