Small Business: Wise Angler reels in plastic waste with sustainable solution

Wise Angler is a sustainable fishing tackle brand co-founded by Leo Vieira, a surfer and an angler who questioned why big brands had decide not to be more sustainable.

Leo Vieira, co-founder of Wise Angler, talks to Tom Raynel about why he thought the market needed a more sustainable option, and the reaction he’s had from the community. Each Monday, we interview a small business owner, which is now a regular feature of NZME’s editorial campaign rel="" title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/on-the-up/">On The Up, showcasing uplifting stories of success, inspiration and possibilities.

What is Wise Angler?

Wise Angler is a sustainable fishing tackle brand. I mean sustainable because we’re choosing to go 100% plastic-free, not only on our product design and packaging, but also on the operational side. We have no plastic fillers when we deliver our products to retailers, even down to the packaging tape, while our packaging is made of plant-based materials like sugar cane and corn starch.

We’ve been working on the product range for the last 14 months. Right now we’ve got our newest product StormX getting ready to launch in September. To help, we’re running a PledgeMe campaign to get the community in behind and to help educate everyone about the choice going forward.

What inspired you to start the business?

I’ve been a surfer and an angler my whole life. When you start visiting tackle shops every week, you question why big brands decide not to be more sustainable when they’re actually selling a product that is to be used in the ocean. I spotted the gap and said to myself, ‘well, let’s combine my passion with something that’s useful for the community and will bring great benefits in the long run.’

Wise Angler has been able to grow to around 50 stores in New Zealand, and around 10 to 12 stores in Australia.

How big an issue is plastic waste from fishing products?

It’s hard to measure everything from recreational fishing, but a good indication of what is happening globally, for example, is in Western Australia. They did the same as we did with banning single-use plastic bags from supermarkets, but now they’re moving into retail and wholesale for every brand that needs to have a packaging or wrap around a loose product to be displayed in the supermarket. So single-use plastic is going to end.

I believe that a lot of industries are going to have to adapt if they want to be in compliance with the Government and new laws. New Zealand is a country where we all love going to the outdoors, whether that’s fishing or living off the ocean, and a lot of families around New Zealand fish every day to put food on their table. I think it would be amazing if everyone started thinking twice before they buy a product that is not sustainable for the environment.

Does your focus on sustainability separate you from your competitors?

We always say to our retail partners that we don’t want to compete with the existing brands because we don’t have the volume and the structure those guys have. They’ve been in the market for 50-100 years and it’s so easy for everyone to simply go back to the store and buy what they’ve always bought. There is also a lot of resistance from the industry to take on new, emerging brands because of long-term relationships they’ve had with previous suppliers.

It’s a work in progress and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. At the moment in New Zealand we are stocked in around 50 stores, and in Australia we’ve got around 10 to 12 stores, and we have a very solid plan for expansion.

What has been the reaction from the fishing community?

We’ve had great responses and feedback just reinforcing that we are on the right track, and that people are expecting to see more sustainable products hitting the market. Getting retailers on board and backing us has been extremely important. We’ve also had big names in the fishing industry use our products. The Lateral Line, which was previously on TV as Big Angry Fish, they came on board and their support has been immeasurable and thanks to them we are where we are today.

I’ve seen other great names in the industry as well using our products, like Matt Watson from the ITM Fishing Show, which is really pleasing to see.

What would your advice be to a budding entrepreneur wanting to start a business?

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I started Wise Angler. I saw a gap and I said ‘I’m going for it’, and it actually gave me goosebumps just to think about it. Do your research, study the industry and have conviction in what you’re doing and be passionate about it.

With passion, conviction and believing in yourself that you’re doing something meaningful, that you’re providing a solution to the community as a whole, I think that’s when you’re on the right track.

Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.