Announcement - We have blended Munch with nil harm nil waste to make it easier for you to be part of your nil harm sustainable journey with us

Blog posts & pages

View all results (0)

5 Green Tips to Kick -Start the School Year

5 Green Tips to Kick -Start the School Year

5 Green Tips to Kick-Start the School Year

Ok, I know that for most of us, the priority is just to GET OUR KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL this year!  After the unprecedented interruptions to schooling (and life in general!) in 2020 and 2021, we all have our fingers, toes and pencil cases crossed that things will run more smoothly in 2022.  When it comes to back-to-school, there is a huge amount of STUFF involved.  That’s what makes the start of the school year the perfect opportunity to make some sustainable changes.  As always, my ethos is progress, not perfection.  Don’t feel like you need to become Captain Planet overnight and change up everything in your children’s schoolbags!  How about choosing one of these five ideas to kickstart the school year more sustainably?

1 The lunchbox feels like a good place to start. Let’s hope that when you pull out the school bags you don’t find the remains of last year’s unemptied lunchbox!  I’m very happy to report that there are some amazing sustainable solutions for lunchboxes.  Bento lunchboxes have compartments inside them, so you don’t need to wrap everything individually, or resort to expensive prepackaged snacks.  Some bentos are even leakproof, meaning you can pop yoghurt or hummus straight in.  Another great option is to skip the plastic altogether with a stainless-steel lunchbox.  They tend to be a little more expensive, but they absolutely make up for it in terms or durability.  My kids have each been given a stainless-steel bento lunchbox when they started school (fifth birthday present… check!), and the expectation is that it will last their entire primary schooling (and beyond hopefully).  At the risk of jinxing ourselves, so far we are on track.  Lunchbox hack: Magnets make great decorations for stainless-steel lunchboxes!

Something that we are adding to our routine this year is a lunch flask!  My kids are frustratingly fussy when it comes to sandwiches, so I struggle to get something substantial into their lunch.  My plan with the flask is to give them something hot to eat like pasta, rice, soup (with bread to dunk) or leftovers.  Our lunch flask (from Munch Cupboard) is double-walled, meaning it can keep food hot or cold, and it doesn’t feel hot to touch.  We have been trying it out on some of our Italian picnics and are super impressed by how well it works! 

Beeswax wraps, food pouches, reusable lunch bags and small reusable containers are other options for more sustainable lunchboxes.

2 Like our lunchboxes, we have opted for durable, stainless steel drink bottles. I find the simpler the better, I’ve been fooled in the past by little gizmos like ‘misters’ and fancy nozzles, only to find that they quickly break, rendering the entire drink bottle unusable.  Stainless steel bottles keep water cold all day, and if you opt for a double walled one, it can also keep liquid hot… a perfect alternative to a thermos!  I use a permanent marker to write my child’s name on the bottom of the bottle, and sometimes my phone number too.

3 Regardless of whether your kids’ school is uniform or mufti, there are some sustainable (and cost-saving!) options when it comes to school attire. Look out for secondhand uniforms on Trademe, Facebook Marketplace, preloveduniforms.co.nz, local Facebook pages or at your school’s own secondhand shop.  The same goes for sports’ uniforms.  My kids pretty much live in secondhand clothes, mainly hand-me-downs, and some op-shop purchases.  As I spend so little on their clothing, it means that from time to time I am happy to invest in a quality, sustainable garment that they need.  At the risk of sounding like a school newsletter; remember to name your child’s clothing!  That way, when (and I use when rather than if intentionally) they lose an item, it can hopefully find its way back to them!

4 Did you know that every year, six billion pens that still work are thrown away? Depending on how your school organizes stationary, you may not have much say in the matter, but if you do, here are a few tips.  Have a good hunt through what you already have before you go stationary shopping.  You’ll probably find that you can tick off a lot of the items without spending a cent.  When you do need to buy new, don’t get lured into buying things on sale that they don’t absolutely need.  Sure, a 5 cent notebook is a pretty amazing deal (technically called a ‘loss leader’, intended to act as a draw card to get you into the store), but if they don’t actually need it, then is it really a good deal?  And do you really need a ten pack of glue sticks, or will they just lose them ten times as quickly?  School bags themselves are a tricky one.  As with everything, the most sustainable school bag is the one that you already own!  But if your child needs a new one, then your best bet it to opt for a good quality one, with a decent warrantee, that will last them years.

5 A final way to up your eco ante: transportation.  Is there one thing you can do to cut the emissions of your school drop offs and pick ups?  Perhaps walking, cycling or scootering could be on the cards.  Taking the bus, or joining the walking school bus? Ride-sharing with neighbours?  Start with one day a week and see how it goes.  It’s not about turning your entire life upside-down, it’s about taking small steps that work with, or perhaps even enhance your life.  I know that the days I walk home from school with my kids are the days that we have the best chats.  All of a sudden they want to tell me everything about their day, as opposed to the grunts I’m generally treated to in the car.

