Launch aims to strengthen local businesses

MEDIA RELEASE

Provenance Eatery and Store and business group BNI Norwest launching today aim to strengthen local businesses and those in the wider community

RODNEY – Tuesday 23rd September 2014 – Networking group Business Network International has recognised the need for a group to support the growing number of businesses in the Kumeu area and so has established BNI Norwest. The group which officially launched today is meeting weekly at Provenance Eatery and Store and through this relationship has learnt that the café shares its desire to support local businesses and back the resurgent Kumeu area.

Scott Brown, Director of Hipgroup, who own the café as well as the 13 eateries including Richmond Rd Café, Takapuna Beach Cafe & Store and The Store at Britomart. He shares BNI’s philosophy of supporting local businesses and is excited about the recent growth seen in the area. “BNI setting up a local group makes sense because business in this area is definitely growing,” Scott says.

“We’ve been here for about a year now and we plan to expand our premises significantly over the next 12 months or so,” Scott continues. “Like BNI, we have a philosophy of supporting local businesses and producers. We always look for ways to contribute to the community and try to connect with local growers and buy produce and beverages from people in our region.”

Scott says that with the expansion of the venue they will be able to offer more to the community and local businesses. “Kumeu was once the food hub for Auckland,” he says. “It was a major horticultural and agricultural area – but now orchardists struggle to make money from their produce. We hope that we can be a part of turning that around by supporting producers through our ventures, in much the same way that BNI supports local businesses.”

Graham Southwell, National Director for BNI New Zealand, agrees that there is a great synergy between the café’s attempts to integrate with the community and what is being done at BNI. “We’ve launched with about 20 members and we expect to grow that number to 30 or 35 in the next year,” Graham says. “BNI increasingly looks to work with community organisations to improve the local economy and it’s fantastic that Provenance shares these values of supporting home-grown businesses.”

BNI Norwest is open to visitors to attend and is looking for a range of businesses from professional services through to trade. Only one business from each industry can become a member. They meet 7am Tuesdays at Provenance Eatery and Store - 791 State Highway 16, Waimauku.

About BNI
BNI New Zealand is a business community, creating business opportunities based on trust and giving. It is the country’s largest structured business networking organisation for small to medium businesses with over 2,600 members with 122 groups. Weekly business owners from all types of industries (only one trade representative per group) meet. They build sustainable relationships with other businesses, develop new networks and take BNI’s underlying philosophy of ‘Givers Gain’ to grow their businesses through a structured system of referrals and reciprocity.

ENDS

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