28/05/2026
Back in 2021 I did something that felt very big for a brand still finding its feet.
I had the opportunity to be part of Australias Retreat Yourself Boxes. I ended up choosing the Balance & Glow Face oil to go in the box. It was the first product I ever launched, the one that started everything, and suddenly I had 2,000 of them that needed to be made, labeled, packaged, and shipped to Australia.
By hand. By me. Over several months. Alongside everything else that comes with running a business on your own.
I remember being nervous the whole time. I’d never shipped that kind of volume across to Australia before. I worried they’d break. I worried they’d get lost and that would of been a huge cost to me. I just kept going anyway.
When the boxes landed and the tags started rolling in, women all over Victoria, Queensland, NSW, WA opening their boxes and trying Akaia for the first time. It felt like proof of something. That this little brand from Gisborne actually had a place in the world.
96% of those women said they’d recommend Akaia to a friend. 80% said they’d buy again. Some of them still do, popping back to reorder that same oil years later, nothing else, just quietly loyal.
I’m glad I said yes. I’m glad I did the work. Every time another business chooses to collaborate with Akaia it’s a reminder that what we’re building here means something.
And honestly…if you don’t try, you can’t win. 💜🤍
