Kiwi nappy firm Rascal and Friends expands into 24 countries

Grant Taylor and Nick Mowbray. Photo / Supplied

Kiwi nappy company Rascal and Friends has signed distribution deals with some of the world's largest retailers and says it is on track to hit the $100 million revenue mark next year.

The Kiwi nappy company, which launched in September last year, will expand into Australia in October with supermarket chain Coles, and into Canada through Walmart and Britain, through Tesco, in January.

It has also signed deals to launch into supermarkets in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China, and will be in 25 countries by June next year.

Rascal and Friends co-founder and co-chief executive Grant Taylor says a global market presence had always been the goal, now made a reality by friend and business partner Nick Mowbray.

Mowbray, who also set up multi-million dollar toy company Zuru, is focusing on global expansion while Taylor and his sister Louise Stainthorpe head product development.

"New Zealand is a great launch market and we've been really well received here but ... we want to be one of the biggest nappy brands in the world," Taylor said.

Rascal and Friends says it sells 500,000 nappies each week.

Mowbray says the rate of growth Rascal and Friends was experiencing was faster than that of Zuru's within the first two years of operations.

Rascal and Friends has been catapulted to success through social media, leaning on influencers and bloggers to promote its nappies and Mothers to spread the word.

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"With traditional advertising you weren't able to engage with your audience but now we can really engage with Mums and listen to them.

"We really listen to our consumer base on what they want in a nappy and what we can change in our product to suit them."

Mowbray says Rascal and Friends would book more than $100 million in revenue in its first two years of operating, in regards to deals it had already signed.

"We want to build a billion-dollar brand in the next five years."

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The company is now on a hiring drive, working with universities to identify talent and graduates that it can send out into foreign markets. It currently has 25 employees.

The average age of a person in the Rascal and Friends team is 23.

"It's an amazing ride that we're on, we just need to make sure that we keep in touch with our customer base and what they really want," Taylor said.

"Mum's are going to be the ultimate decider on our success."

Later in the year it will launch bio-degradable baby wipes.