Mixing innovation, expertise, and camaraderie, The Kitchen Project’s first Alumni Gathering of 2024, held on Monday, 11 March, at the Ellen Melville Centre in Auckland, was an uplifting night for our entrepreneurs.

In the spotlight was guest speaker Keith Clark, who shared his invaluable journey with Lewis Road, an iconic NZ brand he helped to start. His insights on branding, pricing strategies, costing, market entry, and distribution were inspiring and opened the discussion with the group on innovation and growth.

The event brought together entrepreneurs from all our cohorts, those from our first class in 2018 through to those currently going through the programme, alongside our wonderful dedicated mentors. The mix of experiences, stages of business development, and perspectives in the room made for rich conversations and a strong sense of community.

Sharing stories underscored the supportive and collaborative atmosphere that defines our food entrepreneur network and all of this alongside tasting delicious food from our alumni which included vibrantly authentic Mexican salsas crafted by Yvette Brooks founder of Red Hot Kiwi Company, yummy ceviche by our Peruvian flavour master Carolina Noble founder of Rococo, and delicious handmade babka cake and pastries by Carmel Davidovitch founder of By Carmel.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, sharing in those crucial moments of connection where support is abundant, and ideas and encouragement flow freely.