Ecoman : From A Garage In Northland To A Pioneering Global Brand

Description

The story of how how Malcolm Rands, an organic gardener and hippy from Northland, built the pionneering global brand Ecostore. Malcolm Rands started Ecostore from New Zealand's first permaculture eco-village with his wife Melanie in 1993. They began by mixing soaps and detergents by hand for the then mail-order business in a dug-out basement. With a canny ability to think outside the square, twenty years on and Malcolm has built Ecostore into a multi-million dollar business. Its distinctive, masterfully branded products are on the shelves of every supermarket in New Zealand, 2000 in Australia and several thousand more in the US. Now with a foothold in Hong Kong, Singapore and China, they poised for further global expansion. This inspirational memoir gives an insight into the mind of a hippy and a capitalist, entrepreneur and activist, artist and true Kiwi 'superhero'. It's a fascinating story of humble beginnings, taking on the multinationals and their nasty chemicals, bucking the trend and setting a new standard of healthier living. At latest count, there are more than 84,000 chemicals in existence for commercial use, with 1000 new ones being developed every year. Malcolm is more determined than ever to work toward restoring the health and wellbeing of New Zealand by making it easier for people to be green. This book includes his tips on how to green up your home and office, his thoughts on New Zealand's 'pure' image and some timely lessons in sustainability.

Author description

Malcolm Rands is the founder and CEO of Ecostore Company Ltd, New Zealand's leading range of environment friendly household cleaners, body care, pet care, and organic gardening products. For two years Malcolm appeared on TVNZ's Good Morning Show as 'Ecoman', giving advice on how to 'green up' your life. As well as an astute businessman, Malcolm is still a keen organic gardener. He lives between Auckland and his permaculture eco-village in Northland.