It’s Tuesday morning and The Makers Kitchen on Oruanui street is a hive of action. The fridge has been recently stacked with freshly cooked meals and the smell of baking wafts through the air. The steady stream of customers are met with a cheery greeting from The Makers Kitchen owners Cilla and Tim. After moving to Taupō three years ago the couple decided to buy a small local catering business, re-naming it The Makers Kitchen. “We soon realised that there was a gap in the market for a fresh food delivery service in Taupō” says Cilla. “There are a lot of people living here that, for various reasons, don’t want to cook an evening meal from scratch each night. But they still want to eat fresh healthy food” says Cilla.
The Makers Kitchen specialises in single-serve fresh meals and cater to a range of dietary requirements. “We have seen a growing demand for our keto meals” says Tim. “The single-serve option is great when one family member is following a keto diet, and the rest of the family are not. We also offer half-size portions for customer who prefer to eat smaller meals. These have been really popular for our elderly customers” says Tim. For local orders, meals are prepared and delivered on the same day. “Our meals have a five-day shelf life in the fridge and we don’t sell frozen food” says Tim. “Any extras are either sold from our Oruanui Street café or donated to Te Korowai Soup Kitchen. Food left-over from our catering work goes to the Women’s Shelter” says Tim. Supported by Enterprise Great Lake Taupō, Tim and Cilla are part of a six-month Business Accelerate Programme. Costs are subsidised by the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) capability voucher scheme. “Accelerate has provided some great business growth planning tools and frameworks. It’s a good reminder that business growth is a staged process, and you need to keep working on it” says Tim. Tim and Cilla have loved the move to Taupō, and particularly enjoy the flexible work hours. “It’s generally an early start for us, but we’re home each night to spend time with the kids” says Cilla. “The traffic is so easy and the community has been really welcoming. We love floating down the river in the summer, and swimming at Acacia Bay. Tim grew up in Taupō so we’re often bumping in to people we know. It’s really nice” says Cilla.
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