TravConsult Founders and Directors Trevor Lee and Lily Choi-Lee have moved into the retail sector with a new Naturally Northern Rivers Australia (NNRA) venture.
Through their TravConsult consultancy agency, the husband and wife team has provided strategic and practical solutions for aviation, tourism and retail transformation – with a focus on the Asian market – for almost two decades. That support will continue, the Lees said, with the new NNRA concept complementing their TravConsult business.
The couple’s NNRA venture and its online store is the result of lifestyle changes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A cry from the hearts of Australians to support their local communities, local producers and local products resonated with our own core values, guiding our search for locally grown and lovingly crafted products borne of the lush soil of the largest volcano caldera in the Southern Hemisphere,” they said.
Naturally Northern Rivers Australia – with a “truly, provenance of good health; from farm to face, paddock” tagline – takes its name from Northern Rivers, the most north-easterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales. Incorporating three main river systems – Tweed, Richmond and Clarence – the area is a popular tourist destination but also known for its niche crops and hobby farmers.
The Lees pay tribute to the indigenous Bundjalung people, the region’s “traditional custodians” and detail the role the ancient volcano Wollumbin (‘cloud catcher’ in the Bundjalung language or Mt Warning as named by Captain Cook) played in providing the area’s deep valleys and lush, loamy soil. It is, they say, “the source of death and the source of life. How ironic in today’s environment”. |
The NNRA product line-up includes Avilla Farm Macadamia beauty products; Australian Manuka Honey; Barefoot Farm Pecan Pies with 24ct Gold Leaf Botanical Garnish; Mindful Foods Granola; Olive Gap Essential Farm Tea Tree Oil; Stoken Distillery hampers and Zentfeld’s Estate coffee.
The NNRA online store supports small regional communities and aims to educate readers about the Northern Rivers region.
NNRA teamed up with Brisbane Airport and its BNE Marketplace late last year and the Lees are hoping to extend that travel retail footprint even further.
Choi-Lee underlined NNRA’s focus on working with local producers who are “advocates of sustainable and ethical practices, and can demonstrate authentic provenance”.
“Our core values have been the beacon that has guided us from the beginning… and provenance was key,” she said.
“We have hand-selected products ranging from food to skincare, all Australian owned and grown and produced in the Northern Rivers, NSW. What we have here is so good, it is worth sharing.”
“From a retail perspective it is important to us that we take a collaborative approach in helping to put ethical and sustainable brands on centre stage” – Brisbane Airport Corporation Commercial Marketing Manager Annabel Bachmann
Commenting on the collaboration with NNRA, Brisbane Airport Corporation Commercial Marketing Manager Annabel Bachmann said environment and sustainability are “top of mind for the airport operationally, and in combination with changing consumer habits these values will shape the future of retail”.
“From a retail perspective it is important to us that we take a collaborative approach in helping to put ethical and sustainable brands on centre stage,” Bachmann added.
“We are delighted to be able to feature boutique businesses such as Naturally Northern Rivers Australia, who represent the best of sustainable and organic regional suppliers from among our Northern Rivers neighbours.”
“There is no doubt consumer habits are changing and this will only continue to increase more rapidly post-pandemic,” NNRA Co-founder Trevor Lee said.
He noted the importance of travel retail’s evolution during the pandemic. With consumers’ desire to touch, smell and taste significantly impacted during the pandemic, Lee believes customers will lean more toward alternative indicators to validate their product choices.
“Collaboration and innovation will be key for the travel retail sector in providing a stand-out experience in the current operational climate and beyond,” he said.
“We are striving to keep want-to-be travellers connected with the idea of travel by providing them with rich and unique insights into the real DNA of the Northern Rivers region, through unique stories of the land, its produce and its people.
“The Northern Rivers is made up of many small farmers, producers and artisans who love what they do and they’re doing it first because they love it and want to give back to the earth in a sustainable way; the actual business is secondary to them” – Lily Choi-Lee
“The Northern Rivers is quite a large area, almost 21,000sq km. We hope to make it easier for people to access a variety of specialist producers in one convenient online location. Hopefully, they will be tempted to visit here one day and feel the positive energy of this place,” Lee added.
The Lees noted a significant increase in consumers making purchasing decisions based on greater transparency around where ingredients come from and how they are made; a behaviour they believe will only increase further post-pandemic.
The couple support comments from The University of Queensland Professor Mike Gidley that provenance is essential to differentiate Australia from other countries, and to build on a reputation for ‘clean, green’ food production as a benchmark for marketing.
“The Northern Rivers is made up of many small farmers, producers and artisans who love what they do and they’re doing it first because they love it and want to give back to the earth in a sustainable way – the actual business is secondary to them,” said Choi-Lee.
The Lees believe that when international borders reopen travellers and consumers will be eager to get back to normal, albeit with a focus on health and safety.
“For many, this will mean seeking out better information about the products they use, where they come from, how they are made, and gaining greater insight into the lives of the people who make them – wherever they may be in the world,” they concluded.
