Elizabeth Hollingsworth started Palatable Tea Towels as a passion project in mid-2022 to help support Australia’s top seven wine regions after Covid-19 effectively killed regional tourism in these locations, thanks to lockdowns for nearly two years.
“What started as just seven watercolour-illustrated tea towels, showcasing wineries ranked four stars or more on the Halliday Wine Companion, surrounded by nearby accommodation and must-see attractions, gained traction with wineries, gourmet stores and regional retailers and has grown to more than 100 SKUs,” she enthuses.
“Customers love the blend of storytelling, practicality and regional pride. As our range has expanded to include aprons, tote bags, gift hampers, greeting cards, postcards and A3 and A4 prints, the original name Palatable Tea Towels became limiting and inaccurate. And plus, people kept joking, ‘can you eat them’?”
Now, with 18 destinations in the range, the name Australian Map Gifts is more suitable for its map-inspired gifts that celebrate place, travel and local stories.
“The new name helps retailers and customers understand our offering at a glance, while also giving us room to grow. It also looks more visually cohesive in-store.
We’re already hearing from wholesale customers that the new brand is a much better fit for the broader product range. It helps them tell the story to their own customers more clearly. For our stockists, the rebrand also brings practical benefits including clearer product categories, updated packaging and a new display option designed to boost visibility and sales.
“We have updated our slogan too, from our original, ‘Explore our wine regions in your kitchen’ to ‘Give them Australian memories to come back’. This has several meanings actually as it’s for the recipients’ memories of their Australian experiences to come back, to feel so enamoured with the destination they’re prompted to return and it is a subtle allusion to helping the destinations ‘come back’ financially through increased tourism,” Hollingsworth adds.
Reed Gift Fairs Melbourne marks the official launch of Australian Map Gifts.
“We’ll be showcasing our new branding, debuting a compact retail display unit that encourages customers to make multiple, impulse purchases of our tea towels, tote bags, prints and greeting cards.
“It’s a chance to see long-time and new stockists, to explain the rebrand in person, gather feedback and explore fresh opportunities with retailers who are looking for unique, Australian-made gifts that sell. We hope to gain valuable conversations, stronger relationships and of course, new stockists.”
Check out the full product range at stand J39, 2 to 6 August at the MCEC.
