Part of this food revelation is the addition to the menu of nut butters. Lathered onto toast with a few chunks of banana and a drizzle of honey and you're in make believe pudding heaven.

One of the biggest ranges of nut butters currently available is brought to us by Small Batch in Mount Maunganui. Owner Nick Delaney had worked as a chef for 18 years, when he did something many of us only dream of doing: throwing in the towel as an employee and pursuing a lifelong dream.

"I knew early on in my cooking career that I wanted to get away from restaurants and into product design." "I can remember being a 20 year old chef and thinking 'I'll go to Australia for a couple of years then come back and start a flavoured oil company.' It was the nineties and oils were all the rage in the food scene." It all started with a range of aioli in 2012, peanut butter in 2013 and the addition of nut butters along the way.

Nick has found that he has been able to manage his own accounting until now, but as the business has grown, he sees the value in delegating this task to a professional. "One of my best management decisions has been the most recent one: understanding that you don't have to do everything on your own. It's okay to pay other professionals to take care of various parts of your business. It gives me more time to do what I do best - making food."

Marketing however is a different story and Nick has been proactive in promoting his brand. "We have had some media attention, which has been great. That helps make people aware of who we are and what we do. I am a big fan of social media and we find that it does work. We get a reasonable amount of interaction from our followers and it has helped with sales both in stores and online. People want to know who is making the food they eat. People take pride in what I or other producers are doing in their community."

Nick has also found word of mouth to be hugely beneficial, knowing that if you make a great product or provide a great service, people will come, regardless of location. "We also do in store promotions, which work much the same way as a market. Being able to tell the consumers about the products, tasters, or giving them the story - the response is always fantastic."

Sourcing the best and freshest nuts is vital to Nick. "Where possible I buy local, direct from growers. Our macadamia are grown just up the road, the hazelnuts are from New Zealand and the peanuts and almonds are Australian. "It comes down to trust. Consumers, me included, trust what they know."

Most artisanal food products are born from humble beginnings and Small Batch is no exception. You'll find Nick at his local farmers market each Saturday and Sunday with a delectable range of butters, almond, cashew, macadamia and hazelnut. Of course each and every one has a chocolate hit option, adding the ever so slightly naughty element to this range of healthier fats.