little bird organics limited

By jeremy bennett

PledgeMe.Investment

Food,



NZ $2,000,000 pledged


650 people pledged


Closed


NZ $500,000 minimum target


Min

NZ$500,000

Max

NZ$2,000,000

100 100% Complete

This campaign hit its maximum target on 03/03/2018 at 3:52 AM and is now closed.

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About

little bird organics limited

Megan May at the Ponsonby Unbakery

little bird - big business!

In eight years we’ve built Little Bird Organics into an internationally loved brand. We’ve helped establish the rise of the modern healthy food movement in New Zealand, won acclaim for our Unbakery cafés, and learnt an incredible amount whilst keeping a firm grasp on our values.

Little Bird now operates 2 innovative, healthy, organic cafés in Auckland, an e-commerce website and a dedicated 600sqm manufacturing facility (and head office) where we currently produce over 20,000 units of delicious little bird product per month.

We employ 65 wonderfully loyal and clever staff and spend every day making the best quality organic, plant based food possible, food which also happens to be free from gluten, dairy and refined cane sugars.

 

timeline 

 

 

We're Ready...

This next step has been a long time coming. We have our new factory in place. We know our production capacity with current staffing levels, and what we will need as we grow.  We know which roles we need to fill, and have hired several already. 

But most importantly for us, we now have on board the amazing experience and mana of Melanie and Malcolm Rands, Founders of ecostore, and now cornerstone investors in Little Bird. The Rands are true pioneers in NZ business and a perfect fit with Little Bird.

 

malcolm and mel

 

We also have plans in place for great leadership at a Board of Directors level, once this raise closes Temuera Hall will formalise his role with us as Independent Chair, and bringing with him over 20 years experience in governance. 

Finally we have had the opportunity to bring on board Leonard Mead - a very experienced General Manager. 

Opportunities like these don’t come along often and we are very excited by the future direction for Little Bird.

New Zealand has experienced a boom in healthy food offerings in the last five years. We have witnessed this first hand - when Little Bird started, we were alone and the market was tiny. We put a lot of work into educating our customers and building the market. This gained us a ‘first to market’ advantage, and strong customer loyalty. Now the market has expanded and there are opportunities we don’t want to miss. Our brand is built on a reputation of health and quality. This reputation has seen frequent interest from suppliers and distributors in Australia, Asia and the UK. 

Growth requires capital. Little Bird lost its financing partner at the start of 2015 with ‘ethical lender’ Prometheus Finance withdrawing from the market in a voluntary receivership. (To make matters worse we were already committed to a new café in Britomart when word arrived of this.) 

Managing our growth with available cash has been tough throughout 2016-17. Despite this our manufacturing has still grown by 30% in the last 24 months. However this growth has put us behind with creditor payments - making further short term internal investment in growth difficult. 

We are primed and ready to take advantage of the surging health and wellness market, both locally and overseas. We need capital to begin the next phase of Little Bird -  significant growth in New Zealand and getting for export.

So let’s make this official. 
We’d love for you to be part of Little Bird. 

 

   

 

 

 

Invest in the future of food

We are offering up to 2,000,000 shares at $1 each which will equate to a total of 20% of the total shares in Little Bird Organics Limited.

We are offering a minimum of 500,000 shares (for the offer to go live) and up to a maximum of 2,000,000 shares.

The shares will be either Investor Shares (non-voting), or Ordinary Shares (with voting rights), depending on the level invested. For further detail see our offer document. All shares will be equally entitled to dividends and other distributions by the company. And, in addition to owning a slice of Little Bird, we have included some tasty rewards and benefits for each investor.

 

share table

 

Use of capital

Cafes (including Satellite Kitchen) - $850,000
Primarily related to opening a number of new Little Bird Cafes but also includes some allowance for improvements and renewal in existing cafes.  

 --

New Product Development - $170,000
Customer research, trials and testing, sourcing of the correct ingredients, innovative and sustainable packaging options.  

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Operational Support and Working Capital - $575,000
Immediate operational and infrastructure support will include resolving all outstanding creditor payments, allowing us to utilise better payment terms on offer. It will provide us the opportunity to commit to longer term planning with suppliers which will further reduce costs. We also have additional people requirements (like a Food Technologist),  further IT infrastructure and systems, and organic certification. 

 --

Plant and Machinery - $190,000
Investment in plant and machinery will go towards improving and automating more of our current processes and implementing leaner manufacture. There is provision for work required with potential co-packing partners. 

 --

E-Commerce Development - $65,000
Development of a new e-commerce website with greater functionality and more intuitive use.

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Capital Raise Costs - $150,000
PledgeMe platform fees, Legal and Accounting work, Promotional work.

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Total = $2,000,000

 

 

About our Team

 

Megan May 

Megan May, Founder
Our fearless and passionate leader. 
Megans spends much of her time on recipe development and liaising with kitchen and making teams.
She leads development of our new products (and the continuous development of our staff). She is the driver of our ethics and the compass for our sustainability practices.
She's our brand ambassador and our spokeswoman. Her conviction for who we are and why we do what we do has seen Little Bird continually grow in stature and reputation. 

 

Leonard Mead 

Leonard Mead, General Manager
Leonard joined us in September 2017 fresh from South Africa. He comes with amazing experience in FMCG both in retail roles and through food business management. (And, he’s just completed an MBA in business management!). We are really excited to have his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm. He sees people and improved systems, processes and planning as key to Little Birds future success alongside the maintenance of the outstanding passion and ethics inherent in the business and its brand.  

 

Jeremy Bennett 

Jeremy Bennett, Brand & Key Projects
Previous to coming to Little Bird full time Jeremy worked as an architect for 12 years. Jeremy has had a multifaceted role within the company to date, from fixing equipment to managing finances to creating branding. With Leonard joining us Jeremy’s focus will sharpen to managing key projects and initiatives, and he will continue to guide the company brand and aesthetic wherever it appears (print, online, packaging, built environments). He remains a registered architect and is the go-to guy for planning anything from show stands to cafe fit outs. 

 

Karla Granville 

Karla Granville, Cafe & Operations
Karla is a pure ball of positivity. She is also an experienced hospo operator, having run her own establishment, and worked for some of Auckland top cafes and restaurants. She helps train and develop our cafe staff and ensures our wonderful customers have a wonderful time. You will also see her out and about, managing our special events, trade shows and food shows. She always gets the job done, and always with a smile. 

 

 

 

 

Goodness Governance

 

Temuera Hall 

Temuera Hall, Future Independent Chair
Tena koutou e ngā kāwai whakapapa no ngā Iwi katoa. Temuera Hall is of Ngati Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa descent. Temuera has been involved in asset management and investment advice since 1994 and remains active in governance, financial services and investment consulting. Throughout his career Tem has developed a wealth of experience and knowledge in building businesses, finance, corporate compliance, instilling values and culture, developing relationships and driving strategy. Temuera has either lead or played a key role in numerous investment collaborations and partnerships. Other positions include; CEO Tuwharetoa Settlement Trust, Executive Director - Iwi Investor, Chairman – Opepe Farm Trust, Director – CNI Iwi Holdings Limited, Director Te Kakano Whakatipu Partnership. Previous directorships include 6 years with NZ Post and 7 years on Scion (NZ Forest Research). 

