The answer lies in the soil

Soil scientist Jamie Blennerhassett is returning to his scientific roots after six years setting up and running an ambitious gourmet food market in Mount Maunganui.

Jamie is going to lead the innovation team for farmer-owned farm nutrient co-op Ballance Agri-Nutrients, bringing with him commercial acumen honed at the helm of Nosh.


Soil scientist Jamie Blennerhassett. Photo: Supplied.

When Jamie left his career as a soil scientist to set up Mount Maunganui's first gourmet food market, he pictured the start-up adventure through a well-worn pair of rose-tinted glasses.

The relentless optimist and his wife Jo, a trained nurse, were excited to be launching The Good Food Trading Company; an endeavour which would challenge the norm in a food scene dominated by bulging supermarket chains.

'It soon became terrifying,” says Jamie.

'Like all good entrepreneurs, you think you understand how hard it will be but you don't know what you don't know. We had no retail experience, we had no food experience except that we were good shoppers, and good eaters. The deli concept was Jo's long-held passion and I brought commercial experience.

'But all of my marketing knowledge from the fertiliser industry just wasn't applicable beyond some very big-picture concepts. We were so, so green.”

Good Food became Nosh Mt Maunganui. The business is now six years old and Jo has it running like clockwork, so Jamie is now free to return to soil science and his former employer, Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

He's been appointed to the company's newly-created innovation leader role. He leads a team of five scientists, and is charged with shaping the business' innovation culture and launching world-leading products.

The link between fertiliser and food is obvious, says Jamie.

'Good food is only made possible by great soil. I always knew that, but now I have an even better appreciation of the selling power of an international-standard food product, and I know that level of quality is only achievable when producers start with good soil.”

Ballance chief executive Mark Wynne says Jamie offers the company a great combination of robust start-up experience, commercial instinct and the kind of scientific rigour required to publish a thesis on the opportunities for nitrogen fertiliser use on dry hill country.

'The innovation leader is a role for a courageous and ambitious leader with a drive for results. We absolutely have this in Jamie.”

Jamie grew up on a crop and livestock farm east of Te Puke. After university, he began his scientific career with Summit Quinphos which later merged with Ballance, under the mentorship of industry pioneer Bert Quin. Through Quin, Jamie developed a mindset of challenging the norm.

'Under his leadership, I formed a view that we could only survive if we could be smarter and more nimble. Out of that was born a view that there must always be a better way.”

It's the mind-set that drove the Blennerhassetts to shake up the Bay of Plenty food scene and it's this mantra which will drive the innovation team at Ballance under Jamie's leadership.

'With a bit more experience, and hindsight, I now realise I've been incredibly lucky to have such fulfilling career opportunities in the Bay,” says Jamie.

'Jo and I get to raise our family in this environment, with this lifestyle. She's running the show at Nosh, and that business had been her dream for so long, and I have this great job blending a unique blend of skills and experience. We are very fortunate.”

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