From milk to Merino, business entrepreneur Tim Deane has quite the profile in the ag world. Now, after many years in big business corporate roles, he has landed a niche position.
Growing up, Deane always wanted a career in the agricultural space. On leaving school at the end of the Sixth Form he spent five months working on a sheep farm at Loburn in North Canterbury before going to what was then Lincoln College and completing his wool-classing certificate.
With no immediate job available in the wool industry, he headed north to Auckland, where he worked for four months milking cows on his uncle’s dairy farm before returning to Lincoln to do an AgScience degree.
On his graduation in 1988 the industry was in the doldrums.
“Everyone said it was a sunset industry. I couldn’t get a job in wool, so I started as a dairy consulting officer, went on to work in genetic technology with Pioneer and did a short stint in tourism.”
This was followed by senior executive positions including roles as managing director of Goodman Fielder NZ; MD of Fonterra Brands NZ; director of global sales at Fonterra; general manager milk supply at Fonterra; and currently a director at Rabobank.
“Everything but the wool industry and that’s the hook in the story. Now, all these years, maybe 36, later I have landed in my own wool space.”
In February 2023 Deane purchased Norsewear, and now the Auckland-based business brain commutes down to Norsewood, spending one week a month focused on ensuring a future for New Zealand’s strong-wool and Merino growers.
He is quite a fan of winter as people buy more socks then. Those famous Farm Fleck socks had a milestone birthday this year.
“Yes, Norsewear has been making the finest woollen socks for outdoor people, right here in NZ for 60 years.”
The diamond jubilee celebration has brought the humble farm sock back to its basic beginnings. While now joined by high-tech thermal socks, dress socks and other fine Merino products, the Farm Fleck socks are still the most renowned of the Norsewear products.
“Norsewear has been on quite a journey in its 60 years, but I have brought the brand back, the same company name with the same people, same brand, same socks, same machines, and same location – back to its original.
“I spent time going through the history books from 1963, done a whole heap of work, refreshed the brand, changed the packaging to enviro-friendly and, most importantly, kept it local.”
The factory in Norsewood, a little town with a population of about 150 at the foot of the Ruahine ranges in Southern Hawke’s Bay, is a vital part of the local community.
Right from the start, the people of Norsewood, and its location, have shaped the approach to the design and manufacture of the Norsewear products.
“It’s such a cool story, a journey that really resonates.
“We now have better technology and machines than we did in the 60s, which means we can design and make better products, but our approach remains the same.
“We’re still committed to manufacturing in NZ using the finest Merino wool and other natural fibres.
“Compromising quality is still out of the question and at our heart we’re still a people company with success based on the commitment of our staff, many of whom have worked with us for their whole careers.”
Looking back to the early 1960s, Ola Rian, a Norwegian army captain, fell in love with NZ during an extended skiing holiday, before returning home and meeting his Kiwi wife Shirley, who was on her big OE in Norway.
Returning to NZ, Ola and Shirley started Norsewear as a side hustle in the front room of their Wellington home.
Starting with the manufacture of Scandinavian-style ski hats and socks made with NZ wool, the now iconic Farm Fleck sock was born and been in production ever since.
In 1971 Sir Edmund Hillary chose an over-the-calf version of Norsewear Farm Fleck socks to complete a grand traverse of Aoraki-Mt Cook.
In 1978 Norsewear became both a domestic and export leader based on the production of high-quality NZ woollen clothing, winning export awards and developing markets in Australia, the United States, Japan and Canada.
After 40 years of sock making, in 2003 Norsewear imported new machinery from Italy and sent Kiwi technicians offshore for specialist training and developed a completely new range of technical socks, including the world’s first possum-merino ski and hiking socks.
During the early 2000s much of NZ’s textile industry moved offshore as cheaper imports flooded the local market.
Norsewear stayed, remaining committed to Norsewood and NZ manufacturing.
In 2007, under increasing economic pressure, the company restructured.
Many thought Norsewear was over, underestimating the grit and resilience of the local Norsewood community.
With the support of some local investors, a group of incredibly determined Norsewear staff bought the stock and machines, rented the factory building and paid a royalty back to the new brand owner.
Working together, they refocused and Norsewear continued.
“Without these staff, some who are still with Norsewear today, and the support of the landlord and factory shop owner, Norsewear would not have survived.”
Sixty years after it began, the Norsewear business and brand were bought by Deane, who finally fulfilled his passion for wool while also making a commitment to local manufacturing in the unwavering belief that NZ can grow goodness and wealth for local rural communities by taking a brand to the world.
“At this stage the focus is on turning it around and onwards to the world.
“You could argue my timing is not right, but we are holding our own and the feedback is amazing.
“You could say I’m crazy, but I’m not delusional. I always wanted to run my own business with a value set that sits well in my own value set; you can’t always do that within the corporates.
“If you are adding value to NZ commodities and bringing it back to regional communities that’s a pretty big driver; it’s not just a fairy tale.
“We are working to get closer to our NZ growers; we are not going to change the wool industry because we are not big enough, but it provides a model.
“The big driver is we are building a brand based on high-quality NZ raw materials, taking that brand to the world and bringing the business returns back to NZ.
“The world is a big stage. There are huge export opportunities for niche product; you have got to understand the target market, value provenance and quality and those are the people you focus on.”
