Wearing an All Blacks jersey rather than a swimming costume, western Queensland's favourite sheepskin product has crossed the ditch to begin the move into export markets for Tambo Teddies.
The push, helped along by a $10,000 ecommerce grant, one of 44 awarded statewide to boost global online marketing plans, was given a boost when Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gift wrapped the first handcrafted 'Tasman' bear for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern as a gift for her three-year-old daughter Neve.
"Tambo Teddies are much loved and admired in homes all over the world," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"My niece and my nephew adore their Tambo Teddies.
"The little woollen bears take a lot of cuddling and wear and tear and I'm sure Neve will give it just as much love."
RELATED: Another royal Teddy for Tambo
Business owner Alison Shaw said the grant had supported the company's push into the New Zealand market with a tailored website just launched, plus a marketing plan.
"We see our next steps as continuing to grow the international business, beyond selling to Australians to ship as gifts to overseas customers," she said. "New Zealand is our first foray into an international market, where they share our cultural norms and attachment to wool and sheep."
The connection to wool figured largely in the marketing plan for their Kiwi cousins, especially as the teddies' fluffy ears are made from New Zealand sheepskin.
"In Australia we emphasise that they're Australian-made and that we have the Woolmark logo, the international branding symbol," Ms Shaw said.
Since the website was launched they have already had an email from someone in New Zealand wanting to stock their products, she added.
"It's a good soft launch for us," she said. "We can do it without having physical stock - to express post a carton there only costs $18."
And the All-Blacks theme is popular in Australia as well as New Zealand, thanks to the expatriates living on this side of the ditch.
"My husband says we need Queensland Reds jumpers - we might give them a go too," Ms Shaw said.
Tambo Teddies employs 14 staff including a sewing hub in Toowoomba that won the business a Multicultural Queensland Award in 2019.
More than 59,000 teddies have been produced since the company was started by local craftswomen in Tambo as a job creation and diversification initiative in the middle of the 1993 drought in the region.
"Our online sales have strengthened since COVID because people still want to buy something special, that is going to last and is a hundred percent Australian made," Ms Shaw said.
"Our online focus will secure the future for us, but we still have our main retail store in Tambo that is especially busy at this time of year with grey nomads pouring through, and we also make our teddies at our expanded Toowoomba regional sewing hub and store that we opened in August last year."
She said other export markets would be looked at down the track, including to the US and the UK.
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
