I hope you all had a lovely weekend. In today’s Behind the Biz interview I’m chatting with Marina, the founder of Nipper & Co. Marina creates award winning organic teas for mums and their families.
How did you decide upon the name of your brand?
At first we thought of naming it Tiny Tea Factory, as we were a tiny family of three it sounded cute and fun ☺ We then realised that a big Australian company selling slimming tea under name Tiny Tea’s, so that kind of killed the romance and we had to think of something new. My then toddler Max was so eager to think of something, I thought he was a real nipper. And that’s how Nipper&Co came to life. The brand is made with a vision to support mums and their growing families, so it is all about nippers ☺
What sets Nipper & Co apart from other brands?
We are the only 100% organic, ethical, and natural tea brand that focuses on health and wellbeing of mums. From pregnancy, breastfeeding and colic to everyday easy sleep and energy infusions and teas. We care about our products on every step of our tea journey, from sourcing only the best quality ingredients that have been either picked from wild or grown in fair conditions to using only organic to preserve our beautiful planet and provide what’s best for our health. Toxin free, natural and delicious herbs and teas.
Did you always plan to set up your own business?
Yes, I always saw myself as having my own business and always had million ideas brewing in my head. The 9-5 office work never suited my creative and restless spirit, so I knew I had to do something to ‘runaway’ from it.
How do you juggle being a mum and running your business?
Not sure that I do. Being a mum of two is hard and demanding enough on its own but when you add a solopreneur business that’s a whole other level of madness. There is always the constant guilt of not providing enough in either filed and my mum is my huge supporter and helps with my kids tremendously. But I also hope my kids will see a hard-working mum and learn to appreciate work, learn how to be creative, solve problems and not to be afraid to chase their dreams.
Please share a business high and low with us.
When you run a new small business, it seems that every day is full of highs and lows. At one moment you feel like you are on top of the world and the other you are shouting ‘why me?’ ☺ But recent launch with Planet Organic is definitely a big high. As a huge fan of this chain I was so chuffed to hear that they think Nipper&Co is a perfect fit for their stores.
Low, when I was told my boxes are out of stock for the next two months when I had orders coming in. Think that’s also when I got my grey hair ☺
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Believe in yourself and your idea, but also test it and prove there is a need for your product and there are people willing to buy it. Don’t wait for the perfect product, just go and launch with a minimum viable thing (not like I did) ,listen to market response and adjust. Be genuine, don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to ask the stupid question.
Where do you hope to take your business in the year ahead?
I hope to see Nipper&co. teas in more recognised retailers by end of this year, and to become more easily accessible to expecting or breastfeeding mums in search of their perfect cup full of support.
Find the full range of teas over on the Nipper & Co website. You can also support the brand on Instagram and Facebook.
Thank you to Marina for taking the time to be involved with Behind the Biz. I hope you enjoyed reading about her business journey and leave this interview feeling motivated to work hard towards your own business goals.
Marina found a gap in the market for organic, ethical, and natural tea with a focus on the health and wellbeing of mums. She has successfully filled that gap and her teas can now be found in Planet Organic. I can’t wait to see the business continue to grow in 2019.