The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Quality, safe wipes at a price the average Kiwi can afford has always been our objective. We realised early on that entering into mainstream retail channels such as supermarkets either resulted in the end price being hiked up or a reduction in quality to keep costs down – neither of which we were comfortable with. We have had to explore other avenues to get our name out there in order to keep our costs low while keeping quality high.
Coming from a healthcare background, we know that protecting against bacteria and microorganisms is the number one priority when dealing with wet wipes. This is why we do not compromise on our preservatives and refuse to wrap them up in misleading ‘feelgood’ labels. We believe in authenticity, openness and honesty – supporting customers to make informed choices (see our website for further details). However, we’re up against multinational corporates who are all about the marketing, many of whom either omit or rename the active preserving agent in their advertising and labelling. For a chemical-free option, our dry wipes have no additives. All you need to add is water. We feel this is the most honest approach for a chemical-free option for our customers.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
I never thought I’d ever be in a sales role but, because I love the product, I love getting out there and telling everyone about Purely Baby and ThinkWise!! My favourite part of the job is going to the Expos and meeting all our customers who are as enthusiastic about our product as we are. Especially the parents who have babies who have suffered painful reactions from using other wipes before they found us. I’ve also enjoyed meeting the owners and managers of childcare centres who genuinely care about the babies in their care and who happily switch to Purely Baby and ThinkWise. The difficulty is having the time to get out and about and reach all the businesses and individuals who haven’t heard of us yet.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
We believe that our wipes are the best on the market and that all Kiwi babies deserve the best start in life. Community and connection with Kiwi parents living in all circumstances is at the heart of our business model. We currently support Women’s Refuge with regular donations and have a number of fundraising initiatives aimed at raising funds for any community groups (kindergartens, play groups, schools…). Get in touch and see if we have something to suit your group – kate@purelybaby.co.nz.
In terms of product development, we are constantly looking at ways to evolve. In 2020 we brought out our Aqua+ Biodegradable Water Wipes. Our U.K. chemists have got excellent results from a coconut-derived preservative, so we are looking at further increasing the purified water content of all our Aqua+ Water Wipe range from 99.25% to 99.50%. A small difference but, why not??
Find out more by heading to the Purely Baby website. You can also keep up to date on their Facebook (Purely Baby, Thinkwise) and Instagram (Purely Baby, Thinkwise) pages.
