About MindFuel
Aotearoa’s original online smartshop, born from curiosity, counter-culture, and a love of the plants that help people feel good. Since 2004 we’ve been sourcing kava, ethnobotanicals, herbal formulas, vaporizers and smoking gear for anyone interested in natural mood-shifters, elevated botanicals, and the culture that surrounds them.
How It Started
Back in the early ’90s, Nic was studying horticulture in New Zealand and experimenting with cannabis on the side. He found it made surfing better, ideas brighter, and life a bit more interesting in general. It also opened the door to something bigger: if one plant could do all this, what else was out there?
And why were some of these helpful plants banned while countless others were ignored?
Those questions set things in motion.
The Books That Changed Everything
Two titles shifted the ground completely:
Legal Highs by Adam Gottlieb, and Plants of the Gods by Schultes, Hofmann and Rätsch.
These weren’t just books; they were maps. Suddenly there were names, histories, and uses for hundreds of legal plants and seeds with unusual (and often wonderful) effects. Nic and a small circle of friends spent years trying them, comparing notes, and figuring out which of these botanicals were worth exploring further.
Launching MindFuel
In 2004, after a decade of experiments, late-night conversations and more than a few strange cups of tea, Nic launched MindFuel.
The goal wasn’t complicated:
Offer reliable, legal psychoactive products.
Share what we’d learned.
Make things safer, not stronger.
MindFuel quickly became known for its focus on harm reduction, proper information, and manufacturing standards that other operators didn’t bother with. It helped shift people away from street synthetics and towards safer, natural options. That mattered then, and it still matters now.
The Wild Years
As interest in party pills and smokables grew, so did the number of questionable operators who cared more about hype than safety. Stronger-is-better marketing led to predictable bans and media panic.
We adapted. We tightened our catalogue, moved deeper into botanicals, and kept doing what we’d always done: offer alternatives that work without putting people at risk. Through it all, our stance stayed the same - sensible regulation beats prohibition every time.
Where We Are Now
Today, MindFuel stocks some of the world’s best kava, kanna, blue lotus, elevated herbs, natural extracts, and our herbal formulas like Ecsplore, Clear Focus and Happy Caps. We also offer vaporizers, smoking gear and other innovations we think genuinely improve the experience.
Public opinion around cannabis is shifting in Aotearoa, and we’re optimistic. We hope to see legal, regulated access to safe psychoactive plants - from cannabis to psilocybin - in the years ahead. Until then, we’ll keep doing what we’ve always done: explore, experiment, source responsibly, and share what we learn.
Contact
MindFuel runs as an online smartshop, kavashop, and headshop, alongside wholesale supply for selected retailers.
Founded in 2004, our main office and warehouse sit by Fitzroy Beach in New Plymouth, New Zealand.
For more information, contact MindFuel.