The promotional product supply company recently passed annual turnover of $100 million along with opening a new 8000sqm warehouse at its Fairfield site.
The warehouse will allow Tuapeka to house all of its stock comprising about 6500 product lines on 11,500 pallets in one facility and improve the company’s product delivery times.
Chief executive Greg Jolly said the company’s growth since moving to Dunedin from Lawrence just under a decade ago meant it was likely another warehouse would be required within the next two years.
Strategies were in place to double the turnover by 2030.
"Covid meant 45 jobs were lost in mid-2020 but such was the lift in sales by the end of that year we were begging people to come back," Mr Jolly said.
"When we went through the Covid restructure, a lot of jobs were saved with staff all looking out for each other and dropping down to 30 hours a week.
"Everyone accepted the challenge. That meant we were able to get back up and running so quickly again by the end of 2020."
"Covid delayed us by a year but now the owners [Jim Robertson, the company’s founder, and Brad Houghton] see more opportunities and potential."
Tuapeka’s major market is Australia where 70% of its products are sold. The remaining 30% go to the New Zealand market.
"Australia was just 3% a decade ago, but our customer-centric business model disrupted how things operated there and we are now the biggest supplier of printed promotional products there.
"We’re starting to make inroads into the apparel market as well," he said.
Drinkware, tote bag and umbrella categories were the largest sellers. Branded pens, which were the staple product in the company’s early years, still accounted for 10% of its business and 14million were printed annually.
While most of the workforce is based in Dunedin, some travelled from Lawrence, Milton and Balclutha.
The bulk of the Lawrence workers, who were transported by bus in 2014 and 2015, have relocated permanently to Dunedin.
