The GoodBugs Story
Join GoodBugs on a taste adventure where we help you include more probiotic foods in in every meal, every day.
GoodBugs: A Family Business with Big Gut Goals
GoodBugs was proud to be featured on TV1’s Rural Delivery—you can catch our 7-minute story and read the article on our blog
Creating Real Change
At GoodBugs, we believe good health starts with trust—trust in your food, where it comes from, and who makes it. That’s why we set out to change the conversation around food and wellbeing with a vibrant range of artisanal fermented foods made from real, local, spray-free and organic ingredients.
What began as a passion project is now our full-time family business, supporting our whānau while helping others take control of their health. Over the years, we’ve met customers who feel let down by supermarket foods and are searching for something real. Others are already committed to gut health and they want a brand they can truly rely on. Wherever you are on your wellness journey, we’re here for it.
From fermented pesto to our award-winning krauts and kimchi—and now our buzz-worthy Kimchi Sprinkles (as heard on Newstalk ZB!)—we’re part of a new food culture in Aotearoa New Zealand that puts fermented, probiotic-rich, nutrient-dense foods into every meal, every day.
Meet the Verry Crew
We’re Marea and Daniel Verry—partners in life, business, and adventure—raising four amazing kids aged 9–16. GoodBugs moved into our backyard, where a flourishing urban permaculture garden (and a lively crew of hens) once took centre stage. As the business has grown, that space has gradually made way for commercial buildings, reflecting the shift from a passionate side project to a full-time family business.
Marea, the founder of GoodBugs in 2017, has been passionate about fermentation and nutrient-dense foods since the early 2000s. After teaching a workshop on wild garden pesto, she began experimenting with fermented pesto—and GoodBugs was established in 2017. The range quickly grew to include sauerkraut, kimchi, and other innovative fermented products.
Daniel joined GoodBugs full-time in 2022 and now plays a key role in keeping things running to schedule, smoothly behind the scenes. Together, we balance the creative and the practical—often working “separately together” in a way that plays to our strengths and keeps the wheels turning. Daniel is the one sending the invoices, Marea is the one paying them.
Daniel is also currently the Chair of the Waikato Farmers’ Markets, and customers love catching with both us at our respective markets. Marea still leads the production days and keeps the team in line—stick to our system please!
We’re proud to have built a business that supports our whānau and lets us be there for the important stuff—like school plays, sports days, and passing on a solid work ethic and entrepreneurial skills to our kids.
Today, our small-batch ferments—now more than 20, including 6 award-winners—are available online, at local markets, and through select retail partners across the motu. We’re still hands-on, still family-led, and still loving the adventure.
Contact
+64 21 0294 3467
mareaverry@goodbugs.co.nz
www.facebook.com/GoodBugsNZ
www.instagram.com/GoodBugsNZ