Boring® Questions, Interesting Answers
Cart
We sat down with Stacey and Alex, a couple of self-made smoothie bowl savants who own and operate Soul Boul in Mount Maunganui, to ask them a few boring questions. Alongside their delicious bowls you can find a very good cup of coffee, we recommend the oat milk flat whites.
Hello Stacey and Alex. How are you both?
Hello! We are good thank you. We’ve both been very busy organising the build of our second store opening in MADE, Hamilton East in early November! Very excited.
Like a number of our favourite establishments around Aotearoa, for Soul Boul it all started with a food truck. Tell us about the trip from there to where you are now, with one very popular permanent site and another about to open.
Yes, it all started about seven years ago after finishing University in Dunedin. Stacey was working at an accounting firm in Auckland and I was looking for another job opportunity. We both had a fire in our bellies and perhaps looking for something a little more meaningful in our working life. After brainstorming many different business ideas together and both coming from hospitality backgrounds, we came up with opening New Zealand’s first smoothie bowl food truck. We decided to jump on it, with the mindset that if we didn’t do it, somebody else will! Within 6 months we had opened our first food truck, had both quit our full time jobs and had also booked a one way ticket to Bali for the winter. We were young and were willing to take a risk. 7 years later, we are really starting to see the fruits of our labour. With our first brick and mortar on the Mount main street in full swing and our second location opening November 4th at the new MADE development in Hamilton East.
What are you most looking forward to about opening up a second site?
We knew we had to be smart about where to open our second location and when a friend told us about this new development in Hamilton, it was the perfect opportunity. We feel so lucky to be a part of the MADE development, it's going to be a really special space for us and everyone else involved. We’re most looking forward to helping create a beautiful and connected community in this new space.
Any tips for mastering the DIY smoothie bowl for our at-home readers?
Number one requirement to make a yummy smoothie bowl is all about getting the consistency right! We recommend investing in a good blender that has a tamper. Also, you can never go too light on toppings and a delicious granola is a game changer.
Ok, quickfire round. What’s the theme song to your life?
S: Unwritten, Natasha Bedingfield A: The Happy Song, Imogen Heap. Works a treat for my seven month old.
What was the last thing you ate and why?
S: Avocado on sourdough - because I had nothing else in the house and am due for a food shop! But don't get me wrong, I love this combo. A: Haha…Leftover homemade pizzas. However, I'm meeting a friend at Soul Boul in half an hour where I plan on getting our avocado on sourdough and a hello yellow smoothie.
What podcast are you listening to at the moment?
S: I am binging My Therapist Ghosted Me at the moment. A: I just started The Teacher’s Pet podcast.
Sum up Soul Boul in three words.
S & A: Fun, Nourishing, Community
Thanks team, nice to chat. You can pick up a smoothie bowl from Soul Boul on the main street of Mount Maunganui, or very soon from their new location in MADE, in Hamilton East.
-
What does your family think your job is?
My daughter swears I “sell sauce” and my husband insists I “just move boxes around.”