Page 2: Great Scott, Good George

Rocket Coffee co-owner Glen Woodcock (left) and Good George brewer Brent Edwards. Photo / Supplied

Drinking before 8am feels a bit strange unless you're a university student (in which case, at some point it becomes almost mandatory). However, I had the rather strange experience last Thursday of sitting bleary-eyed in businesswear at Ralph's in Mt Eden, beer in one hand and a coffee in the other. If you're a fan of both beverages, I recommend you try the latest offering from Hamilton brewers Good George - the Good George Coffee IPA. I'm not a big beer drinker and there always seems something not quite right about coffee or chocolate flavoured beer, but this was pretty good. A selection of guests also attended the breakfast and coffee-beer event where Good George and Rocket Coffee's collaboration was launched. The morning was kicked off by emcee Jesse Mulligan who revealed his introduction to the stand-up comedy arena. A fresh-faced Waikato uni student, Mulligan entered a stand-up comedy gig on a whim and won, not realising the 'winner' was then required to compete on a national stage against other universities. He dutifully turned up, but came a respectable 8th losing out to a little-known group from Victoria University called Flight of the Conchords. The Conchords went on to win several international awards while Mulligan helped launch a great brew. "We've both had our successes," Mulligan noted.

Breakfast is best

Dairy forecasts may be up but Fonterra isn't relaxing, cashing in on its dairy brand Anchor's sponsorship of the New Zealand Olympic Team. The company hosted a breakfast last week at its Fanshawe St headquarters where guests could grill the athletes on their eating and exercise habits. A healthy breakfast was served while pole vaulter Eliza McCartney, Olympic gold medallist sailors Polly Powrie and Jo Aleh, trampolinist Dylan Schmidt and 2012 Olympics hepthathlete Sarah Cowley talked about their journey to Rio and how they prepare for events. Also speaking was NZ Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith and High Performance Sport NZ nutritionist Jeni Pearce. The event was held as part of Fonterra's breakfast campaign, encouraging Kiwis to see breakfast as an important meal of the day rather than an optional one. McCartney mixed up one of her morning meals - a chocolate berry smoothie, much to the enjoyment of the guests.

Eliza McCartney. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A stylish collaboration

Tech company Samsung launched its latest gadget in style last week, partnering with menswear brand Working Style to showcase the Samsung Tab Pro S. Guests at Working Style's Shortland St store were treated to a night of music, a Chivas Regal whisky tasting, fine wine from Penfolds and a hands-on first look at the latest technology. The electronics brand has created a buzz around the launch of its products in recent years by creating stylish events that incorporate aspects of fine dining, music and fashion as well as showcasing its technology. This week was no different.

Jesse Mulligan. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Innovative culture

Te Papa is investing $1 million in a hub to develop innovations for the global cultural sector. Mahuki, which means "perceptive", is supported by a $150,000 investment from Vodafone New Zealand and was launched at an event at Motat in Auckland on Thursday night. The 50 or so guests heard about the hub and its vision, where around 40 entrepreneurs will be supported in their work.

"The kinds of innovations we are looking for will enable New Zealanders to access their national collections in new ways, and activate new kinds of storytelling," said Te Papa chief executive Rick Ellis.

"Mahuki will create incredible new experiences to touch the hearts and minds of New Zealanders," he said. "When we see old soldiers in their 80s poring over a 3-D digital map of Gallipoli with tears in their eyes - that's the kind of impact we are looking for."

Mahuki innovators will work with Te Papa's experts and collections, and have the chance to market test their ideas with Te Papa's millions of visitors. They will work on real-world problems, informed by Te Papa's experience as a global leader in cultural experiences.

Let us know

This is not a gossip column but ... The weekly Page 2 is a chance to share stories and pictures about business personalities and events so please drop us a line at page2@nzherald.co.nz