The Gift that Gives Back
A gift can be big; a gift can be small but a gift from Noosa is the best gift of all! Carlie Wacker meets a dynamic duo sharing the Noosa love far and wide.
Courtney Going and Sue-Ellen Knox know that all good things come from here and the greatest gift you can give is a box full of Noosa goodies. So, the ladies set about creating a local experience for all to enjoy.
“Sue-Ellen and I were operating our own businesses at a shared worked space and we discovered we were both sourcing Noosa-based products for our clients’ gifting needs, and we wondered why has nobody has ever put Noosa in a box. So Noosa Gift Co was born,” says Courtney.
They spent the next six months meeting makers and sourcing local products and experiences with the aim of creating 8-10 gift boxes.
“We ended up with 30 in our first collection due to the amount of talented producers we found!” Sue-Ellen says. “Everything in our range is 100% authentically sourced from a Noosa or Sunshine Coast business.”
They make no exception when curating their bespoke gift boxes ensuring every item is an authentic taste of Noosa.
“We have been stringent in keeping it local, even when clients have asked us to include French champagne, we choose to use the delightful Little Cove Sparkling or Black Cockatoo Sparkling Shiraz by Dingo Creek Wines.”
The foundation of community expands to every aspect of their business: local artist Cass Deller designed their logo, branding and packaging; photographer Tracy Naughton of Let Me Sea shot all the imagery for the website; and Chevaune Hindley snapped the product photography. Maria Baron provided product styling and a location shoot was at Noa by the Beach in Little Cove.
It is such a smart move given that Noosa is one of the world’s most coveted luxury beach holiday locations.
“We are all about supporting and promoting small business and taking Noosa to Australia and the world,” says Courtney. “We have recently had an order from Dublin so we are truly now a global business. All our boxes have iconic Noosa-themed names with one of our most popular boxes being ‘The Hastings’ Gin Box which includes Noosa Gin by Fortune Distillery, Dried Limes from Mary Valley Food Co, Wimmers Tonic Water by Noosa Beverages and Gourmet Salted Nuts by Nutworks.”
Courtney said the demand for the Noosa Celebration boxes and Noosa Vacationer food and beverage range has been phenomenal from visitors and accommodation providers.
“We’re about to launch another five boxes into our food range to meet demand and we can’t wait to share our incredible food discoveries,” she said. “We will also be adding a build-your-own box option to our website soon.”
And if the gift of giving Noosa isn’t enough, a percentage of profits goes to CampForKids, a community initiative to help ensure every child in the region has the opportunity to attend school camp.
Courtney said this was a cause close to their hearts.
“We believe it is every child’s right of passage to attend school camp and it is an essential part of growing up. School camp creates memories which can never be replaced along with gaining independence and life skills.”
With Easter and Mother’s Day around the corner, it’s a no-brainer to give the gift that gives back to the community.
