'Our nature baby!"' THE NZ BUSINESS THAT BOOMED

How a resourceful couple cottoned on to an idea and made it truly sustainable

- Donna Fleming

When Georgia and Jacob Faull first became parents 25 years ago, their daughter Eliza was not the only new addition to the family.

That year saw the arrival of another “baby” – their business Nature Baby. The pair, who went on to have two more children – Nat, 22, and Thea, 16 – joke that the company, which makes babywear, is their fourth child. “And the most demanding,” laughs Georgia.

The Auckland couple can’t quite believe it has been a quarter of a century since they decided, in their mid-twenties, to launch their business a few months after Eliza was born.

“Having a baby and starting a business at the same time does seem a bit crazy,” admits Georgia, 50. “I look back now and wonder how we did it.”

Adds Jacob, also 50, “It was like having two babies at once.”

Just as they have done with their children, they’ve lovingly nurtured Nature Baby, guiding it through ups and downs, and proudly watching it grow. The company now employs 55 people, and has three shops in New Zealand and one in Sydney. Its products are stocked in stores around the world.