 

Melanie Rands

Melanie Rands, Future Director
Mel was responsible for the amazing ecostore branding and communications, a key part of the international success of Ecostore. Mel’s passion for ethics and our environment is evidenced by her current involvement as Deputy Chair of the Greenpeace NZ Board. She is also a member of the Pacific Advisory Group for the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Mel is also a multimedia artist and poet. Mel provides a very special brand of clarity, wisdom, practicality and insight to the Little Bird board.

 

Malcolm Rands

Malcolm Rands, Future Director
Malcolm was awarded a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business, conservation and philanthropy. He is a foundation member of the New Zealand Sustainable Business Network. Malcolm has been awarded the Green Ribbon Award from the NZ Ministry for the Environment, plus two environmental awards from the Auckland Regional Council and is part of World Class New Zealand International Network. Ecostore won two awards at the 2014 NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards in the Mega Efficiency Innovation category and Malcolm was joint winner of the Sustainability Champion award. In 2013 Malcolm released his book called ‘ecoman’ which tells the story of his personal and entrepreneurial life, the 20 years of ecostore’s remarkable development and his courage to take on the multinationals and create safer plant based products for people’s health that really work.

 

 

 

What we've done so far

Little Bird has achieved what many companies spend their whole existence trying to attain - a loved brand and a loyal tribe.

We are an industry leader, being first to market in the raw, plant based sector, and we have pushed that niche market to the mainstream. Megan is a recognised and respected personality in the food and wellness industry and media.
Our multi-award winning cafes provide a unique experience to our customers not found with competitive brands, as do our celebrated recipe books.

 

 

If you want a successful food business, flavour must be front and centre, above all else.
One of Little Bird’s key advantages is our fundamental understanding of taste profiles, the ingredients we use, what works together and what doesn’t. We have spent years educating and refining the taste buds of our team.

We are committed to sustainable activities, organics and the betterment of our community. This sounds lofty and a bit waffly, and we don’t see ourselves as social avengers - but the truth is almost every decision each of us makes has some sort of impact on the communities we inhabit. And when you run a business with 65 employees there is an opportunity to make a bigger difference, so why not take it?

Our social media reach has grown into a bit of a monster. We have 87,000 followers from all over the world on Instagram, and 34,600 on Facebook. Plus an electronic mailing list of 11,100. This means when we have something to say, we have great vehicles for getting the word out. 
Sometimes though we just post pictures of cake. 
People love cake.

Peoples eating habits are rapidly changing (see page 19 of our IM). There’s a ground swell towards plant based food, increasingly backed up by medical professionals (and environmental and ethical advocates). Little Bird has a reputation as a leader in this change. Our mission now is to take things further, to keep innovating and expanding our range to meet the surging market.

Little Bird currently has its products stocked in 248 stores throughout New Zealand, we service 9 more with fresh meals daily, we have a product range of 24 deliciously healthy packaged goods, with another 6 set for release early this year.
The demand to open more of our highly regarded cafes is very strong and we plan on opening at least 3 more within the next 3 years.

 

 

What's next?

We started Little Bird in 2010 not because we saw the coming trend towards healthy eating, but because we truly believed in what we were doing.

We have watched the world change around us and are proud to have been part of the exciting and really rewarding rise of healthy eating in New Zealand and around the world.

In the last ten years the value of the global health and wellness sector of the food industry has flourished and has accelerated even more quickly in the last five. It has now surpassed $1 trillion US dollars, and is showing no signs of slowing down. 

Locally we are seeing this growth reflected in the rise of healthy options at conventional cafes, and expanded health food aisles in our mainstream supermarkets. Sales of plant-based, vegetarian and vegan food products are showing significant year on year growth.
Allergy awareness and special diet choices also continues to grow and with it, the demand for suitable food options.

 

 

staples 

 

Wholesale Manufacturing

Our packaged products were created to be a nutrient dense, delicious compliment to a fresh plant based diet - to make it easier to consume a plant based diet that meets all your nutritional needs.

Growing our manufacturing division, (including ‘packaged fresh’, page 26), will be our primary focus for the next 12-18 months, (at which point we believe we will be ready to export).

The big investment in our factory is done and dusted - a food grade fit out with specialist areas (dehydrating room, sprouting zone). Our Food Control Plan has been registered with MPI. 

Currently our product range uses a very ‘handmade’ approach. Acquiring  appropriate, (less manual) manufacturing equipment and techniques will have a dramatic effect on production capacity and product cost. We know what we need and would like to get it installed as soon as possible.

 

Cafés

We get regular requests for cafes in new areas (and enquiries on partnership possibilities for new cafes). There is obvious potential here to grow the reach of the cafes both within Auckland and across the country.

Our cafés have done wonderful things for our brand awareness. We have found that the tandem business model of fresh food and packaged food works very well for us. Customers discover one via the other and a good experience at one of our cafés supports brand loyalty when seeing our products on store shelves. Our intention is to have at least 3 new offerings over the next 3 years. Being able to support the brand more directly in other areas will be a great thing

 

 

Packaged Fresh Offerings

Our first cafe was launched to provide a showcase of what could be done with plant based cuisine.

There has been a huge shift in awareness for food and healthy eating in the intervening five years. While the cafés remain a fantastic showcase for Little Bird, there is obviously a limit to how many customers we can serve each day. We see a great opportunity in providing packaged ready-made meals, both fresh and frozen. This has been reinforced through discussions with our retail partners who have all said their most significant gaps are in healthy snacking, (our next range coming), and frozen meals.

 

Ready To Eat

Our current fresh food satellite kitchen is set up at the factory. From here we supply meals and items to our cafes and online customers, and since the start of 2017 we have been sending packaged meals to our retail customers. 

Currently we supply daily fresh packaged meals to  Commonsense Mt Eden, several of the Huckleberry chain stores and most recently to a Pop Up cafe at Auckland International Airport.

We recognise the growing consumer desire towards ready made meal options and will be targeting strong growth in this area amongst both new customers and from with our existing retail partner groups. While it comes with obvious costs, supplying branded fridges into appropriate stores will be investigated longer term as a great way of ensuring brand experience remains more within our control.

 

Direct to Consumer

We see a big opportunity in supplying direct to consumer, as peoples buying habits change and delivery options expand. We have Uber Eats, LazyAz, Bring It (NZ Post’s newly launched fast delivery courier service), catering to food deliveries, The Warehouse is trialling 2 hour deliveries... Customer options for immediate service are expanding quickly, and we are excited by the potential this brings.

Currently we offer cleanse packs, juice boxes and meal packs online and we would love to grow this area, (the confirmed sales means wastage can be kept low).

We have also been discussing the potential of a Little Bird grocery staples box - providing nutrient dense pantry staples (things we already produce for the cafes) to support a plant-based diet (sprouted bread loaves, flat breads, nut cheeses, spreads, nut milks, activated nuts and seeds, basic ingredients...).

