New Zealand Baking Brand with Los Angeles Roots, Secret Kiwi Kitchen, Launches in Gelson’s Markets

Clean-label baking mixes from New Zealand arrive in around 25 Southern California stores this November, following selection for KeHE’s TrendFinder Golden Ticket program

LOS ANGELES: Secret Kiwi Kitchen, an award-winning New Zealand baking brand with LA roots, will launch in Gelson’s Markets in November, bringing four of its clean-label baking mixes to around 25 stores across Southern California.

Founded in Auckland in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown with about $1,000, Secret Kiwi Kitchen makes premium baking mixes from New Zealand ingredients, including grass-fed dairy, free-range eggs and real vanilla bean, with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The brand also produces a line of dried edible flowers for baking, cocktails and entertaining.

The Gelson’s launch follows Secret Kiwi Kitchen’s selection for KeHE’s TrendFinder Golden Ticket program, which spotlights emerging brands for retailers across North America. To support its US growth, the company has opened a California warehouse to serve retail partners and online customers.

“Gelson’s feels like coming home,” said founder Lauren Lulu Taylor, a former Pacific Palisades resident. “I used to shop at Gelson’s before moving to New Zealand, and I started Secret Kiwi Kitchen because I believed New Zealand’s beautiful ingredients deserved a place on more shelves. Bringing our mixes back to LA, just in time for holiday baking, is a dream come true.”

In New Zealand, Secret Kiwi Kitchen is stocked nationally, including in New World and Fresh Choice supermarkets and through the Woolworths NZ distribution network.

About Secret Kiwi Kitchen: Award-winning Secret Kiwi Kitchen is a premium New Zealand brand of all-natural baking mixes and dried edible flowers. Founded in 2020 by Lulu Taylor, the company is known for clean-label Kiwi classics made with high-quality New Zealand ingredients.