The idea for OtherNature came to Hope Williams and her husband and business partner, Matt Leadbeater, when the pair were living in London. Being ambitious people both working in the advertising industry at the time, their professional lives necessarily left them feeling out of balance, and disconnected from the more natural lifestyle they’d lived at home in New Zealand. 

“It was taking its toll on their physical and mental health, and we saw it in our friends too,” says Hope. “Imbalance isn’t something you notice immediately. It slowly chips away until you’re suddenly highly stressed, burnt out, and have a strange sensation of not feeling sick, yet not feeling well.”

For a number of years, Hope says she and Matt searched for natural solutions to avoid harsher, chemical-laced pharmaceuticals. “When medicinal mushrooms became part of our daily routine, we immediately noticed the effects and the cogs started turning.”

A few years on, says Hope, and modern science is catching up to what traditional medicine has known for thousands of years, with research not only proving the real health benefits of mushrooms but also that they can be safer, with fewer side effects than many modern pharmaceuticals.

And she and Matt would know. In just two years, the pair has grown their medicinal mushroom start-up OtherNature from an idea, to the ultra-chic, sustainably packaged, refillable jars of high-performing capsules that have just launched in New Zealand this week. Clean, potent, and proven, Hope explains that OtherNature supplements are USDA & EU certified organic, containing 100% fruiting body with 30% beta-glucans “making our extracts some of the purest and most potent on the market”.

“And although medicinal mushrooms are the hero of OtherNature, their benefits can be amplified with other nutraceutical ingredients that work together synergistically. Our proprietary formulations are crafted by our team of naturopaths, mycologists, and industry experts with ingredients that are supported by scientific evidence, using the clinically correct levels of Bio-actives.”

As the pandemic raged around the world and the already oversaturated wellness industry ballooned, Hope says she and Matt were extremely mindful of introducing yet another ‘wellness’ product to market. But this became less of a challenge and instead a driver for them to create a product that wasn’t like the others, and that could effect positive change in multiple ways.

“Consumers in this space – ourselves included – are more discerning now than ever,” says Hope. “That’s why we took our time to build a brand that we loved, that is aligned to our values and is considered in all of its aspects. To start, we knew we wanted a premium and sustainable brand that championed the highest-quality medicinal mushrooms. We’ve been using them for years and are such big believers in their potential. But it had to go deeper than that.”

What Hope and Matt ultimately came up with was a brand philosophy that saw mushrooms as the catalyst for change, alongside a focus on beautiful design and a holistic approach to business which has seen them lead with science, transparency, and sustainability, including operating as a carbon-neutral business, partnering with 1% For the Planet, and working towards a B Corporation status.

“This philosophy has also informed our product pipeline of providing solutions that help people find balance in the modern world. The end result that we’re working towards is a lifestyle brand that ultimately goes beyond the product and serves a higher-level purpose.”

As for what it’s like to see their first product finally on shelves?

“It’s both very daunting and incredibly exciting. Matt and I have no kids, so we joke that OtherNature is our firstborn. We’ve really poured our hearts into this business, it’s a space we both really care about and we’re so excited that we are able to facilitate positive change. To see people use our product and feel the results makes us so happy!”