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
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