COSY TOES SET TO REAP WARM AWARDS

Online, North Canterbury business Cosy Toes has been named as a finalist in The David Awards 2009.

The David Awards recognise the unsung heroes in home and small businesses throughout New Zealand, whose tenacity, courage and ingenuity place them firmly at the forefront of entrepreneurship in this country.

Cosy Toes has been named a finalist in the Most Outstanding Triumph Over Adversity category. Founder Tracey Robinson says “Cosy Toes fits into the category perfectly with the impact the synthetic clothing industry has had on our home grown fibres. As a whole our wool industries and manufacturing businesses have faced challenges since the post war manufacturing boom”. “And again our manufacturers and growers are facing more challenges again this year from the recession,” Tracey says.

Tracey’s upbringing and love of wool has had a huge impact why the Cosy Toes business began almost five years ago. The idea materialised out of what she describes as her “frustration” at not being able to find wool socks for her two pre-school children. Sourcing the wool socks was not easy at first but once they were found Tracey sourced more and more wool products to the range for children. There is now a range of merino wool clothing that complements the wool socks. “I guess sourcing products is the hard part but also the fun part of the business,” Tracey says.

The success of Cosy Toes is mostly because of still having those customers not only in New Zealand but also around the world that appreciate the clean, warm and natural fibre that wool is. “The website is our life link to the world and no one would really know that all this is done from a little rural New Zealand town,” says Tracey. “Mothers too are using the internet more and more for online shopping and social networking.”

Category winners and a Supreme Award will be announced on the 7th of October 2009.

For more information visit: www.cosytoes.co.nz