Our First Week as the New Custodians of Bit by Bit

If there’s one word to describe our first week with Bit by Bit, it’s this: big.

Big kilometres.
Big emotions.
Big learning curves.
And big gratitude.

After a 1000km round trip to bring Bit by Bit home to Taranaki, we’ve spent the past week settling the brand into its new base here in the Uruti Valley. Operating from home means something important to us — it allows our whole family to be involved without taking Mum or Dad (Steph and Cam) away from the kids. The girls get to see the work, the care, and the craft that goes into every bottle. It feels right.

Getting the Website Live Again

We set ourselves the goal of having the website back up by Monday evening… and we made it. Just.
There was a fair bit of juggling, a few late nights, and yes — some teething problems. But our customers showed us patience, kindness, and understanding. For that, we’re incredibly grateful.

And then came the moment every small business owner remembers - our first website orders.
That little buzz of excitement never gets old.

Now, one week on, we’re anxiously watching the courier tracking for more ingredients so we can spend the weekend doing what we love most — handcrafting fresh batches.

Connections That Matter

One of the unexpected highlights of this week has been the conversations with our existing stockists and wholesalers. Every single one has been welcoming, encouraging, and genuinely excited about Bit by Bit’s next chapter. Those relationships mean a lot to us, and we’re looking forward to strengthening them as we grow.

We’ve also been working closely with our printers to align packaging and labelling with our new Taranaki base, while still honouring Bit by Bit’s Gisborne roots. This brand was born on the East Coast, and that story will always remain part of who we are.

Looking Ahead

Even in the middle of the chaos, we’re already thinking forward to October and November — when we’ll be opening our home base during the Taranaki Garden Festival, Sustainable Taranaki Trail, and the Taranaki Arts Festival.

Visitors will be able to come to Bit by Bit at home, see where everything is made, and purchase products directly from the source.
(Keep an eye out for our ad in the Sustainable Taranaki A5 booklet.)

What’s Next for Week Two

A little sleep would be nice — writing this at 4.30am on a Friday morning probably says enough.

But beyond that, our focus is on:

• making our first full batches from our new home base
• continuing to refine our systems
• and starting to grow our refilleries and stockists across Taranaki and the Manawatū region

If you know a store, refillery, or business that aligns with our ethos — and where you’d love to see Bit by Bit on the shelves — send us a message. We’d love to reach out to them.

Thank you for being part of our first week.
It’s been full, messy, exciting, and meaningful — and we’re only just getting started.

Cam, Steph, Danielle & Mackenzie