What’s the best aisle in PAK’nSAVE?

Easy. The spice aisle.

There’s just something about the way those herbs and spices are laid out. It’s magic. Simple in its beauty, yet complex in its simplicity.

Lately, I’ve found myself repeatedly buying the same herb (not that kind, e hoa mā). Usually some combo of rosemary and oregano. Since taking over the running of the whare, I’ve gotten a bit carried away with collecting herbs. I think part of it is the display. It’s like collecting trading cards or Pokémon. Gotta catch them all.

The problem? Our herb drawer was just chaos. There were expired spices, duplicates, old favourites, and things I didn’t even know we had. It was worse than I expected. But it needed to happen. You can’t fix a messy system by rearranging the surface. And that chaos led to over-ordering. Rosemary again. Damn. Already had two.

We needed structure — a visual system where at any point in time you could see exactly what you had and what you needed.

Early this year, we purchased a 3D printer as a family project to learn how to design, print, and experiment with different things. It’s been busy printing dragons, Pokémon, showerheads...

This felt like the perfect chance to create something practical: a custom spice rack. We found a design we liked, did a test print (just a casual five hours), and it came out great. Only six more to go. Easy.

We ran out of filament and had to use a random colour to finish it off. But no worries. Job done.

Is it the perfect solution? No. Is it as sleek as the PAK’nSAVE spice aisle? Not quite. But is it progress in the right direction? Does it bring clarity and calm at a glance? Absolutely.

That’s the point of systems. They don’t eliminate complexity — they contain it. A good system doesn’t rely on perfect people or perfect habits. It supports the team to do the right thing without having to think about it too much.

Same drawer. Same contents. Same people opening it. But now it works.

So if your herb drawer is out of control, just remember:

A Herb Poem (with Practical Potential)

When herbs pile high and order’s lost
Print a rack, no matter the cost
From chaos to calm, it’s quite the shift
One layer at a time, that’s the 3D gift

No more doubles, no oregano crime
Just neatly stacked jars, one basil at a time
If your drawer’s a jungle, no judgement here
Reach out anytime, I’ll help make it clear

The Business Bit

Funny thing is, this herb drawer isn’t just a home win. It’s a business metaphor too.

When systems are missing, things pile up. Tasks double up. Visibility fades. You end up with three jars of rosemary and no idea where the thyme went.

It doesn’t always take a full overhaul. Sometimes, a small, thoughtful system — a simple rack, a shared tracker, a checklist — can restore clarity and flow.

You move from reaction to intention. From clutter to calm. From waste to wisdom.

Whether it’s herbs or handovers, stock or stories, sometimes the fix is simpler than you think. Just give it the mana it deserves.