Sparked by the interest in his creation, Graves began selling the tools while expanding his product range, notably with a stand-open garden bag, now the central product for the business.
Decades of growth followed for the business, with more than 30,000 customers and 1500-plus garden bags sold annually.
Gubba added its garden shed expansion in 2012 and a bulk packaging arm later on, with son Tim getting involved to help manage operations.
But recently Graves made the decision to step back from the gardening goods business and pass it on to his daughter Sally Shaw, although it wasn’t what she expected.
“I was actually a pharmacist. I was living in Wellington with two children, I was working a couple of days a week and the business was growing,” Shaw said.
“When the summer before Covid started, I remember saying that I wasn’t loving pharmacy any more, and I think my Mum and Dad wanted us back in Auckland with our kids. Dad casually set out on the boat one day with me and said, would you like to come back and manage Gubba? I thought about it and said yes.”
Bugg, formerly Gubba, is a family-owned and operated garden goods retailer which sells tools and equipment for gardeners across New Zealand.
Shaw has taken control of the gardening goods business, with Tim remaining in charge of the other two divisions.
Now settled in her role, Shaw has big ambitions for where she’d like to see the company in the next few years, but a reworking of its offering and branding were first on the agenda.
Gubba had grown to offer more than 2600 products across tools, plant management and outerwear.
Since coming on board, Shaw has significantly reduced the number of products, down to roughly 500.
The company’s product designs are also getting a revamp, with Shaw keen to modernise its offering.
“Our hero products are the garden bag, the tool belt that Dad [David] designed, and a tote bag. As much as they’re great designs, I felt they were looking a bit tired. The original designs were built around what Dad knew gardeners needed at the time.
“I’ve just reimagined it for today, making it more versatile, adding space for the tools we use now, even things like your phone. But that same instinct, really understanding the person using it, is what I want to carry forward.”
The redesign hasn’t come without its challenges, as the company has done its best to manufacture what it can in New Zealand over its lifetime.
When she started the redesigns roughly eight months ago, she was told by various stakeholders that she was “mental” for trying to make it work. Even Graves was sceptical.
Shaw was adamant that it could and should be done where possible, and it has been successful so far, but she acknowledged the price point has taken a hit as a result.
“We’re so conscious of quality that we manufacture all of the webbing for our tote bag in New Zealand, and then that is sent to China to be turned into a bag. The webbing they were making wasn’t lasting long enough, and it wasn’t UV-proof enough.
“We want to go the extra mile to make things better. It’s quite a challenge because people say they’re happy to pay more for New Zealand-made products, and they are happy to – until they get to the checkout.”
Gubba’s Gardening Bag is its most popular product, with more than 1500 sold annually.
Perhaps the biggest change for the business is its new name, Bugg.
Shaw said she had gone to a brand designer to help come up with ideas and designs, and after numerous attempts, Bugg stood out.
“We wanted to trademark something too, because we think that’s quite important in this day and age. It was a real challenge, but when they came up with Bugg it wasn’t just the name that appealed, it was the logo. We loved the sprouts/antennae, however you see it.
“Weirdly, it’s also Gubba a little bit backwards as well.”
On top of the products and rebrand, the business has also moved to a new website and appstack platform, all to prepare it for future growth.
Shaw said the trickiest part to manage in the process has been bringing their customers along for the journey, particularly merging the new brand to align with the old.
“We can’t lose our old customers because they are so important to us, they’re who got us to where we are, so we want to honour them and keep them on board.
“I do most of the customer service, and I write our weekly email newsletters, and since we’ve changed we’ve had quite a lot of positive replies.”
Now refreshed and ready to expand, Shaw is aiming to launch direct-to-consumer sales in Australia by the end of the year.
The company already offers shipping to Australia, the United States, Canada and Britain, but Shaw said almost all of their customers are domestic, so targeting new customers across the Tasman made sense.
She’s also keen to look for a younger generation of customers, and believes gardening is trending again.
“A lot of people are coming back to gardening because there is something very wholesome and very grounding to being in the garden. For me, it’s to show my kids as well that there’s more to life than a screen and there’s a satisfaction of growing something.”
Despite the rapid change she’s progressed since taking on the role, Shaw is well aware of the responsibility on her shoulders.
“This is the family business, it’s what we’ve done. I remember going into the office as kids on a Saturday or Sunday and it was so much fun.
“There’s a lot of pride in continuing what my parents built, and a real excitement in seeing where we can take it next.”
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
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