ShedLifeNZ Podcast
Leighton Cosgrave: From Sweeping Floors to Exporting Radix Nutrition from the Waikato, NZ, to the World
Leighton Cosgrove left Hamilton Boys' High at 16 with no real plan, no job lined up, and a simple ultimatum from his dad: you can leave school, but you don't come home until you've found work. What he found instead was a workshop with its doors open — and he offered to sweep the floors for free, just for the chance to learn. In this episode of ShedLife NZ with Jason Davis, Leighton walks through the unlikely path that took him from an unpaid floor-sweeper to General Manager of one of New Zealand's leading nutrition export companies.Leighton pulls back the curtain on the protein industry most Kiwis never think twice about — including the surprising reveal that New Zealand's most popular protein powder brand isn't even made here, with cattle raised in California, processed in the US, packed in India, then shipped back to sit on our own supermarket shelves. He breaks down exactly why grass-fed New Zealand dairy is fundamentally different, and why "New Zealand made" should mean more to us than it currently does.We also get into the story of Radex Nutrition itself — founded by three athletes (a cyclist, a swimmer and a sailor) who got sick of sacrificing nutrition for convenience while training and travelling, built around freeze-drying technology and a deep partnership with Fonterra's own research and development centre. Leighton explains why they chose to manufacture in the Waikato instead of importing, how the business now exports more than it sells domestically into markets like Japan, Hong Kong and China, and how they're using contract manufacturing to help other New Zealand growers — black currants, kale, blueberries — get their products onto shelves around the world.The most honest part of the conversation is Leighton's own career story. After years on the tools as a stainless steel fabricator, a promotion into business development triggered his first ever panic attack. He quit after just five weeks, humbled and certain sales wasn't for him — only to discover that his very first customer visit, a half-built Radex facility, would become the company he'd eventually run.In this episode:Why cheese exists as a byproduct of making whey proteinThe surprising truth about where NZ's most popular protein powder is actually madeGrass-fed vs grain-fed dairy, and why it matters more than people realiseThe origin story of Radex Nutrition and its three athlete foundersWhy they built a manufacturing facility in the Waikato instead of importingHow Radex now exports more product than it sells in New ZealandHelping local growers export through contract freeze-dryingLeaving school at 16 and sweeping workshop floors for freeHis stainless steel apprenticeship and the mentors who shaped himThe panic attack that came with his first promotion into salesHow a failed sales visit to Radex ended up becoming his careerNine years, and the journey from site engineer to General ManagerThis is a story about curiosity, humility, and proving that the trade route can lead just as far as any boardroom pathway.️ ShedLife NZ with Jason DavisLong-form Kiwi conversations with good people working hard, the stories, lessons and laughs behind the life they are building. Let us know in the comments: Have you ever quit something, only to have it come back around in your favour?Subscribe to ShedLife NZ for more Kiwi long-form conversations across rugby, sport, business, fighting and community.#LeightonCosgrove #RadixNutrition #NZManufacturing #WaikatoBusiness #KiwiStories #SupportLocal #LongFormPodcast #NewZealand
