Unsung heroes under the soil
Much of the scientific work being carried out at the Massey University led regenerative agriculture project, Whenua Haumanu, is below the ground.
Margie Hunt has been a successful dairy farmer in the Waikato. However, it was the food technology encounter at Massey that has led to her and two colleagues developing Soochi - a new sparkling drink with special health properties, which was promoted at the Massey University site at Fieldays in June.
"It all started in 2019 when I was in my fourth year and we had to create a food project with the criteria that it had to be innovative," Hunt told Hort News.'"That meant we has a lot of leeway in terms of what we could do. The product had to be something relevant - so we had to do a lot of market research and look at market trends. In the end, I decided to focus on gut health product because this is a big issue."
She explains that the key ingredients are collagen and prebiotics mixed with fruit flavours and says it took a long time and many experiments to get the balance of the ingredients to the point where it was commercially marketable. Prebiotic collagen helps the good bacteria in the gut to function as they should. The presence of collagen promotes proper digestion and bowel movement. This helps prevent illnesses and conditions that develop due to poor digestive motility.
The end result is a soda or sparkling drink in three flavours - Glow Berry, Lemon Ginger, and Passion Peach - in 330ml cans. It is produced on contract and now sold widely around the country and online. They have also produced an unflavoured powder and have plans to expand the business. Hunt says Soochi was founded on the basis of caring deeply about helping others and the environment. The idea was to create funtional drinks and supplements that don't compromise on taste and deliver functional benefits for skin, body and mind.
The success of the product has led to the formation of a company with two of Hunt's friends linking up: Tina Chou is the chief executive and Naz Nicholson the creative director with Hunt assuming the role of food technologist. The success of Soochi led Hunt to give up the dairy farm and focus on her new business. Judging by the crowds around the Massey stand at Fieldays, the drink is quite a hit.
