IMAGINE THIS | Podcast with Jehan Casinader
Leading New Zealand journalist Jehan Casinader explores the Wellington business landscape in conversation with industry leaders, innovators and change-makers.
Two mates, a love of beer - what could possibly go wrong? Simon and Ryan discovered the missing ingredient in Kiwi brewing and decided to make it themselves.
In episode seven, old high school mates Ryan Carville and Simon Cooke reveal how a love of beer has seen them build a successful business around yeast.
Not only are they New Zealand’s first yeast producers, but they are also award-winners as well. The Avalon-based beer yeast producers have just taken out the Business Innovation Award at Massey University’s annual NZ Food Awards.
While neither are microbiologists, having both worked in the brewing industry Simon and Ryan are well aware that yeast is a massive determinant of the quality of beer.
“Yeast is a living organism and, as such, it's perishable. It also has a quite, sort of stringent set of storage conditions, which if those aren't abided by, the health of the yeast will deteriorate very rapidly.”
There have been knockbacks – after upscaling their operation they expected a significant yield of healthy yeast but that first batch turned out to be a small amount of very dead yeast.
It’s been onwards and upwards since then though. Sandwiched between inner-city breweries, brew-pubs, and brewing community in Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt-based Froth Technologies’ custom-designed yeast lab raises six different yeast strains and supplies to more than 40 different craft breweries nationwide.
While they’ve undergone gradual growth, Ryan and Simon say it’s tempting to get lost in the constant perpetual pace of what's going on.
They know they can't run a business if they’re not looking after themselves, and while taking time out to recharge is important, so too is pausing to celebrate the milestones.
“We've actually got a little totem that sits on the wall in our office, it's a brass bell, it's rather large and it's screwed to the wall.
“When we have a real win, or something that we want to celebrate, anyone at any time, can give that bell a ring, and we all sort of pause and hear the news and do a fist pump.”
