Mana Kai Fresh

Emad's Story

Emad can be found in the hall at Grey Lynn Farmers Market, surrounded by an array of innovative products.

Where did you grow up?

Mashhad – it is a large city in the northeast of Iran.

Is that where you were educated?

Partially – I studied food science and technology for my undergraduate degree, but I came to New Zealand for my post-graduate degree, specialising in dairy and functional foods.

What are functional foods?

Think of them as supercharged familiar foods. Functional foods have been enriched or enhanced. They might contain more nutrients than ordinary food or they might be processed to improve the bioavailability of existing nutrients, to provide to provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.

What opportunities has your degree provided?

I gained valuable industry experience and technical skills, including working in the New Zealand dairy sector at OOB Organic and Puhoi Valley Cheese. It has given me strong capabilities in food production for setting up a new food business. And of course it led to the development of FermVine®.

What is FermVine®?

FermVine® is an advanced food source that contains a mix of pre-biotics, pro-biotics, and post-biotics to provide exceptional health benefits.

It’s a bioactive concentrate made from naturally fermented oyster mushroom and wood ear mushroom (Pleurotus and Auricularia). This breakthrough formulation provides a comprehensive spectrum of bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, beta-glucans, polyphenols, enzymes, and beneficial microbial metabolites.

Tell us about the difference between all those biotics

Pro-biotics are “good bugs” that your gut needs – in FermVine®, they are mainly lactic acid bacteria. Pre-biotics are food that those “good bugs” need to thrive – for example, dietary fibre. Post-biotics are the valuable nutrients that are produced by the “good bugs”.

How do people take FermVine®?

We make two ranges. One is powders that people can mix with water or in a smoothie, and the other range is ready-made tonics that people take as a daily shot. We craft these products with a range of herbs and other functional foods to boost the benefits to suit specific health needs e.g. detox, energy, and immunity.

What led to creating this innovation?

My wife and I are good friends with Mousa and his wife Sahar. They have been growing mushrooms and selling them at markets, including Grey Lynn. Socially, we’d often talk shop about improving the nutritional benefits of foods. We talked a lot about unlocking the full nutritional value of mushrooms. That’s how we set up our shared venture, Mana Kai Fresh, to make FermVine® products.

How can people trust something so new?

That’s why we come to the market - customers need good information about nutrition and why our products can be so helpful. They need to be able to ask questions. Mana Kai Fresh is based on three pillars: innovation, scientific excellence, and sustainability.

Scientific Excellence?

Mousa, myself, and our wives, are scientists at heart.  We take an evidence-based approach to formulation, we validate our products through accredited third-party testing, and we ensure transparency by backing our claims with scientific references. And we have plans to collaborate with institutions like Massey University for future research and clinical studies.

How is the Grey Lynn Farmers Market for you?

I love how open Grey Lynners are to new ideas. I have made many new friends with customers and other stallholders – it’s welcoming community.

Do you get any time for hobbies?

I love woodwork and enjoy creating artistic pieces when I can, but life is very busy with establishing Mana Kai Fresh, and we are expecting our first child in a few months – it’s an exciting time.

As published in Ponsonby News : April 2026