The year has gotten off to a great start for Dreamfarm with the Aussie company winning three major awards so far.
Being awarded ticks of approval from Red Dot Design (Levoop measuring scoop), gia (Fledge cutting board) and Good Design (Spindry toilet brush) is not bad for a small business from Brisbane, with each of the awards holding its own significance.
“Any time we win an award we’re thrilled because all of our design is done by our in-house team of designers, and who doesn’t love a pat on the back for a job well done?” says Dreamfarm special projects manager Cate McDermott.
“The Red Dot is special for the recognition it brings us from the international design community, the gia for its industry significance and the Good Design Award for the relevance it has in Australia in particular.
“To have all three of our most recent releases win at least one of these awards each (Fledge won both the gia and Good Design Award) really hammers home for us that we’re doing something right and that our products appeal to, and are appreciated by, a wide audience,” she adds.
McDermott says Dreamfarm entered the Red Dot Awards because it is internationally recognised as the premier award for product design, the Good Design Award because it is the premier award for Australian design―Dreamfarm is 100 per cent Australian owned―and the gia Award for its industry significance, particularly in the US, which is the company’s largest export market.
“We have definitely found that the gia award in particular helps to start conversations with retailers that may not have previously been as familiar with the brand. The day after we won gia at the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago last month, we had a significant increase in the number of visitors to our booth all wanting to check out what else we made.
“Once you have that tick of approval from industry leaders it’s easy for others to jump on board too, and it’s the same at a consumer level. People that aren’t particularly design minded might not know what significance a Red Dot or Good Design award holds but they know that winning awards isn’t easy, and it definitely helps sway a purchasing decision.
“I know in my own life that if I don’t know enough to tell the difference between two bottles of wine then I’m usually buying the one that has more awards stuck on the label,” she says.
It has already been a jam-packed year for Dreamfarm but the good times don’t stop here. The brand will be releasing a pepper grinder in time for Christmas and will also be moving into a larger office and warehouse space in the US.
“We are also launching with two major UK retailers and expanding into another seven international markets. It’s shaping up to be a big year already.”
By Marion Gerritsen
