Culture Club

Greenery, fresh air and environmental common sense make New Zealand one of the healthiest places on the planet.

In the official 2020 Legatum Prosperity Index New Zealand was named the seventh healthiest country in the world and was the only non-European country in the top 13.

Naturally, healthy eating is built into the mindset of New Zealanders and is a crucial pillar of The Collective, a gourmet yoghurt company that began in Auckland in 2009, which is available in Waitrose and Spinneys.

Founded by ex-chefs Angus Allan and Ofer Shenhav, The Collective make gourmet yoghurt and kefir products using locally-sourced milk and no nasties or, as they put it, “no bull.” They insist on using only the finest, natural ingredients, with no artificial colours, preservatives or flavourings. The range is also free of GMO and palm oil.

“I saw a gap for high quality, great-tasting, proper yoghurt,” explains Allan, a keen cyclist who lives in Auckland. The company started with just nine staff but today employs more than 90 people in offices around the world.

The careful addition of hundreds of millions of live cultures means The Collective’s range is good for gut health as well as being a source of protein that’s suitable for vegetarians. Their plant range, meanwhile, is made from oats, coconut and rice and is vegan-friendly, dairy-free and low in sugar.

The gourmet yoghurt range is manufactured in Somerset, England using local milk and is flavoured with the likes of juicy morello cherries, mango and passion fruit. Kefir drinks and yoghurts are good news for immunity and are made in Yorkshire, England and Wales respectively in family-run dairies using locally sourced milk. For children, The Collective’s Suckies pouches of fruit and natural yoghurt made from whole milk are a guaranteed hit.

Matching its healthy product offering is The Collective’s impressive commitment to sustainability. For instance, the company launched a new plant range in 100% recycled material and their kefir bottles have moved to 35% prevented ocean plastic. Elsewhere, the lid and spoon have been removed from the brand’s 150g snack tubs to save more than 35 tons of plastic every year.

The Collective is connected to the community, too, with a pledge to donate a minimum of 0.1 % of revenue to charitable causes. They are supporting a year of funding for the pilot scheme, GROW, a charity based in North London. Grow teaches children about the environment, sustainability and mental wellbeing as part of their curriculum. The UK-based team also commits to two days volunteering per year for a number of good causes including The Princes Trust.

Good for your body and good for the environment, The Collective is a proud Kiwi export doing its bit to ensure New Zealand stays near the top of the healthy country rankings.