Tree with Antibacterial Agent
Native NZ Tree with Antibacterial Agent, Essentially NZ looks for US market opportunities
New Zealand’s native Totara tree is one of the longest living trees in the New Zealand forest – having been known to grow for over 1000 years. And when the tree is just in its infant stage, at around 150-200 years, it begins to produce a powerful antibacterial and antioxidant agent.
It is this natural component – Totarol™ – that some of the world’s largest consumer brands, including Vichy (part of L’Oreal France), include as a key ingredient in their personal care products.
“Totarol has incredible antibacterial qualities and kills both gram positive and negative bacteria. Plus, it also has powerful antioxidant properties, which is another extremely important feature in the manufacture of personal care products.
“However, perhaps the most important benefit we provide our customers with is a one-of-a-kind natural ingredient they can use to set their brands apart from the competition. Totarol™ is only found in New Zealand. Our partner, Mende Biotech Ltd, is the world’s only manufacturer. And Essentially NZ its only international distributor,” explains Mr Hueber.
One of the first questions people usually have for Hueber is, “How can you continually and sustainably supply the ingredient when it takes the Totara tree over 150 years to produce?”
“Obviously Totara tree plantations are out of the question. Most of our customers aren’t patient enough to wait 150 years for their order,” he quips. “In actuality, we don’t harvest any live trees because there is an abundant supply of dead wood throughout New Zealand.
“We gather the raw material from fallen trees, old fence posts and wood from demolished buildings. We then use our novel, patented, supercritical extraction process to manufacture the 100% natural product.”
After 10 years on the market, Essentially NZ now exports Totarol™ to customers in 18 countries, including the US, EU, Australia, Brazil, Korea, China, and many other Asian destinations.