 

Risks and Challenges

SLOW NZ GROWTH: Slower than anticipated monthly spend at targeted outlets / Fewer outlets acquired

We already have our management and head office team in place in the preparation for our next stage of growth. We can hire additional people responsively to suit the achieved growth. We do not anticipate immediately needing to hire a big group of people to facilitate the next phase of our journey. (Meaning we will not be directly relying on fast NZ Growth to continue with our plans).  Our facility and team are already in place and can grow as required. 

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LOSS OF KEY STAFF

We are implementing more of a systems based approach to running the company. Making it easier for another team member to step into a vacant role. Megan would obviously be difficult to replace, but we have already experienced a reduced availability for Megan as she cared for her new daughter (Megan now back full time). We have increased our management team and advisory board to help reduce the workload on Megan and Jeremy (to reduce likelihood of burnout).

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RAPID NZ GROWTH: Bigger sales requiring more cashflow

We manage our debtor exposure closely. We have a good track record of on-time payments from the vast majority of our wholesale customers, meaning growth in sales should be able to be covered by normal business operation.

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PACKAGING SUPPLY: Delays in manufacturing/transit

We have already shifted our production partners to a local operator, (rather than direct from China), to reduce risk – though this does come at more cost. We have a supply arrangement managed several months in advance to ensure lead times for new stock are achievable.

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NEW TO EXPORT: Spoilt stock in transit, Incorrect labelling, Cost structures higher than planned, Inability to supply in time

We are under no illusions as to the potential difficulties in exporting. We will be making as much use as possible of export consultants and agencies like NZTE as we prepare for export. And working closely with our chosen overseas distributor/s to ensure we have everything in order before anything leaves our door.

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LOSS OF FACTORY: Natural disaster or fire

Little Bird carries business interruption insurance should the worst happen. Having set two Little Bird manufacturing kitchens up already, Jeremy has strong knowledge of what is required to get up and running quickly. We also have established relationships with equipment suppliers and can get replacement equipment more quickly – (our equipment research has already been done).

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FOREIGN EXCHANGE VOLATILITY: Higher prices for imported ingredients

We have already experienced this over the course of the last 3 years. Both wholesale and fresh food items are now more robustly costed and regularly reviewed. We have a specialist Costing Accountant review our wholesale range periodically.

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INGREDIENT SUPPLY: Price increases due to increased global demand / Price increase due to droughts / climate fluctuations

Again both things we have experienced previously. We maintain visibility of our margins and react when required. For ingredients whose extended outlook is poor we will reformulate recipes or replace products as necessary.

 

 

Note from PledgeMe

We have completed a Veda check on the company and their directors, as well as a google check. There were no adverse findings. 

Updates 3

You need to pledge to see this update.

The fun begins!

05/03/2018 at 10:32 AM

Dear Little Bird soon-to-be owners,

 

I have to admit, we are still walking around in a bit of a daze at the success of the campaign. $2million raised in just over a week was certainly not expected, and we are all honoured to have such a supportive group alongside us as we take our next steps.

 

We are busy now with our detailed plan of action, and setting our team in motion on different projects.

 

We will be processing all the rewards for each Package level as soon as we get a confirmed list of investors from PledgeMe. Please be patient with us - there are 659 of you to contact, thank, gather info from, and send rewards too. Someone in the office is going to be busy…!

 

On behalf of Megan, Malcolm, Melanie, myself and the whole Little Bird crew, we would like to say thank you, and welcome to the team. We really look forward to building our new team into a powerful advantage for Little Bird.

 


 

Verifying your identities & processing pledges

The PledgeMe team have started verifying your identities and addresses with the information you provided when you registered to invest. If they need anymore information, they will contact you through the PledgeMe platform (generating an email and profile notification).

If you need to wait until the original deadline for payment to be processed, please complete this form. PledgeMe will ensure you are not charged until after 29 March 2018.

 

If you’re good to go, PledgeMe will start processing pledge payments from Thursday this week. If you chose to complete a bank transfer, payment details will be sent through the system as soon as you’re verified. If you chose to have your card charged, it will be charged after Thursday.

 

Cheers,

Megan, Jeremy, Melanie, Malcolm and the whole Little Bird team

Wow! And, next steps from the PledgeMe Team

27/02/2018 at 4:09 PM

Dear Little Bird fans (and soon to be owners),

 

What an incredible time it has been for us! We are so grateful for the reception the campaign has received and the level of support and excitement that exists for Little Bird. This is such a game changer for us, and as founders, Megan and I couldn’t be happier to have such support directly in the company with us. Welcome aboard everyone!

 

More investment, more cafes!

There is still a good chunk of investment available. We could potentially squeeze 2 new cafes out of what remains, which is a great incentive to get that extra investment secured - please continue to spread the word if you can and help us get all the way to that $2 million goal.

 

Those Birthday Lunches

There have been a few questions about the birthday lunch offer. Just to clarify the rules:

Little Bird shareholders will be able to visit one of our cafes during the month of their birthday and celebrate with a meal and a drink on the house - the offer will be valid for one person, and for one visit per year only.

We will be sending out a card to each shareholder for redemption of the offer. Our intention was that this would start once the campaign has closed, but - for those shareholders that are having a birthday from our launch date onwards (from Feb 22 til the campaign closes) we are happy to welcome you for a birthday meal. Please get in touch with us directly on [email protected] to organise this as we will need to confirm your investment and details.

 

Verifying your identities & processing pledges

The PledgeMe team will start verifying your identities and addresses with the information you provided when you registered to invest. If they need any more information, they will contact you through the PledgeMe platform (generating an email and profile notification).

 

Once the maximum goal of $2million or the deadline of 29 March is met, and your identity has been verified, PledgeMe will start processing pledge payments. If you chose to complete a bank transfer, payment details will be sent through the PledgeMe system. If you chose to have your card charge, it will be charged.

 

If the maximum goal of $2million is met before our deadline, but you need to wait until after our original deadline for payment to be processed, please complete this form. PledgeMe will ensure you are not charged until after 29 March 2018.



Cheers,

 

Megan, Jeremy, and the whole Little Bird team

 

    Details

    Offer Details

    Current Valuation 8,000,000
    Raise Minimum 500,000
    Raise Maximum 2,000,000
    Share Price 1.00
    Minimum Pledge 500.00
    Maximum Shares Offered 2,000,000
    Explanation of valuation:

    The Valuation of Little Bird Organics Limited was undertaken by the company Directors with internal and external advice. We have considered how the targeted fund raise would affect the turnover and growth of the business and determined a long-term view for Little Bird.

    We have used a number of conventional models to determine business value (including discounted rates, revenue, EBITDA and NOPAT multiples). We feel that our current valuation is well-considered and reflects our understanding of and belief in the business.

    The most common benchmarking undertaken for company valuations in crowd funding scenarios is to use a revenue multiple in direct comparison to recent market transactions in the same or similar industries.

    Whilst we have used more detailed analysis to determine a valuation, we have cross-checked it against the revenue multiple method. Our valuation equates to a multiple of 1.82 times the current year’s revenue, which we believe represents a fair value for the company.

    The Comparative Market Transactions table on page 32 of our offer document illustrates recent market transactions both within New Zealand and internationally.

