A conversation with the Reddy Group about funding, investment opportunities and shared values (6 minute read).
An introduction to our business partners
Every ambitious business faces the question eventually – how do we fund the next chapter? In a world of crowdfunding, angel investors, and venture capital, the options have never been more varied. But more options don't make the decision easier. Who do you want in your corner? How much of the wheel do you want to share?
In 2016, our founding team faced exactly that. We'd grown steadily through local New Zealand relationships – an angel investor here, bank funding there – but our ambitions had outpaced our resources. We needed a partner with complementary expertise, particularly around governance and strategic planning. What we didn't necessarily anticipate was how much the right partner could genuinely change us for the better.
We spent a year getting to know the Reddy Group before committing to anything. What we didn't expect was how seriously they took that same process. Mutual curiosity turned into mutual respect. Our values – integrity, excellence, quality, sustainability, community, responsibility – mapped almost exactly onto theirs. The decision to partner in 2017 was one of the best we've made.
Rohit and Kamini Reddy lead Reddy Group day to day and both sit on the Ozone Coffee Roasters International Board. They guided us through some serious expansion, and through the upheaval of 2020 in ways we're genuinely grateful for. Their late father, YP Reddy – the driving force behind the group for decades and a respected figure across Fiji and the Pacific – built an organisation with real values at its core, and that culture has carried through to everything Rohit and Kamini do.
We thought it was time to properly introduce them to you.
Lizzie Gurr – Director, CEO, Ozone Coffee Roasters
In conversation with Kamini Reddy
Director of Reddy Group and Ozone Coffee Roasters International Board Director. Before joining the family business, Kamini held senior finance roles at Hilton Worldwide, Fonterra, and Ernst & Young across New York, London, and Auckland. She's a Harvard Business School OPM graduate and sits on several international boards.
Who are Reddy Group? What do you stand for?
We're a multi-generational family legacy that began in 1947 as a small construction company in Suva, Fiji. Today, the Reddy Group has grown into a highly diversified global family office. We bring collective governance, strategic expertise and a long-term focus to every relationship in our portfolio. Our interests span multiple industries and geographies, but our family values frame every investment decision we make. Integrity and a clear purpose are at the heart of any relationship we enter into.
How did you come to know Ozone Coffee? What drew you to explore a relationship?
Ozone came to us as an investment opportunity. Reddy Group believes in thinking big, having fun, and doing good – and we loved the fact that Ozone was a company from little old New Zealand with genuinely global ambitions. We saw real alignment in values and culture, and we were excited about being part of an organisation with solid growth plans in markets we already cared about. The people had huge passion and authenticity in everything they did, and that resonated with us immediately.
What are you typically looking for in an investment opportunity?
Partnerships that fit our core values of integrity, excellence, quality, responsibility and unity. For Reddy Group, investing is about enabling ordinary people to do extraordinary work. We love to back people who are passionate and have a clear purpose in what they want to achieve.
How have family values shaped Reddy Group's direction?
They underpin everything. How we engage with people in our communities. How we work with our partners. How we manage our businesses and support the people within them. And most importantly, our commitment to social responsibility and philanthropy – supporting some of the most vulnerable people in New Zealand and the Pacific.
The Reddy Foundation works with vulnerable communities across New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. What does success look like?
Genuinely transforming lives and improving a community's environment – that's success. Our Foundation's purpose is simple: make the world a better place. It's a big goal, but if we can make small, positive impacts for people and communities, we're moving in the right direction. We focus on health, education, poverty relief, and disaster relief, and we're always looking for where we can have the most meaningful impact.
Meaningful change takes years. How do you set goals and decide where to focus?
Our investing framework helps us stay grounded. It comes down to a few core principles: invest in our people as our greatest asset, maintain a solid foundation for future generations, and always strive to be better. Beyond that, it's about building on the relationships and capabilities of the people and communities around us – and genuinely enjoying the journey while we do it.