Mt Nicholas Merino co-founders Kate Cocks and Latisha McMurray, both of Queenstown, sold their fine wool goods at the South Island Agricultural Field Days in Canterbury last week.
The three-day event in Kirwee had capacity for 650 exhibitors.
Mt Nicholas Merino products were made from wool harvested from Mt Nicholas Station, Mrs Cocks’ family farm, a 36,000ha high-country property on the western shores of Lake Wakatipu.
About 29,000 merino sheep and 2000 beef cattle, a mix of pure Angus and pure Hereford, were run on the station.
Mt Nicholas Merino was launched in November 2023 and sells hats, jerseys, scarves, throws and vests.
All of the products were 100% merino and made completely in New Zealand, Mrs Cocks said.
"Tish and I have designed the range ourselves and we have tried to wardrobe staples that appeal and stand the test of time."
Their yarn was spun and dyed at Woolyarns in Wellington, and knitted in Tauranga.
The use of an international manufacturer was never considered, Mrs Cocks said.
"We wouldn’t have done it if we couldn’t have done everything in New Zealand.
"We know we could have done it cheaper overseas but for us, it wasn’t an option in terms of sustainability and utilising all the skills we have available in New Zealand."
Customers were comfortable to pay more for a natural product made in New Zealand, she said.
Products were sold online and at field days, which suited their business better than bricks and mortar retail.
"We are 100km by road to our nearest town and we are both based on the station, so we don’t have the opportunity to have a retail store."
She was happy with the number of sales at South Island Agricultural Field Days.
Field days were a great way to introduce people to their products and give them a chance to try them on.
"It is great for new people to touch, feel and see the product so we are really pleased we came up and the weather has been great."
Field days provided an opportunity to talk to other amazing companies using wool to create goods produced by "fantastic" manufacturers in New Zealand.
Mrs Cocks said New Zealand was lucky to have those manufacturers and they need to be supported to be maintained.
The intention was for Mt Nicholas Merino to be operating a long time, which eased any nerves of launching a new business during a time of economic uncertainty.
"There is always a reason not to do something and you need to look for reasons to do it, otherwise you’d never do anything.
"While there has been pressure on people’s spending, we figured if we launched it now, over time, it would only get better."