    Financial Summary

    Prev Year Current Year Est. FY 2025 Est. FY 2026
    Revenue NZ $4,653,000 NZ $4,397,000 NZ $7,544,000 NZ $13,850,000
    Operating Expenses NZ $1,122,000 NZ $1,149,000 NZ $1,340,000 NZ $2,368,000
    EBITDA -NZ $101,000 -NZ $15,000 NZ $924,000 NZ $1,926,000
    Net Profit -NZ $211,000 -NZ $98,000 NZ $758,000 NZ $1,300,000

    Company Details

    Company Name: Little Bird Organics Limited

    Company Number: 2436632

    Company Documents

    Documents no longer available to download, as this campaign has closed

    Director Details

    Name Role Profile URL Invested?
    Megan May Director https://littlebirdorganics.co.nz/blogs/our-story/40005633-megan-and-jeremy
    Jeremy Bennett Director https://littlebirdorganics.co.nz/blogs/our-story/40005633-megan-and-jeremy
    Melanie Rands Director http://www.ecostore.co.nz/our-story
    Malcolm Rands Director http://www.ecostore.co.nz/our-story
    Temuera Hall Independent Chair https://www.linkedin.com/in/temuera-hall-0b891464/

    Questions 29


    Can you please advise an update for shareholders? In the QA below you indicate a possibility of dividends for investors in three years ? Are you still on target for this?

    Posted on 29-08-2020 by Lisa Bell

    Hi - I have pledged and paid, but under a wrong email address (typo: gmal instead of gmail)! If you have already sent any relevant comms to shareholders such as shareholding confirmation / statement, could you please forward to me (my email address has now been corrected). Also, please update my email address for any future comms that you might be sending direct: [email protected]. Much appreciated and very excited to be part of the future of little bird organics.

    Posted on 23-04-2018 by Tanja

    Hello, any updates below?
    ———-
    Hey, my credit card hasn’t been charged yet. Is there a mistake or is it normal procedure. Ralf

    Posted on 25-03-2018 by Ralf Weihbrecht
    (delete)
    Thanks for the follow-up, Ralf. We'll get your card processed tomorrow

    - Anna from PledgeMe

    Answered on 26-03-2018 by jeremy bennett

    Posted on 03-04-2018 by Ralf Weihbrecht

    Hey, my credit card hasn’t been charged yet. Is there a mistake or is it normal procedure. Ralf

    Posted on 25-03-2018 by Ralf Weihbrecht

    Thanks for the follow-up, Ralf. We'll get your card processed tomorrow

    - Anna from PledgeMe

    Answered on 26-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hey guys, what a great response!
    1) You've indicated your cafes are doing over 50% of the current revenue for the company, but there are not separate financials for this. Can you provide this to shareholders? It would be important to understand the unit economics for this business - food and wage costs etc.

    2) Do you currently have an ESOP (employee share ownership plan)?

    Posted on 03-03-2018 by Michael

    Hi Michael, at this late stage we wont be releasing more detailed financial information for the campaign. More detailed info should be available to shareholders as part of the yearly AGM. We did investigate ESOPs earlier in Little Bird's life but the advice from our lawyers was not to go down that path. The legal admin costs and potential pitfalls are significant. We find other ways to reward our wonderful staff.

    Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi, we have already pledge via our limited company (investment company). it has 2 directors. if we make another pledge, can we register 2 people for birthday lunch? ie one each? or will the two pledges be combined into one total one?

    Posted on 02-03-2018 by Jo Fleury

    how do I view the financials for the little bird offer?

    Posted on 01-03-2018 by Tim meikle

    Hi Tim, you can view the financials within the full Information Memorandum doc, hit that black download button as part of the text on our home page blurb ('about' tab, below the video)

    Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi Jeremy - a follow-up to my previous question on buying shares as a gift; can my daughter be recognised as a pledger when I transfer the shares to her? That was my intention in buying them.

    Posted on 01-03-2018 by Carole

    Hi Carole - Yes, as you have let us know before campaign close, this is fine and we can recognise your daughter separately.

    Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi, just wondering how investors will be able to assess the value of their shares, particularly in the first 3-4 years. Will it be directly tied to the value of the company (in the same way you have determined the start value of the shares)? If so, how often will you be valuing the company? Cheers.

    Posted on 01-03-2018 by Steve Longhurst

    Hi Steve, as we are a private company there will obviously be no external market valuation for the shares. We wont be regularly undertaking a valuation process. As a rule of thumb you could apply the same revenue multiple we have indicated for this raise, which would show an appreciating value as the company revenue increases, but this should not be taken as a firm value. Our goal is to focus on significant growth, which will increase the value of all shares. If at any point in the first 3-4 years you wish to sell your shares, we will help you to match with any willing buyers, but the value will be determined between buyer and seller - (Little Bird wont dictate share value).

    Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi again, you’re probably getting sick of questions about the birthday lunches but just wondered for those of us thinking about buying more shares to transfer to our children, whether they will also receive the birthday lunch or is this a reward offered exclusively to initial pledgers? Thanks

    Posted on 01-03-2018 by Amy Scott

    Hi Amy, good question! We need to keep this manageable for the company (its already a bit more admin than we were anticipating...). I think we need to keep it to initial pledgers only, otherwise in a worst case scenario it could get abused through multiple share transfers. However, because you have declared your intentions prior to a second investment, I think we could accommodate this. Sound ok?

    Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi there a huge congratulations on current pledgers this is so exciting :) just a couple of questions in regards to shareholders shares in the future. If the company expends and does well will their be more shares sold and the current share holders shares devalue? Also do the share holders get progress updates on how the company is going with it not being on the stock market etc? Have just been reading the pledge me terms. Cheers R:)

    Posted on 01-03-2018 by Rachel

    Hi Rachel, thanks for the questions. If the company continues to grow as we would like past our three year projections it is likely we will need more investment at some point yes. Should this happen, whilst the percentage of total shares current shareholders would hold would decrease, we certainly anticipate the value of your shares to increase. Does that make sense? (Basically we would be seeking investment at a higher valuation than current.)
    With regards to updates, yes definitely, we will be sending out information on how things are going.
    Please get in touch direct and we can explain further if required.

    Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi Jeremy, just wondering about the recipe book that is mentioned for Package B, I already have the first book so is it possible to select which book I would like, or is it likely to just be a random distribution? Thanks, Amy

    Posted on 28-02-2018 by Amy Scott

    Hi Amy, absolutely no problem - we anticipated many of our new investors would have one or both books already. Once the campaign closes we will go out to everyone with what happens next on the rewards, and you will be able to let us know which book you would prefer. Thanks so much for investing.

    Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi there, and congratulations on the terrific response to this campaign. I have made a pledge, and would like to make a further pledge as a gift for my daughter. Is there a mechanism for doing this please?

    Posted on 28-02-2018 by Carole

    Hi Carole, thanks so much for joining us! I think this should be pretty easy - you will need to pledge in your name, and then transfer the shares to your daughter once everything is settled. I think Pledge Me has a share transfer template we can use.

    Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Congratulations on the capital raise so far. In doing due diligence on this investment I was concerned to discover that the intellectual property of the Little Bird and Unbakery trademarks is not actually owned by the company that we are being asked to invest in, it’s owned by a single director of the company, Jeremy Bennett. This can be confirmed by anyone doing an IPONZ search. This seems at the very least to be a breach of trust. The value of any business is in its intellectual property.
    Questions
    1) In the event that an acquisition offer is made for Little Bird/Unbakery trademarks (not the trading company) does the director intend to share any of the proceeds with the shareholders
    2. Is there a formal agreement in place between the trademark owner and the trading company?
    3. Are royalties paid from the trading company to the brand owner, if so is it percentage based and what percent?

    Posted on 28-02-2018 by Glen Fraser

    Hi Glen, thanks for the question! The IP/trademarks were registered when we were a much smaller company, and there was no real distinction between Megan and I and Little Bird. I set them up acting as the 'agent' for the company, and there they have sat since. It is certainly not our intention to be misleading anyone. We very much see these trademarks as being Little Bird property, and we will be transferring them into the business in the most appropriate way possible. There has been no benefit to myself personally in holding the registrations thus far, nor will there be prior to transferring them to the company (of course at nil cost). To do so we are just checking with the company lawyers on the best way to transfer.

    Answered on 28-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi there. Just reading the question below about the terms of resale and not sure what the implications of the answer are. If the value of these shares isn’t directly linked to the growth of the business, then does mean we have no guarantees that Little Birds growth will be reflected in the value of our investment?

    Posted on 28-02-2018 by Ahmad Salim

    Hi Ahmad, thanks for your question. While we of course do anticipate the growth of the company will equate to a growth in the value of your investment, what we are not able to do is dictate what anyone's shares are worth at any point in time. As we are not publicly listed, there is no external market determinant for our company value. So should any investor wish to sell their shares in the short to medium term it will come down to a price negotiated between buyer and seller. As we progress the company we do anticipate this value increasing from what investors are purchasing today, but as I say it will come down to what any buyers are wanting to pay.

    Answered on 28-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    For your financial estimates for FY18 and beyond, was an estimated amount for this capital raising included in the balance sheet numbers?

    Posted on 26-02-2018 by Brendan

    Hi Brendan, yes our numbers assumed the full raise of $2 million was achieved. We also assumed the maximum campaign time had elapsed, so assumed no funds would be received until April (start of FYE19).

    Answered on 27-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hey guys, after purchase of shares is there a minimum time required to hold onto shares if I wanted to re sell? If so what are the implications? How was the business evaluation done and would the same evaluation metrics count for re sell? Thanks!

    Posted on 26-02-2018 by Rochelle

    Hi Rochelle, I dont believe there are any restrictions, though the PledgeMe crew might be able to clarify if so. There would need to be a willing buyer, and the value of the shares would determined between yourselves. We can help to match with any interested buyers should they make themselves known to us. Hope that helps?

    Answered on 27-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    When will we receive details for the bank transfer? Many thanks

    Posted on 26-02-2018 by Joanna Pawluczuk

    Hi Joanna, we are about to release a project update which will cover this info, stay tuned!

    Answered on 27-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    I am in Dunedin. I don't believe I will travel up north for my birthday lunch. Obviously, I won't be the only out-of-town shareholder. What could possibly be done for us?

    Posted on 25-02-2018 by F C Lam

    Thanks for looking at joining the flock. For the birthday lunch, Megan’s intention was to add this as a bonus in case you happened to be near the café for your birthday so we could give you that fresh food experience that little bird is known for and say thanks for being a part of little bird. The real investment is those shares! (That we are going to work hard at making into a great financial investment.) There are also online discounts that can be enjoyed by everyone no matter where they are.

    For the birthday lunch you will be able to come in once during the month of your birthday to celebrate with a delicious plant based meal and drink.

    Answered on 26-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    What are the terms and conditions for the shareholder birthday lunch? My birthday is in 2 weeks - am I able to use the bday lunch offer then or will I have to wait until next year?

    Posted on 24-02-2018 by n sen

    We have set the rules as "Little Bird shareholders will be able to visit one of our cafes during the month of their birthday and celebrate with a meal and a drink on the house - the offer will be valid for one person, and for one visit per year only" We will be sending out a card to each shareholder for redemption of the offer. Our intention was that this would start once the campaign has closed, but - for those shareholders that are having a birthday from our launch date onwards (from Feb 22 til the campaign closes) we are happy to welcome you for a birthday meal. Please get in touch with us directly to organise this as we will need to confirm your investment and details.

    Answered on 26-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi. Am I able to purchase shares for my child in her name if she is under 18?

    Posted on 24-02-2018 by Vanessa Lynch

    Hi Vanessa, thanks for your email. Anyone investing through PledgeMe needs to be over 18, so you'll need to initial invest as yourself initially. But minors are allowed to hold shares, so when the campaign closes and you are officially added to the share register, you'll be able to transfer the ownership to your child by filling out a share transfer form. We can help you through this process at the time.

    Answered on 26-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Not an urgent query, I have looked at the names of pledgers around the time I pledged $2500, I do not see my name, I did check well before and after I pledged 7.45pm on 22/2/18
    Thanks Trixina Smith

    Posted on 24-02-2018 by Trixina Smith

    Hi Trixina - we also have limited ability to check this - might be a better one for the PledgeMe crew to check for you.
    Id send them a note directly.

    Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hi guys, congratulations on your success so far. I’ve been a long time supporter since working at Huckleberry for 2 years. I have 2 questions for you: Firstly, I have selected package A and it says that it needs our address as something will be delivered. What would that be and what is the timeframe for delivery? And secondly, with the free birthday lunch, is it possible to take advantage of this maybe a month or so before or after my birthday? I live in Christchurch but come up to Auckland and visit your cafes, just not usually on my birthday.
    Thanks heaps

    Posted on 24-02-2018 by Ethan Laby

    Hi Ethan, That was a 'in case we need it' request - we are still working through the best way to manage the birthday lunch offer. (we may end up sending a card out for use.) I will need to speak with the team on how much leeway we can provide on the redemption of the offer.

    Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    hi I would also like to upgrade to package B what us the best way to do this as I am currently package A

    Posted on 24-02-2018 by Peter Meister

    Hi Peter, so long as your combined investments add up to $2500+ you will be considered a Package B level investor. (just make sure all investments are in the same name.)

    Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    If all goes to plan, how far down the track do you see the company starting to pay out dividends to shareholders?

    Posted on 23-02-2018 by Symone Wishnowsky

    Hi Symone, this is a difficult one to answer with surety.Our goal is to grow the company significantly and obviously this requires capital. (Such growth will also grow the value of your investment obviously.) We have said that at least for the next three years we will be investing in growth rather than paying out dividends. At the end of the three years we will review this on a yearly basis. It is hard to know where exactly we will sit in export markets at that point (which will be a big driver for how much capital the company might require).

    Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Firslty well done on the success to date with the raise. Can you indicate what % of revenues is from the cafe verses sale of manufactured goods to third parties?

    Posted on 23-02-2018 by Ralph Shale

    Hi Ralph, sure - looking at the last 6 months revenue the split is 39% manufacturing/wholesale and 61% Cafes. We expect this to level out at around 50-50 over the next few years as we grow both manufacturing (and cafes). The only proviso being should our export initiatives exceed expectations it will likely see manufacturing bring in a greater share of revenue.

    Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    The Rands joined the share register in last year and Karla and Paul joined more recently. At what valuation did they invest at.

    Posted on 23-02-2018 by First Heritage Ltd

    Thanks for your question. The bulk of the Rands shareholding came from them buying out two previous shareholders. This transaction price was agreed between the parties.
    The Rands also provided finance to the company, some of which was agreed as a convertible note, which has now been converted.
    The company directors saw a huge benefit in bringing the Rands experience, governance, relationships, reputation, and advice into the company. Their involvement so far, and their help in bringing Temuera and Leonard on board has greatly supported our growth plans.
    Our employee Karla (with partner Dom) also provided finance to the company as a convertible note at the same time as the Rands, which has also now been converted.

    Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hello Little Birds.

    Lovely evening tonight, thank you.

    I have just pledged another $1500 on top of my initial $1000 to bring me into the Package B category. At the moment it is just showing as 2 Package A's. Is this just a platform glitch? Thought I would just check with you.

    Well done too for hitting the $500,000 mark in under 1 1/2 hours!! Congratulations.

    Posted on 22-02-2018 by Shae Kinney

    Hi Shae, thanks so much for getting involved, twice!
    No problem, we'll ensure you're in Package B.

    Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


    Hey! I've joined the pledge, just wondering if you guys have plans to open a Café in Christchurch anytime soon?

    Posted on 22-02-2018 by Oliver Jenks

    Hi Oliver, Congrats - welcome to the team! We have not yet determined any definite locations for new cafes, there is quite a bit of feasibility work required to be sure of any site and location, which of course comes at a cost, so we thought it best to wait for the results of the raise (and undertsand how many cafes we might be able to fund) and then get into it!

    Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett

    Pledgers 650

    Alison
    03/03/2018 at 1:01am
    Rowena
    02/03/2018 at 11:24pm
    Amy Scott
    02/03/2018 at 10:48pm
    Matt G
    02/03/2018 at 10:39pm
    Aiza Fernando-Cristobal
    02/03/2018 at 10:35pm
    Anna Leslie
    02/03/2018 at 9:45pm
    Lisa Cheney
    02/03/2018 at 9:29pm
    Anna Battershill
    02/03/2018 at 9:04pm
    Mattias Nilsson
    02/03/2018 at 8:28pm
    Terumi Isogai
    02/03/2018 at 8:23pm
    jayeandmargot
    02/03/2018 at 8:21pm
    Tanya Gurtin
    02/03/2018 at 8:09pm
    AG Grandt
    02/03/2018 at 7:58pm
    Amy
    02/03/2018 at 7:37pm
    Patsy Bass
    02/03/2018 at 7:29pm
    kris vermeir
    02/03/2018 at 6:19pm
    Julie Duffy
    02/03/2018 at 5:49pm
    Paul Duffy
    02/03/2018 at 5:47pm
    Zeus Ltd
    02/03/2018 at 5:47pm
    A & J SMART
    02/03/2018 at 5:45pm
    David Savage
    02/03/2018 at 5:31pm
    Lin
    02/03/2018 at 5:25pm
    Simon Carter
    02/03/2018 at 5:21pm
    Debra Fallowfield
    02/03/2018 at 5:14pm

    "Go little bird!!!"

    Averil Oliveira
    02/03/2018 at 5:14pm
    Shane Caley
    02/03/2018 at 4:59pm
    Janine Gray
    02/03/2018 at 4:51pm
    Simon Werner
    02/03/2018 at 4:32pm
    Averil Oliveira
    02/03/2018 at 4:31pm

    "Looking forward to seeing you go from strength to strength with this venture!"

    Katie Kempthorne
    02/03/2018 at 4:16pm

    "Viva!"

    little bird organics limited

    Megan May at the Ponsonby Unbakery

    little bird - big business!

    In eight years we’ve built Little Bird Organics into an internationally loved brand. We’ve helped establish the rise of the modern healthy food movement in New Zealand, won acclaim for our Unbakery cafés, and learnt an incredible amount whilst keeping a firm grasp on our values.

    Little Bird now operates 2 innovative, healthy, organic cafés in Auckland, an e-commerce website and a dedicated 600sqm manufacturing facility (and head office) where we currently produce over 20,000 units of delicious little bird product per month.

    We employ 65 wonderfully loyal and clever staff and spend every day making the best quality organic, plant based food possible, food which also happens to be free from gluten, dairy and refined cane sugars.

     

    timeline 

     

     

    We're Ready...

    This next step has been a long time coming. We have our new factory in place. We know our production capacity with current staffing levels, and what we will need as we grow.  We know which roles we need to fill, and have hired several already. 

    But most importantly for us, we now have on board the amazing experience and mana of Melanie and Malcolm Rands, Founders of ecostore, and now cornerstone investors in Little Bird. The Rands are true pioneers in NZ business and a perfect fit with Little Bird.

     

    malcolm and mel

     

    We also have plans in place for great leadership at a Board of Directors level, once this raise closes Temuera Hall will formalise his role with us as Independent Chair, and bringing with him over 20 years experience in governance. 

    Finally we have had the opportunity to bring on board Leonard Mead - a very experienced General Manager. 

    Opportunities like these don’t come along often and we are very excited by the future direction for Little Bird.

    New Zealand has experienced a boom in healthy food offerings in the last five years. We have witnessed this first hand - when Little Bird started, we were alone and the market was tiny. We put a lot of work into educating our customers and building the market. This gained us a ‘first to market’ advantage, and strong customer loyalty. Now the market has expanded and there are opportunities we don’t want to miss. Our brand is built on a reputation of health and quality. This reputation has seen frequent interest from suppliers and distributors in Australia, Asia and the UK. 

    Growth requires capital. Little Bird lost its financing partner at the start of 2015 with ‘ethical lender’ Prometheus Finance withdrawing from the market in a voluntary receivership. (To make matters worse we were already committed to a new café in Britomart when word arrived of this.) 

    Managing our growth with available cash has been tough throughout 2016-17. Despite this our manufacturing has still grown by 30% in the last 24 months. However this growth has put us behind with creditor payments - making further short term internal investment in growth difficult. 

    We are primed and ready to take advantage of the surging health and wellness market, both locally and overseas. We need capital to begin the next phase of Little Bird -  significant growth in New Zealand and getting for export.

    So let’s make this official. 
    We’d love for you to be part of Little Bird. 

     

       

     

     

     

    Invest in the future of food

    We are offering up to 2,000,000 shares at $1 each which will equate to a total of 20% of the total shares in Little Bird Organics Limited.

    We are offering a minimum of 500,000 shares (for the offer to go live) and up to a maximum of 2,000,000 shares.

    The shares will be either Investor Shares (non-voting), or Ordinary Shares (with voting rights), depending on the level invested. For further detail see our offer document. All shares will be equally entitled to dividends and other distributions by the company. And, in addition to owning a slice of Little Bird, we have included some tasty rewards and benefits for each investor.

