Ārepa celebrates a new product
Ārepa, an innovative company celebrates a new product and the opportunity to advance food innovation in New Zealand.
Ārepa has masterminded an innovative new product soon to hit retail shelves and likely to create a stir given its simultaneous gut and brain benefits.
Mathew Remmerswaal, who is Head of Operations at NZ’s Brain food technology company Ārepa, says the new product - a brain + gut soda - is the only product in NZ with a “tri-biotic formulation”. It’s a combination of the company’s patented formula with a tri biotic – not just pre and pro, but also, post biotic. It’s also to be celebrated, Mathew says, as it communicates the benefits his company’s ingredients have on the “brain-gut axis”.
“We have landed on a new category for our brain health and we’re excited”.
Mathew says the most exciting aspect of this latest innovation — Brain Gut Soda — is its development as a product designed to support both mental clarity and gut health in seven days. While he acknowledges this is a strong claim, he says it is “underpinned by Ārepa’s commitment to scientifically grounded formulation and the use of FSANZ-approved ingredients.”
At Ārepa, the brain is king. From scientifically proven brain nutrition, to the company’s mission to teach people more about their brains and how to treat them right… it’s all about brains working better. Now the gut has been thrown in the mix too.
The Brain Gut Soda is the result of a joint venture between Ārepa and Australasian beverage manufacturing, sales and distribution business Socialsmiths that is assisting with the development, production and delivery of the new product. Available in three flavours (Raspberry and Lemonade; pineapple and ginger; and lemon and lime) the Brain Gut Soda will be on supermarket shelves this spring, and within the next month at high end grocers, and top cafes and delicatessens. Mathew says now that Ārepa is well established and has a very competent beverage partner, the company can build on its past research and development and move into developing a new business model in dietary supplements and supplemented food. In the past all resources went into beverages.
“Curiosity has led us to change how we run our business so we can create more products we are happy with, always with the aim of meeting our consumer needs,” he says.
Delivering the best possible products for consumers is what his brand hangs its hat on. “Our consumers are people who are super aware of, and have great knowledge of, what they are putting in their bodies and the benefits it is going to bring to them. We are always thinking of their needs and our focus is on helping them make their brains work better. That is what drives our innovation,” Mathew says.
Ārepa consumers tend to be people who know what their bodies need and how to get the best out of them. The company strives to create innovative products designed with those consumers in mind, solving problems for them, Mathew explains.
The team has been working on this new product for about six months, building on years of knowledge. Through the Brain Gut Soda, Ārepa and Socialsmiths will be able to introduce brain health to a larger category – that is, people who understand gut health.
“It’s our way to make brain health more accessible to consumers – it will now be available in the ‘better for your gut’ soda category. We will be educating those consumers on not only the benefit a healthy gut has for their gut, but also the synergistic benefits it provides their brain,” Mathew says.
Coming up with this symbiotic product relationship in New Zealand makes sense, he believes, given NZ is excellent at creating ingredients for great gut health. Our yoghurt, for example, is some of the best in the world. The value in some of those products is immense.
Mathew Remmerswaal
Ārepa’s innovative approach is certainly taking this Auckland-based business places. The business is progressing in international markets, bringing new innovative products to life internationallyand is now considering how to unlock more of this opportunity locally in New Zealand.
In addition to the Socialsmiths join venture, the company has also established a partnership with a South Korean enterprise. That partner sells and distributes existing Ārepa product. Now the two are developing high-end food and supplement products to be sold in South Korea.
“We plan to have a new product range available for South Korean consumers this year. We’re sourcing highly innovative ingredients to use in our formulations – some which have only recently been scientifically proven and accepted by mainstream nutrition. One particular ingredient is home grown here in NZ,” Mathew says.
While he applauds the fact NZ has a strong regulatory framework that ensures high-quality, safe products for consumers, he hopes to see some progression in line with food technology in the near future.
“As food technology evolves, there’s an opportunity for that framework to continue evolving alongside it - particularly in areas like functional and performance nutrition.”
Mathew explains that South Korea has a Health Functional Food (HFF) Act (effective since 2004) that regulates the manufacture, import, and sale of functional ingredients and products to ensure safety and efficacy. Functional food acts in places like South Korea and Japan legally recognises that food can have specific, proven physiological effects beyond basic nutrition. This means brand owners, marketers, and retailers can speak about the benefits of what their products deliver to consumers.
“These examples of innovative food regulation support innovative brands’ journeys to market, and more importantly the consumer gets served better products.”
“Following suit could be an opportunity for NZ – a chance to improve NZ’s food system and serve consumers who are curious about functional foods and nutrition performance," Mathew says.
While Mathew acknowledges that New Zealand’s strong regulatory framework ensures high‑quality, safe products for consumers, he believes real innovation will drive category growth as food standards and ingredient regulations evolve alongside advances in food science. He says New Zealand has an opportunity to modernise its settings so the industry can further strengthen its position in global food technology and unlock the next wave of innovation.
Certainly, consumer expectations around food and nutrition are evolving rapidly, creating an opportunity for industry and regulators to continue working together, Mathew says. “Unlocking this next phase of food innovation represents a significant opportunity for New Zealand to move further into high-value, science-led exports.”
Ārepa’s journey highlights both the opportunity and complexity of innovating in New Zealand, which is why the business has joined the NZBC to help shape the conversation—alongside other local producers—on how the regulatory environment can continue to evolve. The NZBC welcomes engagement from other local producers interested in contributing to this conversation. For more information, contact Mathew at Mathew@drinkarepa.com or info@nzbeveragecouncil.org.nz
“Ārepa Joined the New Zealand Beverage Council as it is keen to help ensure the perspectives of locally owned businesses are clearly represented.”
By Monique Balvert OConnor
(Supermarket News - April 2026)