Kate Guthrie, Undercover

Life is busy for Kate Guthrie. When not coaxing Batman the cow out of the chicken coop, wrangling her seven highland cattle or contracting to one of Blenheim’s many wineries, she’s hard at work on Undercover, where she designs and sells children’s sleeping bags. After spending 15 years working in the wine industry in Central Otago and Queenstown (including planting vines at Bendigo Station and as a vineyard manager for Gibbston Valley), Kate shifted to Blenheim. “We purchased a run- down property up the Brancott Valley that was such a mess that nobody else would touch it. Luckily my husband’s a builder and went about transforming it.” Six months after the arrival of baby Louis, Kate began to ponder business ideas. “I wanted to go back to work, but I didn’t want to do 40 hours a week and I wanted a challenge – to be in control and independent. I kept thinking about my childhood and family camping trips to Lake Benmore and how I wanted my son to experience the same thing. The idea for the sleeping bags evolved from there.” Produced in Auckland from fabrics designed in the United States, the sleeping bags are “glamping for little people” and are very convenient for traveling parents. “They’ve been used not only for sleepovers but for training children to sleep in big beds, and to stop others rolling in the night. I love that they are practical but can still put a smile on someone’s face.” facebook.com/undercover. sleepingbags