     

    share table

     

    Use of capital

    Cafes (including Satellite Kitchen) - $850,000
    Primarily related to opening a number of new Little Bird Cafes but also includes some allowance for improvements and renewal in existing cafes.  

     --

    New Product Development - $170,000
    Customer research, trials and testing, sourcing of the correct ingredients, innovative and sustainable packaging options.  

    -- 

    Operational Support and Working Capital - $575,000
    Immediate operational and infrastructure support will include resolving all outstanding creditor payments, allowing us to utilise better payment terms on offer. It will provide us the opportunity to commit to longer term planning with suppliers which will further reduce costs. We also have additional people requirements (like a Food Technologist),  further IT infrastructure and systems, and organic certification. 

     --

    Plant and Machinery - $190,000
    Investment in plant and machinery will go towards improving and automating more of our current processes and implementing leaner manufacture. There is provision for work required with potential co-packing partners. 

     --

    E-Commerce Development - $65,000
    Development of a new e-commerce website with greater functionality and more intuitive use.

     --

    Capital Raise Costs - $150,000
    PledgeMe platform fees, Legal and Accounting work, Promotional work.

     --

    Total = $2,000,000

     

     

    About our Team

     

    Megan May 

    Megan May, Founder
    Our fearless and passionate leader. 
    Megans spends much of her time on recipe development and liaising with kitchen and making teams.
    She leads development of our new products (and the continuous development of our staff). She is the driver of our ethics and the compass for our sustainability practices.
    She's our brand ambassador and our spokeswoman. Her conviction for who we are and why we do what we do has seen Little Bird continually grow in stature and reputation. 

     

    Leonard Mead 

    Leonard Mead, General Manager
    Leonard joined us in September 2017 fresh from South Africa. He comes with amazing experience in FMCG both in retail roles and through food business management. (And, he’s just completed an MBA in business management!). We are really excited to have his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm. He sees people and improved systems, processes and planning as key to Little Birds future success alongside the maintenance of the outstanding passion and ethics inherent in the business and its brand.  

     

    Jeremy Bennett 

    Jeremy Bennett, Brand & Key Projects
    Previous to coming to Little Bird full time Jeremy worked as an architect for 12 years. Jeremy has had a multifaceted role within the company to date, from fixing equipment to managing finances to creating branding. With Leonard joining us Jeremy’s focus will sharpen to managing key projects and initiatives, and he will continue to guide the company brand and aesthetic wherever it appears (print, online, packaging, built environments). He remains a registered architect and is the go-to guy for planning anything from show stands to cafe fit outs. 

     

    Karla Granville 

    Karla Granville, Cafe & Operations
    Karla is a pure ball of positivity. She is also an experienced hospo operator, having run her own establishment, and worked for some of Auckland top cafes and restaurants. She helps train and develop our cafe staff and ensures our wonderful customers have a wonderful time. You will also see her out and about, managing our special events, trade shows and food shows. She always gets the job done, and always with a smile. 

     

     

     

     

    Goodness Governance

     

    Temuera Hall 

    Temuera Hall, Future Independent Chair
    Tena koutou e ngā kāwai whakapapa no ngā Iwi katoa. Temuera Hall is of Ngati Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa descent. Temuera has been involved in asset management and investment advice since 1994 and remains active in governance, financial services and investment consulting. Throughout his career Tem has developed a wealth of experience and knowledge in building businesses, finance, corporate compliance, instilling values and culture, developing relationships and driving strategy. Temuera has either lead or played a key role in numerous investment collaborations and partnerships. Other positions include; CEO Tuwharetoa Settlement Trust, Executive Director - Iwi Investor, Chairman – Opepe Farm Trust, Director – CNI Iwi Holdings Limited, Director Te Kakano Whakatipu Partnership. Previous directorships include 6 years with NZ Post and 7 years on Scion (NZ Forest Research). 

     

    Melanie Rands

    Melanie Rands, Future Director
    Mel was responsible for the amazing ecostore branding and communications, a key part of the international success of Ecostore. Mel’s passion for ethics and our environment is evidenced by her current involvement as Deputy Chair of the Greenpeace NZ Board. She is also a member of the Pacific Advisory Group for the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Mel is also a multimedia artist and poet. Mel provides a very special brand of clarity, wisdom, practicality and insight to the Little Bird board.

     

    Malcolm Rands

    Malcolm Rands, Future Director
    Malcolm was awarded a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business, conservation and philanthropy. He is a foundation member of the New Zealand Sustainable Business Network. Malcolm has been awarded the Green Ribbon Award from the NZ Ministry for the Environment, plus two environmental awards from the Auckland Regional Council and is part of World Class New Zealand International Network. Ecostore won two awards at the 2014 NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards in the Mega Efficiency Innovation category and Malcolm was joint winner of the Sustainability Champion award. In 2013 Malcolm released his book called ‘ecoman’ which tells the story of his personal and entrepreneurial life, the 20 years of ecostore’s remarkable development and his courage to take on the multinationals and create safer plant based products for people’s health that really work.

     

     

     

    What we've done so far

    Little Bird has achieved what many companies spend their whole existence trying to attain - a loved brand and a loyal tribe.

    We are an industry leader, being first to market in the raw, plant based sector, and we have pushed that niche market to the mainstream. Megan is a recognised and respected personality in the food and wellness industry and media.
    Our multi-award winning cafes provide a unique experience to our customers not found with competitive brands, as do our celebrated recipe books.

     

     

    If you want a successful food business, flavour must be front and centre, above all else.
    One of Little Bird’s key advantages is our fundamental understanding of taste profiles, the ingredients we use, what works together and what doesn’t. We have spent years educating and refining the taste buds of our team.

    We are committed to sustainable activities, organics and the betterment of our community. This sounds lofty and a bit waffly, and we don’t see ourselves as social avengers - but the truth is almost every decision each of us makes has some sort of impact on the communities we inhabit. And when you run a business with 65 employees there is an opportunity to make a bigger difference, so why not take it?

    Our social media reach has grown into a bit of a monster. We have 87,000 followers from all over the world on Instagram, and 34,600 on Facebook. Plus an electronic mailing list of 11,100. This means when we have something to say, we have great vehicles for getting the word out. 
    Sometimes though we just post pictures of cake. 
    People love cake.

    Peoples eating habits are rapidly changing (see page 19 of our IM). There’s a ground swell towards plant based food, increasingly backed up by medical professionals (and environmental and ethical advocates). Little Bird has a reputation as a leader in this change. Our mission now is to take things further, to keep innovating and expanding our range to meet the surging market.

    Little Bird currently has its products stocked in 248 stores throughout New Zealand, we service 9 more with fresh meals daily, we have a product range of 24 deliciously healthy packaged goods, with another 6 set for release early this year.
    The demand to open more of our highly regarded cafes is very strong and we plan on opening at least 3 more within the next 3 years.

     

     

    What's next?

    We started Little Bird in 2010 not because we saw the coming trend towards healthy eating, but because we truly believed in what we were doing.

    We have watched the world change around us and are proud to have been part of the exciting and really rewarding rise of healthy eating in New Zealand and around the world.

