I have customers come and see me at meeting points with their own containers, and I fill them for them. It’s cheaper than buying those types of products anywhere else.
What inspired you to start the business?
I live in rural Kaipara, and I got absolutely sick to death of just one plastic bottle after another. Yes, you can recycle them, but you’ve got to pay for everything associated and it’s just a waste. For me to refill things I need, and for other people in our area, I’ve got to travel 45 minutes to the biggest town.
I thought I couldn’t be the only person who was frustrated by this in the area, and so I looked into it more and found that, of course, a lot of people are bothered about the environment and sustainability and how much plastic we waste, but other factors get in the way.
I already had my camper van, which is what I used to travel around in, so I made some customer shelving, found some suppliers, and off I went.
You’ve been in business since October last year. What’s been the reaction?
It’s been great and really heartening, because like I said, a lot of people want to do the right thing and are interested in being sustainable, so having an opportunity brought to them is overjoying.
It’s going to be slow growth because I haven’t got thousands of dollars to spend on advertising, so it’s mainly growing by word of mouth, but every time I go somewhere, a new person turns up and is interested.
The key is just overcoming those barriers for people, changing their behaviour and the way they shop.
Why should Kiwis be smarter about their plastic usage?
People have gotten into the habit of the convenience of going to the supermarket and picking something up off the shelf. If people stop and think, “hang on a minute, I don’t have to throw that bottle away, it’s in perfectly good order, I can reuse it”, we can accomplish a lot.
My average customer will come and refill maybe four or five different products, so if you think of that over time, the amount of bottles that don’t have to be produced or don’t end up in landfill adds up really quickly. I’m not an anti-recycler, but it’s a complicated thing to do, so little things like refilling bottles isn’t as complicated in comparison.
Leigh Bowness-Barker, founder of The Refillery, is on a mission to reduce plastic waste in Kiwi households.
What are your plans for the future?
In my ideal world, everything would be refillable, from things like vinegars and wet goods like oils and sauces, as well as dry goods. Another good one that someone pitched to me the other day was engine oil. I kind of laughed at it to start off, but that’s actually a really good idea. So there are plenty of options there.
I’d also quite like to franchise. I was talking to a lady last week who’s moving to the South Island, and she absolutely loved the idea, so I’m keeping in touch with her. Obviously, there’s only so much I can do driving around myself, and I am only a few months in. But if I can keep up the momentum, there is definitely an opportunity.
Another thing I’d love to do is to create my own brand of refillable products, although that’s much further down the line.
What’s your advice to a budding entrepreneur wanting to start a business?
Anything’s possible, so definitely dream big. But on the same note, be realistic and do your research. Make sure your idea is not just something you think is a good idea, but find out whether other people think so too.
Also, do things yourself where you can. I’ve done all of my branding and graphics myself, and if you haven’t got thousands of dollars to start up, it can come in handy.
Do you have a small-business story you want to share? Send your pitches to tom.raynel@nzme.co.nz.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
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