3 Kids, 30 Ideas. Doing It Sustainably w Rita (Sustaina Grow NZ)

Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword for Rita, it’s become a core driver of long-term business success.

In this episode, Luke sits down with Rita Hammond, founder of Sustaina Grow NZ, to explore how Kiwi businesses can embrace sustainable practices without sacrificing profitability.

Rita shares how Sustaina Grow started while juggling three children under three, relief teaching, and an obsession with building a business that mattered. What began as a passion project has grown into a brand that makes gardening simple, fun, and eco-friendly with wool-based grow mats, bestselling packs like strawberries and garlic, and innovative new products like the Garden Bar Project.

We dive into:
The challenges of building a business while raising a young family
Why obsession, not balance, has driven Sustaina Grow’s success
Breaking monthly sales records, scaling warehousing, and embracing bold digital marketing strategies
The power of small sustainable actions at home that can create big change for the planet
Behind-the-scenes stories, from landing a $30K corporate contract with Vodafone (before the product even existed!)

This conversation is equal parts raw, inspiring, and practical  showing how determination, innovation, and resilience can turn barriers into breakthroughs.

Find Sustaina Grow :
Instagram:   / sustaina_grow  
Website: http://sustainagrow.co.nz (https://www.sustainagrow.co.nz/)
Country calendar feature:    • Hyundai Country Calendar x Sustaina Grow 2024  

Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning.

Stuck? Find Amy : [email protected]
Instagram:   / amy.levridge  
Website: https://www.levridge.co.nz

Get tickets to the 2nd annual in person 'keep the change unplugged' event: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/keep-t...

Generate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to http://generatekiwisaver.co.nz/change to find out more.

0:00 Intro
2:34 City vs farming life; not a 9–5, weather and animal realities
4:11 Country Calendar appearance and the six days for 22 minutes lesson
5:02 From teacher to farm life
7:30 Plastic and weeds problem; wool solution
18:10 Corporate gifting and the One NZ rebrand sprint under deadline
23:50 why wool is a super fibre and biodegrades
25:52 Parenting load, self-care; ICU scares and the “gifted hotel room” that reshaped giving back
34:24 Partnership with Dave
39:48 Community demand and exporting mindset beyond NZ
49:38 Imperfection over paralysis