‘Thrilled to be part of Kāpiti’s community’
Electra Business and Innovation Awards finalist profile: We Love Local
Tell us what your business does. We Love Local offers food experience gifts from Kā piti and Horowhenua, as well as other New Zealand regions, including Wellington, Auckland, Canterbury, and more.
How did the business start and grow to where it is today?
We started the business under the name Kā piti Goodies in late 2018 from our garage in Waikanae. The idea was to create a gift box with local products made in Kā piti. At the beginning of 2020, we saw an opportunity to expand into Wellington by acquiring the We Love Local brand, and have launched food experience gifts with products from nine regions, including Auckland, Canterbury and Taranaki. The business now operates out of a 400sqm warehouse in Kā piti Road, Paraparaumu, and we dispatch between 30-50 gifts per day.
What sets you apart from others in your field?
What sets us apart is our unique focus on small-batch products exclusively made in New Zealand and curated by region. You’d have to do a trip to Moore Wilson’s, Farmer’s Markets and order products from small artisan producers directly to create a similar type gifting experience. We also offer New Zealand’s only gift box return programme, allowing customers to send the wooden crates back to us so we can use them for future gifting.
What was your reaction to being named as a finalist? What category/s did you enter?
It’s our second time entering the awards and we’re as thrilled as last year. We’ve entered the sustainability and small business categories.
What do you like about operating your business in the Kā piti community?
I think our name We Love Local says it all. We’re absolutely thrilled to be part of Kā piti’s business community and support local. That includes our printing company Precise Print, suppliers closeby such as Koakoa and Dark Horse, and many customers. Another advantage of being based here is that it’s still close enough to Wellington that we can provide a same-day service for local deliveries to businesses in the CBD and the government — without having to pay a more expensive lease closer to the city.
What does a general day at (your business) involve?
We’re still a small operation which means that I have to wear many hats. A general day could involve customer service, purchasing stock, updating our website, processing orders, etc. It’s quite the buzz on a daily basis but we love it.