So the bag is packed and school is OPEN (all that finger, toe and pencil case crossing worked!)  You’ve survived the school holidays, and the intense times that preceded them.  We don’t know what 2022 will bring, but for now, as you send your children off, enjoy the moment and be proud of what you’ve all done (even if that is just survive!).  Here’s to a more unlocked, predictable, and perhaps a little-bit-greener 2022!

Juliet Dale
Binfluencer, The Great Eco Journey
Binfluencer, The Great Eco Journey

Read more

Making a difference

Making a difference

Sharing with you a little more about the steps we have taken at Munch, verifying the eco and social impacts we are making. Here we list some of the certifications we have received.

Since our establishment in 2014 we have naturally worked from a sustainable, social and ethical premise. 100% sustainable kitchens for the world. We celebrate all businesses that are trying to save our planet even if those steps are small.  We do not critique the steps that have not been taken yet as we just need businesses to start.

Read more

Tena Koutau Katoa - Anna Bordigon CEO

Tena Koutau Katoa - Anna Bordigon CEO
Tena Koutou Katoa,
Ko Te Mata Peak toku maunga
Ko Tukutuku toku awa
No Hawkes Bay a Wellington ahau
Ko Mills a Bordignon toku whanau
Ko Graeme Mills toku matua
Ko Janice Mills toku whaea
Ko Anna Bordignon toku ingoa

I wanted to introduce myself as many of our new followers will not have met me. Firstly, thank you so much for joining us.

Munch was started back in 2014 from my passion for the planet, children, food and to turn my privilege into something  good.  Part of giving back my privilege is to support women skilled and unskilled who are unable to join the financial system.  

I personally feel very connected to our land and I feel a strong need to try and protect it.  All our products we produce we intelligently think through how they are made, who makes them and will they leave a mark on our planet. I like to think we are true leaders in product stewardship and something we have been naturally doing for many years.

One of my key bug bears about sustainability is that I am totally against messages around fear and lack of hope. I am forever reiterating ideas to my children like (I have three little boys) … we managed to put a person on the moon so we humans are amazing etc. We see a challenge and we rise to fix/solve or rethink it for the better. I see this thinking as being very applicable to Covid19. If we take away peoples hopes it will only allow people to give up, see negativity and become divisive. All the things I see as non kiwi.

I am also a strong believer to make a change, we all need to be part of it and that means supporting other brands or people in the field of sustainability. So when I see other brands or people slamming those that are at least trying to make a eco difference, it makes me cross as the pie is big enough for everyone. One small change by everyone can make a huge difference and no one can solve the whole problem. The fact is no one or brand is perfect.  I do think this is part of the tall poppy syndrome we have here in NZ.

But to be able to help protect the planet and help women, I needed to build a business that could support all of our social and sustainable impacts. I did not want to build a business based on handouts, charity or spend my valuable time searching for funding.  I have created a business that supports itself from within. Part of my journey has been trying to link my passion with a strong business foundation.  It is always a challenge to balance them both.

Prior to Munch I was a keen netball player. My 82 mother and I always support and attend the Pulse at their games. I played netball right up to end of Uni. I also play tennis and manage my boys tennis teams.  My calm place is the ocean, as I love to surf, scuba dive (however there has not be a lot of that while the kids are young). I could live in the ocean like a mermaid!! We now go mountain biking, walking and skiing with the kids now that they have got older.   I also enjoy playing the guitar and hope that I will be able to jam (a word from my teenage days but unlikely to be cool now!) with my older boys soon.

I have a very hard working husband and three boys, 9 , 11 and 14. I was  (what I call it) an at home mum until they got to school. This was very important to me as I am naturally every maternal so it benefited me and I feel it will benefit my children later in life.

I love to learn and see myself as a granny doing a PHD in a field I am interested in. While at uni I studied Art History, Psychology and Law. I practised commercial law at large law firms in NZ and UK for over 12 years.  We came back from London and I wanted to do something I was passionate about, so the only way I was able to make that change was to start gathering information/facts (it is a kind of a personality trait of mine, good or bad), so I did an MBA and then Munch began after that.

My mother is a teacher, so hence where my love of learning came from and my father was a businessman.  Both are eternal optimists like myself and valued family. I have a lot to thank them both for as to who I am today.

Like all mama’s, life is busy. I love good food which sometimes adds a little more to my burgeoning soft round body!! I try my hardest to stay connected to my local community through volunteer work and simple acts of kindness. I do find it hard with a mask now to smile at acquaintances but I have decided to try the wave lately. The other thing about masks is that my favourite part of my face is my lips and now they are often covered!! I have the smallest eyes unlike your average large round model eyes.

