If you've been scooping up cauliflower ice cream and telling yourself it's the future, you’re not wrong - you’re just about to be a few thousand kilometres off. EatKinda, the Kiwi startup best known for turning a cruciferous veg into a creamy, dairy-free treat, is ditching New Zealand shelves and heading straight for the American dream.
Source: EatKinda - Fringe Smoozing at Natural Products Expo West - Co-founder Mrinali Kumar right
Yes, you read that right. The cult-favourite tubs that sold out at Hell Pizza and jumped from 91 to 120 Woolworths stores in a blink are vanishing from New Zealand freezers. Why? Simple economics and serious ambition.
“We couldn’t scale here to hit mass-market pricing,” says co-founder Mrinali Kumar. “But the interest from the U.S.? Off the charts. This isn’t goodbye, it’s a plot twist.” 🚀
After making a splash at the recent Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, aka the Coachella of health food, Kumar and fellow founder Jenni Matheson weren’t just networking. They were 'scouting the fringe', talking big with even bigger players, and testing to see if their humble cauli-concoction could melt American hearts (and mouths).
Source: EatKinda - Strawberry Cauliflower Icecream
Turns out, it can. In just two years, EatKinda went from quirky startup to global curiosity. Viral social hits, sellouts, and supermarket expansion all painted a tasty picture, but without deep-pocketed infrastructure or scale-friendly margins, sticking around locally just didn’t stack up.
Still, the co-founders are clear: this isn’t the end for New Zealand. “We’ll be back, when we can serve our home crowd the way we’ve always envisioned.”
Until then, Kiwis have one job - raid your local Woolies. Stock is dwindling, and cauliflower never tasted this good.
ENDS:
#EatKinda, #cauliflower #ice cream, #plant-based, #New Zealand startups, #NaturalProductsExpoWest, #U.S., #FutureFood #trends, #dairyfree #innovation
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