A month ago I got a mystery package in the mail. A colleague had sent me a surprise gift to say thankyou for a referral. It was a box of beautifully packaged dehydrated fruit from a company called Little Beauties.
The packages looked gorgeous, and the fruit inside tasted the same. I wanted to find out more about why this Nelson company had chosen the Feijoa, a fruit known for its short season, and the Gold Kiwifruit as two of its signature lines.
Thankfully Tristan Wastney, the co-founder of Little Beauties, agreed to be on the show. Tristan now oversees the sales and marketing, and helps arrange the exporting into the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan, with new markets on the horizon.
This kiwi family run business has grown to employ a team, develop some pretty incredible machinery and be a sustainable method of using fruit otherwise destined for landfill.
In this podcast, Tristan shares the story of how the business began, where it’s sitting at the moment, and where he and the rest of the family want it to go.
We also talk about the cost of growth, the impact of going into supermarkets, and what it takes to create a brand that will become known on the world stage.
In this episode we cover:
How Little Beauties started
Why they’ve chosen to seek external investment
Why Feijoas are a complicated fruit
What they’ve discovered as they’ve moved into export markets
How they’re planning for the long term
Why markets are still one of their favourite places to sell
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How Little Beauties is Turning Food Waste Into Gold