I love sci fi as I enjoy thinking about what the future may look like. I hate it when my husband eats from a chippie bag when we are watching a movie as it is so loud. But maybe my ears are failing me.

So welcome and please stay with us on our journey. In 2022 have some amazing mind blowing things we are going to release and we would love you to be part of that. Our journey is very squiggly, and we sometimes go off track or we don’t get it right but I assure you, we are coming from a place of purpose, heart and desire to do the right thing!

Anna x

Read more

How to have a sustainable Christmas

How to have a sustainable Christmas

10 ways on how to have a sustainable Christmas

1 Scarf wrapping

Pick up or buy second hand scarfs to wrap your gifts for Christmas.  Lay the scarf on the table. Place the gift in the middle of the scarf. Then pick up a corner from each side and tie. Then do the same with the other corner.

2 Buy local

Simple as that. Buy local.

3 Choose gifts that last

Think long term. Don't buy cheap plastic gifts. Offer a Munch gift voucher to a loved one for them to buy sustainable products that will last.

4 Donate a gift

For the person who has everything, how about donating to charity and giving them a card to let them know this.

5 Homemade cards

Use old pieces of cardboard to make your own cards. A bit like scrap booking.

6 Natural Christmas tree

Try making a driftwood Christmas tree or a living plant in a pot. Don't buy another plastic one.

7 Make your own crackers

Try making your own crackers. A great thing to do with the kids.

8 Be connected

Enjoy your family. Ignore differences and sing loudly, hug often and enjoy your day.

9 Homemade baking

Make your own Christmas cake. Our favourite recipe is Nigella Lawson's Christmas cake recipe. Easy and in her recipe she makes reference to New Zealand! Make your own Christmas pies. Try one of our recipes here.

10 Left overs

After Christmas day, turn all your left overs into a delicious omelette or just fry on the BBQ. Put your fresh fruit in the freezer to use later in an ice pop.

 

 

Read more

Join the hunt for a Golden Ticket!

Join the hunt for a Golden Ticket!

We're bringing NZ a nationwide treasure hunt!

For two months we're bringing you a fun competition with some amazing prizes up for grabs!

Buy Munch Beeswax Food Wraps or a Munch Beeswax Snack Bag at participating retail stores to join the treasure hunt. Look for Munch in your favourite supermarket nationwide. We are on shelf in New World, Countdown, Fresh Choice, Farro Fresh, Commonsense, Raeward Fresh - plus some independent retailers too.

There is one very special lucky Golden Ticket! Plus 10 Silver Tickets and 50 Bronze.

The lucky Golden Ticket holder will win the keys to an eco chalet for a 5 night holiday in the central North Island, for themselves and a special friend, valued at $2000. On arrival, the winner gets a bundle of delicious and decadent foodie treats from other great NZ brands to be found on supermarket shelves. Celebrate New Zealand brands who are making locally.

And we have plenty of other prizes too - over 60 prizes up for grabs. Look out for Silver and Bronze tickets for runner up prizes galore.

The special Munch tickets are secretly hidden inside specially marked Munch Organic Beeswax Wraps or Beeswax Snackbags in supermarkets and stores nationwide.

When you find one, follow the instructions on the ticket to claim your prize - and share the fun with friends on your social media!

 Competition celebrates local NZ made

This is a celebration of local products and our local workforce - sharing this celebration with you all with a fun treasure hunt - and prizes.

We’re running this competition to highlight our Organic Beeswax products which are made by the amazing women in our unique homework force - our local makers.

And we're celebrating other amazing locally made products.

Some of our friends at fellow NZ brands have joined us to provide some delicious runner up prizes. No Ugly, Something to Crow About, Coffee Supreme, Raglan Food Co, Proper Crisps, Forty Thieves, Tasti, All Good Oat Milk, Bennetto and anihana.

logos of NZ brands contributing to the Munch prize packs

 The treasure hunt has begun!

Look for Gold, Silver and Bronze... Are you ready?

And.. GO!

Follow the fun and our Munch story on Instagram or Facebook.

 

Notes for the lucky finders of a Golden, Silver or Bronze ticket:

  • Prize details are specified on the tickets
  • Prizes must be claimed by emailing marketing@munchcupboard.com by midnight 31 October, 2021
  • The Golden Ticket prize is a 5 night stay at an eco chalet in Ohakune, valued at $2000 with the exact dates and availability to be confirmed by Munch.
  • To redeem a Silver Ticket prize pack the winner must email Munch with a photo of themselves with their Munch product purchase, showing the winning Silver Ticket and receipt (email to marketing@munchcupboard.com ) Photo maybe used for promotional purposes.

Read more