Tell us about how and why Maxwell & McIntrye came about?

Maxwell and Mcintyre came about from a chance meeting with the original maker. There were only 2 flavours available which, to be frank, were a bit basic. A bit like something you would read online and try out.. Hard as anything in winter and far too strong a set of flavours. Interesting but not something you could build a business on. Just products you could sell at a small market.

Due to New Zealand’s location, we decided to just focus on supply through existing Digital and Bricks and mortar stores working to help existing retailers thrive. This allowed us time to focus on manufacturing. We had to get better formulas and flavours.

Our small community came to the rescue helping test and refine using a combination of children and adults of all ages to work through the versions until we all agreed.

Then scaling equipment up from my Mum's 60-year-old mixer to industrial level mixing and making solutions.

Finally, we could now make commercial batch sizes that were consistent and easy to repeat. It wasn’t easy and we had quite a few failed batches.

New labels, new photos and an updated website and we were ready. It worked. Many thousands of jars later we are now starting phase 2 with new flavours to be released in 2022.

What was the hardest part about making sure it’s sustainable and you’re not falling into the category of greenwashing?

Ethically we had already adopted a sustainable set of processes for supply and manufacturing. If you could not provide trackable product supply chains back to source then you were not for us. Glass jars were a major departure from other suppliers in this space but we refused to use plastic tubes as we all know they end up in the bin.

We tried metal lids but they reacted with the baking soda and made the toothpaste black.. So we went with the second and third components of the Mobius recycling triangle..

Recycle Reuse and Repurpose.

I like the way this has also been enhanced to 5 steps now.

The jars make perfect packaging for pesto as they are now all dark. The lids clean up well in hot water and don’t retain the peppermint taste and also make great foot balm containers using our simple free recipe.  That’s reuse and repurpose covered well. Refusing chemical toothpaste and reducing your waste stream as our jars last for three months has the 5 steps covered.

What is the most challenging part of starting your own business?

Like all small business start-ups getting your product into the marketplace is the biggest challenge. The larger branded stores were initially not interested so we got them real samples.. Not small pots but full jars so they could try it for a week and get used to really clean teeth. Every store that got samples signed on. Even the small ones.

What tips would you give to somebody who wants to start an eco-business but has no idea where to start?

If you are thinking of starting a small business in this area start with a simple business plan and focus on the timing and finances. Sometimes it’s better to start small and stay small and enjoy the process. Document everything and make sure you have a good customer database and accounting system from the start. One day someone might make you an offer you can’t refuse and good systems allow for real value to be easily established and proven.

Making is a challenge and the next stage for us requires significant investment in machinery so be open to alternatives such as contract manufacturing and 3rd party suppliers for warehousing and distribution. The primary focus once you have your product mix is marketing.. once started you have to plan to never stop taking advantage of all of the new technology available as it becomes available and drops in and out of favour.

What’s one thing that happened recently that you’re proud of?

People have asked me what my proudest achievement was and it’s a small but important aspect that ties into our sustainable focus. The labels are now made of paper and are easy-peel so it’s even easier to recycle. They are a pain to stick on the jars as the paper stretches and the label machine does not like them….but that’s manufacturing.. and yes they cost a lot more than the vinyl labels.

 What do you want from the future of Maxwell & McIntrye?

Like all businesses over the past couple of years, it’s been hard work and revenues have been down. The business goals have had to be stretched out while we wait for the new normal to settle down.

Making what we think is the best natural toothpaste is all we want and once people understand what we are doing and realise the value we offer in our concentrates we expect volumes to return to what they were pre covid. It’s not easy making chemical-free toothpaste and we love the positive feedback as we work on continuous improvement.  

There are some surprising new flavors and packaging due to be released in the next 12 months. It will be interesting to see how open people are the new flavours.

Product Highlight:

Sweet Peppermint and Strawberry toothpastes 

Initially, we released the Sweet Peppermint with a strong organic peppermint backbone. Probably too strong for many people so we worked on softening the peppermint and increasing the spearmint organic oils we use.

It should really be renamed Spearmint as the toothpaste is now soft and creamy and delicious. It was designed and tested for men’s palates and has proved really popular with children over the age of 8. Under this age, they love the Strawberry so much so that many mums have to hide the paste to stop it from being eaten.

Unlike commercial toothpaste, all of our flavours are perfectly safe for children. The two flavours contain exactly the same ingredients and ratios apart from the organic oils. The same whitening ingredients and remineralising properties make for great family combinations and remove another set of commercial chemicals from your daily lives. They are a great choice for many and our most popular set of flavours.

We hope you loved the Business Q&A with Mike from Maxwell & McIntyre. It’s great to hear his perspective on running a small business.

Check out more of our Business Q&As here: Journal

Love Annie // @ethicallyso

xxx