Graeme Simpson: Company hits global stage

Gary Sullivan from Nzo. Photo / Graeme Murray

It has been more than 20 years since Glen Anderson and Gary Sullivan moved their home and business from Auckland to Rotorua.

They opened a mountain bikers' boutique on Tutanekai St in 1998 and have been designing and supplying bike riders with apparel ever since.

And in the process, Nzo has become a key cog in the mountain biking community in Rotorua, and around the world.

Since 2009, their main outlet has been the internet, and that has led them to their latest innovative endeavour — a product launched on Kickstarter with backing from all corners of the planet.

Frustrations with production were met several years ago by the creation of a partnership in Hong Kong, where Nzo now has its head office and where all of their products ship from.

"The people we've teamed up with are really great, they understand completely what we're trying to do," says Gary, aka Gaz.

"Our partner is a top-level triathlete, the office manager is a world championship level free diver, they live for their sports the same way we do ... we really are on the same page."

The team has developed some interesting new concepts and projects since they got together.

This includes launching a customisable, design-your-own product website three years ago and developing a new factory system to manufacture their special orders, and also their popular stock products.

"Having our own factory is really good, it means all the work we do to get quality production is transferable to new products without having to start again," Gaz says.

The team at Nzo decided to launch their latest new product in an unusual way.

Kickstarter.com is a crowd-funding website where entrepreneurs can raise capital to get an idea off the ground.

Nzo realised that it could also be a great way to get a new product in front of a whole new audience.

"Getting people's attention is pretty difficult nowadays, especially for a small brand from Rotorua. We thought this new product — a pair of do-anything pants we call Dusters — would appeal to people who maybe don't ride bikes, but how do we reach them? That was the challenge."

Prototypes were made and the Dusters launched on Kickstarter. The project reached its target funding in four hours, had reached 200 per cent in less than a day, and is headed for 400 per cent only halfway through the 28-day campaign.

A few days after launch the Nzo Dusters was the leading "trending" page in the apparel sector, which included over 27,000 live projects at the time.

Backers have come from all corners of the globe, and from many countries Nzo has not made sales in before.

Another exciting development announced by Nzo just last week is their new packaging.

"The Dusters will ship in bags made of a new smart plastic," Gaz says. "Hydropol plastic is biodegradable and marine safe and can be very easily recycled. If it does end up in the wrong place, it'll dissolve and won't harm marine life."

Learn more about Nzo's Kickstarter project online. And check out www.nzoactive.com on how to buy other items in the range.