At the age of twenty-three, forsaking family and ice hockey, Mathew Lady came to New Zealand in pursuit for freedom and adventure.  He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Along with ice hockey, his passion was music. 

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His path to residency was eased by his expertise. He has a degree in music and he is an audio engineer.  His first six months in New Zealand were at Waikato University studying orchestration and digital composition.    This was followed by three and a half years in Auckland setting up gear for concerts, festivals, and corporate events. 

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The South Island beckoned, however, and Matthew heeded the call, travelling to Queenstown where he drove a ski bus, then guided adventure tours (skiing, hiking, cycling), and tutored at the Queenstown School of Rock.  He returned to the states for three years, but came back and settle in our area.

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It is here that Matthew’s entrepreneurial life began.  Toad Hall was wrestling with what to do with their waste cooking oil.  Matthew needed a challenge, so started making biodiesel from the old cooking oil.  Soon he was having to go further afield to get enough oil.  But alas the price of diesel remained low and the biodiesel could not compete on price.  Undeterred, Matthew went on to innovate other products from controlled fermentation, eventually leading to Jun, an ancient drink almost unknown in the Western world.

 

You can try Jun and meet Matthew Lady at Eyebright Garden Art Expo on Saturday 11 November between 2 and 4.