Fun turns fab in suds game

By GEORGINA BOND

What started as a ball of fun has become a flourishing business for husband-and-wife soapmakers Greg and Sophia Cooke.

After taking over the reins of INI Body Care two years ago, the pair have extended its boutique soap and skincare range, which boasts the world's first floating soap, from New Zealand to the global market.

With the help of one other staff member, the Cookes churn out about 3000 to 5000 soaps a week from their small Kumeu factory.

Walk in the door and you're overwhelmed by the distinctive INI scent. Then you're struck by the colours. Shelves of brightly coloured soaps shaped into balls, bars and hearts line the walls.

Shower gels and lotions are also part of the range, and bath rocks and salts to fizz and scent bathwater.

The fragrance variants are another point of difference, including iced poppy, tropical fruit tea, lemon lift, daffodil, pacific mariner, honeysuckle, choc minti and the popular black raspberry.

Previous owners Bob and Rona Haylett started INI Body Care as a cottage industry in 1995, largely selling the products at regional craft fairs.

The Cookes, looking for an opportunity to run their own business, took over in 2003. They seemed a likely fit.

Greg was working in sales and marketing for a cosmetics ingredients importer. Sophia had experience in research and development for a major cosmetics manufacturer.

Business started bubbling immediately. Within weeks they were approached by a New York distributor to supply a major retail chain in the United States.

"It was all hands to the pumps to get the order filled and shipped within six weeks," Greg Cooke said.

And the pace has never really slowed, with regular orders for thousands of soaps flowing in from the US, Asia and Australia. Locally, the range is stocked in pharmacies and gift stores.

One of the hardest aspects is keeping up with deadlines. "At times it feels like we're firefighting," said Greg.

Managing the rapid growth is still their biggest challenge. The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise training programmes and business mentor scheme has been invaluable in helping them get a structure in place to control it. The business has dramatically changed the Cookes' lifestyle, but they are delighted to be working for themselves.

Although they take office work home, they have managed to strike a good work/life balance, making a point of family time on the weekend.

They are bursting with ideas, but won't stray from the founding concept - a product that is different, funky and practical.

So far they have introduced several new fragrances and, this week, launched the INI body scrub range.

The next project is expanding into aromatherapy soaps, and sharpening their focus on the Australian market.


* Soap