Q&A With Jessica from Little Genie – one of our newest sponsors

We love getting to know our sponsors and we’re sure you do too! We caught up with Jessica from Little Genie and chatted about all things nappies and sustainability! Read on for a bit of insight into what Little Genie does!

WFWK: Hey Jessica, let’s start off with an easy one. How long has Little Genie been in the Cloth Nappy and sustainable products market?

J: Little Genie have been around for over 12 years. Located in the beautiful Mount Maunganui, they have been bringing environmentally friendly and safe products to little Kiwi babies such as compostable baby wipes, nappy pants, and nursing pads for a while. About a year ago we launched our reusable pocket nappy range into Countdown NZ and have been getting a fantastic response from all the mums and dads out there using it, sharing stories and photos. There is only one direction from here and that is to create not just “environmentally friendly”, but wholeheartedly environmentally responsible products. That meaning – the product and packaging is either reusable and/or also compostable is crucial. Parents today are demanding the best for their kids, and so they should!

WFWK: What are you proudest of Little Genie for so far in their journey?

J: Our range of Pocket Nappies and inserts are a bit unique as they are made from Bamboo Charcoal and the Pocket Nappy itself has double leak guards. The best part of our Pocket Nappy is the premium offering in terms of quality and materials used, but still priced within the mainstream segment of the market.

WFWK: Have you been to one of Kate’s workshops before? What did you think?

J: I have yes and I loved it! I was already sold obviously on the reusable nappies and could only have wished that I had the support around when it comes to reusables as there is now so that I could have started straight away with littlies. So going from cleaning cloth nappies with #2s on them, I felt pretty confident I could change more things in my every day. 
I have always HATED seeing rubbish on the side of our streets, alongside parks and beaches, and have in fact told several people off to pick it up and at least put it in the rubbish. I know it will get me one day telling the wrong person off but hey! I left the Workshop going through emotions of absolute horror to “Things have to change, now!”. I control the things that are in my reach and try to spread the word as best I can to those that wanna listen and even those that won’t. I love my compost and make sure everything that possibly can goes in it.

WFWK: What’s your favorite Little Genie product and why?

J: Putting a compostable wipe in my home compost feels pretty good, knowing it will be going back to nature and on to the next adventure. But I will have to say the reusable pocket nappies. My kids are now out of nappies and although there is a part of me that is very happy about that, I do miss using the pocket nappies. I’m very much of an organizer, so folding, prepping, sorting gives a pretty sweet satisfaction. However, with a husband and two boys, there is still plenty of that to go around.

WFWK: Outside of working with Little Genie, what’s your relationship to sustainability and enviromental causes?

J: Opshoping is a favourite of mine and what I can’t find there I’ll try to consciously buy somewhere else. I bike where I can, work from home 1-2 days a week. Keep-cups and bottles. Moon cups and period undies. I know that I could do a lot more, but the key to becoming more eco-conscious is to start slow and not be too hard on yourself.

WFWK: If you could magically make every Kiwi make ONE change to their behaviours towards waste (For example: Stop littering), what change would that be?

J: Choose one thing you care about and focus on that. It takes time to make change and most often for something to last you need to do it slowly in order for it to stick long term. 

WFWK: To finish off with something to let the readers know about – Is there anything exciting coming up from Little Genie that you’d like to share some info about?

J: We are currently working on our new range of Care Products which we are hoping to have ready in Q4 and onwards adding to. Ingredients you understand and recognise, packaging that will compost. At Little Genie, we absolutely love hearing from our mums and dads, getting their feedback on our products. Be it something good or something we can improve on. It is important for us to hear from our friends so that we can improve our products and add to the range of products that are wanted. 

Thanks so much to Jessica and Little Genie for the awesome answers here, we’re so excited to see what they do next! Are you using any Little Genie products? If so, make sure you tag us on social media so we can see!