APPA gets to know the story behind Didgeridoonas Australia, one of the Association's newest supplier members.
Q: Tell us a bit about Didgeridoonas Australia- what do you do and what is your history?
A: Didgeridoonas began in 1995, with just two sewing machines, two people with a dream, and a casual seamstress. After initially directing our business towards the retailing and manufacture of doonas, we were inspired by woolgrower friends in Western Queensland to design products that utilized the numerous strengths of Australian wool. Our products are designed to last a lifetime. By using the very best materials such as pure Australian wool, durable oilskin fabric, strong leather handles and the toughest stitching we could find, we’ve created an extensive range of products which we are truly proud of.
Our factory in Fiji opened more than 30 years ago, primarily to provide employment for a small community that had very few job opportunities available. It was started as part of a ‘Business Aid’ program set up by a group of businessmen including Barry Rodgers to help developing countries by providing capital and training for local employment. We are extremely passionate about finding work for our island neighbor and when the opportunity arose to manufacture products that were so distinctly Australian, we jumped at the idea. For more information, please visit our website.
Q: How long have you been an APPA member? Why did you decide to join the Association?
A: We are just babies to the APPA member family. We trust our product is amazing and great for gifting. We want people to find us as easily as they can, and I believe joining the Association will help make that happen.
Q: What makes your products different from those supplied by your competitors?
A: Our products last a lifetime and are great for the people who are conscious of making the right decisions for the planet by buying sustainable items as opposed to items that will break or get thrown away not long after receiving them.
Q: What are the biggest challenges facing your business at the moment?
A: One of our biggest challenges is trying to move away from issues that COVID-19 has caused such as receiving and sending shipments. We have a great team of employees who do everything they can to ensure our customers get what they want when they want, so hopefully 2023 is finally the year of zero COVID-related issues – or I can hope so!
Q: With Christmas right around the corner, which of your products would you recommend as the ideal personalized gift?
A: All of our items have their own function, so it really depends on what people are looking for. We always work with our customers to come up with the best fit for them and their customers. Unfortunately, the cut off for personalized items has been reached, but we can still discuss supplying our product in time for Christmas if personalization isn’t a priority.
