Wai Mānuka + Pip
“It’s been awesome working with the team from Pip. Right from day one, they’ve handled all our needs with regard to protecting our brand and product as we build towards creating a global market.’
With a champagne effervescence, the gold of mānuka honey and a lemony brightness, Wai Mānuka is the non-alcoholic celebration drink the world has been waiting for.
It was an idea hatched early one New Year’s Day by friends who couldn’t believe no one had thought of it already. Capitalising on the global popularity of mānuka honey, the founders knew they were onto something special – and wanted to take it to the world.
The need
With a finalised formula, brand and labelling, Wai Mānuka took off in New Zealand. Their launch garnered huge press coverage, saw them chosen as a preferred supplier to America’s Cup Village and today the brand is stocked in supermarkets and hospitality venues around New Zealand and they supply some of the country’s biggest events.
Next on the agenda is securing further investment to accelerate growth in New Zealand and test export markets. From the outset the founders have been acutely aware of IP and displayed a real appetite to learn and take all necessary steps to secure their rights.
The partnership
We started by inviting the guys into our office and understanding their business model and growth aspirations. Armed with that information, we were able to devise a strategy for securing the Wai Mānuka brand in NZ. This included advice on Wai Mānuka’s ingredients and labelling and some of the inherent challenges with registration of Māori words. This initial exchange was critical for aligning with Wai Mānuka’s growth and investment goals, and not without some complexity. Since then, Wai Mānuka has continued to grow, and Pip has helped guide the business through a variety of IP-related issues.
