Helen Paul-Smith - Ōku | Building a Māori-Owned Wellness Brand from Native Plants | Ep 11

Mānuka honey may be world famous, but it is only one part of New Zealand’s native plant story.

Helen Paul-Smith, co-founder of Ōku, a Māori-owned wellness brand using native plants like kawakawa, horopito and mānuka to create teas, balms, elixirs and soaps. Helen shares how the business grew from farmers markets and boxes under the bed into a New Zealand and export-focused brand, and why sustainability, culture and long-term thinking have shaped every major decision.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

1:09 What Ōku does

2:00 Māori knowledge and native plants

3:43 Why kawakawa matters

6:40 From side hustle to business

11:07 Ōku today

12:40 Sustainability and purpose

19:24 Discovering the tourist and gifting market

22:00 Packaging and brand story

25:08 Challenges of entrepreneurship

27:03 Export lessons from China and Australia

31:12 Working with distributors

32:34 NZTE support

34:14 Ōku’s future vision

37:23 Māori-led export opportunities

39:10 Where to find Ōku

Follow Ōku here:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/OKUNewZealand

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oku_nz

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@oku-nznativeherbalproducts6227

Website - https://oku.co.nz

This Podcast is brought to you by Duoplus – The Digital Marketing Agency for businesses focused on growth.

Find out more here: https://www.duoplus.nz

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Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nz-innovation-export-podcast/id1883810064