The perfect Pic

Aimee McCammon has been coming to Nelson for summer holidays since she was a teenager. As the new CEO of Pic’s Peanut Butter, she’ll be a more frequent visitor. She shares her longstanding connection to the Nelson region, what her children think of her new role, and her favourite recipe using peanut butter.

Words: Felicity Connell

Aimee McCammon has an impressive CV. Her last gig was CEO NZ of Augusto Group, an entertainment, advertising and technology company. She’s been general manager of Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production and has worked in the Auckland, Wellington and New York offices of advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi. Her career has included looking after some of New Zealand’s best-loved brands, including Whittaker’s Chocolate, 42 Below, Toyota, Lotto and Tourism NZ. All of this makes her the perfect ‘Pic’ to be the new CEO of the business founded by her stepfather, Pic Picot.

Her strong family connection with the region started with her maternal grandparents who moved from Christchurch to Nelson before the Second World War. Actively involved in the community, her grandparents helped establish the Waahi Taakaro public golf club in the Maitai Valley. Aimee herself was born in Christchurch but grew up in Auckland. When her mother met Pic, the family spent some time living on a commune in the Coromandel. Aimee now lives in Wellington with her partner and their two children. She’ll be commuting to Nelson three days a week.

“I’ve been coming down to Nelson pretty much every summer since I was a teenager. After I left school, my mum moved from Auckland to Nelson as we had cousins here. She’s now living in Wellington near us, but if we decided to make a full-time move to Nelson, I don’t think it would take much to persuade her to move back with us,” Amiee says.

“We’ve got a family bach right next to Pic’s place at Marahau, so we’ve basically got a family compound out there. I’ve been bringing my kids to Nelson every summer since they were little, so I’ve got lots of happy memories of long, lazy summer days, hanging out at the beach, or exploring all the great things the region has to offer, including the wonderful vineyards,” she says. “Although I’ve been a frequent visitor, I’ve never lived and worked in Nelson, so I’m excited about doing business in Nelson and seeing what happens here. I feel like I've worked my way around New Zealand, as well as being in London and in New York, but I’ve always loved working in the regions, so I’d put my hand up for clients who were regionally based. You get a different energy in business in the regions, it's a different way of working.”

While she’s looking forward to finding new places to eat and drink, she already has a few regular spots. “When we’re in Marahau, we get our daily coffee fix at Hooked Café. I recently discovered Nicola’s Cantina, and The Free House is a place I always think of having that Nelson spirit – it feels like somewhere you wouldn’t find anywhere else.”

After ten years on the advisory board, joining Pic’s as CEO felt like the right time and fit.

“I did think long and hard before taking this role, because it’s not always straightforward being part of a family business. I’d already been involved through being on the board, and of the four kids, I was in the best position at the moment. It feels great to be working for the family business when your values are so closely aligned. It's one of those lovely things that as you get older, you just recognize yourself better and know what's important and what actually makes you happy,” Amiee says.

“I’ve been lucky to have had the experience of working for some great family companies, including Whittaker's Chocolate who are multi-generational, and Partridge Jewellers who are fifth generation jewellers. I've also worked for some very large multinational companies too, and family businesses tend to use very different frameworks for decision making. There’s a legacy that you can create with a family business and you’re much more in touch with your community. I like that we can do what we think is right or do what we think is fun. It’s a great way to work.”

“We’re a super fun brand and we don't take ourselves too seriously. That’s really in line with Pic’s personality and his general enthusiastic approach to the world. He’s been a hippy since way back and living sustainably has always been part of his life. As he became a business leader, he feels strongly about the important role businesses play as influencers in those spaces. Sustainability is hugely important to us, and we were thrilled to gain B Corp certification last year. It’s a big deal for us. We also feel strongly about taking care of our team and contributing to our community. We’re involved in a whole range of initiatives including supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, so we feel like a big part of this community.”

She’s excited about networking with other like-minded businesses.

“I think we are just so lucky to have this incredible basket of local food brands like King Salmon, Pete’s Lemonade, Proper Crisps, Chia Sisters, Kono and all their brands, including Hop Federation. What a fabulous trove of other businesspeople to work with, because it's really hard to be on your own. When you're in an ecosystem of other people with similar challenges, whether it’s supply chain issues or increased freight prices, you’re able to pick up the phone or meet over coffee and share solutions.”

While life is busy, Aimee takes time when she can to relax.

“I've learned the hard way that I need to exercise for my mental health, probably almost more than my physical health, so I try to be disciplined and make time for that. It’s great when you start a new job because you’ve got the opportunity to create new routines. I’ve been recommended a fantastic Nelson trainer who’s an ex-physio so knows how to keep your body in good shape and not injure you! I’m also a massive reader and so I can switch off really easily with a book. It's almost a meditative thing for me. So even as a CEO, and a mum with two kids, I still manage to get through a lot of books.”

Her children are thrilled with her new role.

“I used to run an advertising entertainment company, which is quite a hard role to explain to young kids. They would come to the office, but unless you're out on the set with the All Blacks, it doesn't actually mean much to them. They thought all I did all day was send emails, and they thought it was pretty boring. It turns out that you get a lot more respect from kids when you're running a peanut butter factory! They get what I do now - they're like ‘mum makes peanut butter.’ They love it,” she laughs.

While her partner is family’s main cook, Aimee is having fun discovering different ways of using peanut butter as an ingredient.

“Because I’m the child of hippies, my specialty when I was younger was stir-fried brown rice and veggies with tofu and peanut sauce. In honour of that, I made the Pic’s peanut sauce the other night and it’s so good! After my first week here I took the recipe book home, and I realised you could do a whole dinner party with just peanut butter recipes! I’m going to do that just for fun.”

Pic’s Peanut Butter peanut sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/2 knob of ginger

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup Pic's Smooth Peanut Butter

2 tbs rice vinegar

1 tbs sesame oil

2 tbs honey

4 tbs soya sauce

pinch of chili flakes

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup water

DIRECTIONS

Mix everything in a blender and enjoy!