Wild Oats Housewares (WOH!) introduced its latest collection to the market at the recent AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair, which was held from 5 to 9 August 2023 at the MCEC.
UK brand LIGA has exploded throughout the UK over the past three years and has now only recently been launched internationally.
Already performing well in Canada, the US and New Zealand, WOH! managing director, Jonathan Mills, thinks the LIGA brand has a great opportunity for growth in Australia.
“There is nothing like the LIGA range available in the Australian market,” he enthuses.
“The company behind this eco-friendly product is a small family business just like us, which follows similar sustainable principles. They source cork from Portugal, which is grown and harvested naturally from cork oak trees in the Montado forests in Portugal.
“These forests act as a green lung for the planet. Cork is a living, breathing material. The cork oak forests in Portugal alone absorb a huge 10 million tonnes of carbon every year.”
The collection includes placemats, coasters and trivets, which are all hand printed in Cornwall in the UK with the designs inspired by nature. There are four ranges to choose from including printed cork mats, Beach Clean collection, Natural Cork collection and Smoked Cork.
“The Beach Clean collection is made with recycled EVA plastics that they cleaned from the beach (hence the name Beach Clean) and ethically sourced organic cork, it’s a clever mix of cork with EVA plastics. This was the most popular range at the gift fair along with the Natural Cork collection, which is made from organic cork that has been naturally smoked with ink to create unique patterns.
“Smoked Cork is made with organic cork that has been naturally smoked to create warm tones and is due in October.”
The response to the new range has been amazing, adds Mills, from traditional retailers such as homewares and kitchenware stores as well as giftware and tourist destinations.
“All the ranges proved popular at the fair, however, as mentioned before Natural and Beach Clean were the winners. It looks like we have sold out of the first shipment and have had to place a second purchase order already.”
RRPs range from $9.95 to $69.95.