    In the last ten years the value of the global health and wellness sector of the food industry has flourished and has accelerated even more quickly in the last five. It has now surpassed $1 trillion US dollars, and is showing no signs of slowing down. 

    Locally we are seeing this growth reflected in the rise of healthy options at conventional cafes, and expanded health food aisles in our mainstream supermarkets. Sales of plant-based, vegetarian and vegan food products are showing significant year on year growth.
    Allergy awareness and special diet choices also continues to grow and with it, the demand for suitable food options.

     

     

    staples 

     

    Wholesale Manufacturing

    Our packaged products were created to be a nutrient dense, delicious compliment to a fresh plant based diet - to make it easier to consume a plant based diet that meets all your nutritional needs.

    Growing our manufacturing division, (including ‘packaged fresh’, page 26), will be our primary focus for the next 12-18 months, (at which point we believe we will be ready to export).

    The big investment in our factory is done and dusted - a food grade fit out with specialist areas (dehydrating room, sprouting zone). Our Food Control Plan has been registered with MPI. 

    Currently our product range uses a very ‘handmade’ approach. Acquiring  appropriate, (less manual) manufacturing equipment and techniques will have a dramatic effect on production capacity and product cost. We know what we need and would like to get it installed as soon as possible.

     

    Cafés

    We get regular requests for cafes in new areas (and enquiries on partnership possibilities for new cafes). There is obvious potential here to grow the reach of the cafes both within Auckland and across the country.

    Our cafés have done wonderful things for our brand awareness. We have found that the tandem business model of fresh food and packaged food works very well for us. Customers discover one via the other and a good experience at one of our cafés supports brand loyalty when seeing our products on store shelves. Our intention is to have at least 3 new offerings over the next 3 years. Being able to support the brand more directly in other areas will be a great thing

     

     

    Packaged Fresh Offerings

    Our first cafe was launched to provide a showcase of what could be done with plant based cuisine.

    There has been a huge shift in awareness for food and healthy eating in the intervening five years. While the cafés remain a fantastic showcase for Little Bird, there is obviously a limit to how many customers we can serve each day. We see a great opportunity in providing packaged ready-made meals, both fresh and frozen. This has been reinforced through discussions with our retail partners who have all said their most significant gaps are in healthy snacking, (our next range coming), and frozen meals.

     

    Ready To Eat

    Our current fresh food satellite kitchen is set up at the factory. From here we supply meals and items to our cafes and online customers, and since the start of 2017 we have been sending packaged meals to our retail customers. 

    Currently we supply daily fresh packaged meals to  Commonsense Mt Eden, several of the Huckleberry chain stores and most recently to a Pop Up cafe at Auckland International Airport.

    We recognise the growing consumer desire towards ready made meal options and will be targeting strong growth in this area amongst both new customers and from with our existing retail partner groups. While it comes with obvious costs, supplying branded fridges into appropriate stores will be investigated longer term as a great way of ensuring brand experience remains more within our control.

     

    Direct to Consumer

    We see a big opportunity in supplying direct to consumer, as peoples buying habits change and delivery options expand. We have Uber Eats, LazyAz, Bring It (NZ Post’s newly launched fast delivery courier service), catering to food deliveries, The Warehouse is trialling 2 hour deliveries... Customer options for immediate service are expanding quickly, and we are excited by the potential this brings.

    Currently we offer cleanse packs, juice boxes and meal packs online and we would love to grow this area, (the confirmed sales means wastage can be kept low).

    We have also been discussing the potential of a Little Bird grocery staples box - providing nutrient dense pantry staples (things we already produce for the cafes) to support a plant-based diet (sprouted bread loaves, flat breads, nut cheeses, spreads, nut milks, activated nuts and seeds, basic ingredients...).

     

    Risks and Challenges

    SLOW NZ GROWTH: Slower than anticipated monthly spend at targeted outlets / Fewer outlets acquired

    We already have our management and head office team in place in the preparation for our next stage of growth. We can hire additional people responsively to suit the achieved growth. We do not anticipate immediately needing to hire a big group of people to facilitate the next phase of our journey. (Meaning we will not be directly relying on fast NZ Growth to continue with our plans).  Our facility and team are already in place and can grow as required. 

    --

    LOSS OF KEY STAFF

    We are implementing more of a systems based approach to running the company. Making it easier for another team member to step into a vacant role. Megan would obviously be difficult to replace, but we have already experienced a reduced availability for Megan as she cared for her new daughter (Megan now back full time). We have increased our management team and advisory board to help reduce the workload on Megan and Jeremy (to reduce likelihood of burnout).

    --  

    RAPID NZ GROWTH: Bigger sales requiring more cashflow

    We manage our debtor exposure closely. We have a good track record of on-time payments from the vast majority of our wholesale customers, meaning growth in sales should be able to be covered by normal business operation.

    --

    PACKAGING SUPPLY: Delays in manufacturing/transit

    We have already shifted our production partners to a local operator, (rather than direct from China), to reduce risk – though this does come at more cost. We have a supply arrangement managed several months in advance to ensure lead times for new stock are achievable.

    -- 

    NEW TO EXPORT: Spoilt stock in transit, Incorrect labelling, Cost structures higher than planned, Inability to supply in time

    We are under no illusions as to the potential difficulties in exporting. We will be making as much use as possible of export consultants and agencies like NZTE as we prepare for export. And working closely with our chosen overseas distributor/s to ensure we have everything in order before anything leaves our door.

    -- 

    LOSS OF FACTORY: Natural disaster or fire

    Little Bird carries business interruption insurance should the worst happen. Having set two Little Bird manufacturing kitchens up already, Jeremy has strong knowledge of what is required to get up and running quickly. We also have established relationships with equipment suppliers and can get replacement equipment more quickly – (our equipment research has already been done).

    --

    FOREIGN EXCHANGE VOLATILITY: Higher prices for imported ingredients

    We have already experienced this over the course of the last 3 years. Both wholesale and fresh food items are now more robustly costed and regularly reviewed. We have a specialist Costing Accountant review our wholesale range periodically.

     -- 

    INGREDIENT SUPPLY: Price increases due to increased global demand / Price increase due to droughts / climate fluctuations

    Again both things we have experienced previously. We maintain visibility of our margins and react when required. For ingredients whose extended outlook is poor we will reformulate recipes or replace products as necessary.

     

     

    Note from PledgeMe

    We have completed a Veda check on the company and their directors, as well as a google check. There were no adverse findings. 

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    The fun begins!

    05/03/2018 at 10:32 AM

    Dear Little Bird soon-to-be owners,

     

    I have to admit, we are still walking around in a bit of a daze at the success of the campaign. $2million raised in just over a week was certainly not expected, and we are all honoured to have such a supportive group alongside us as we take our next steps.

     

    We are busy now with our detailed plan of action, and setting our team in motion on different projects.

     

    We will be processing all the rewards for each Package level as soon as we get a confirmed list of investors from PledgeMe. Please be patient with us - there are 659 of you to contact, thank, gather info from, and send rewards too. Someone in the office is going to be busy…!

     

    On behalf of Megan, Malcolm, Melanie, myself and the whole Little Bird crew, we would like to say thank you, and welcome to the team. We really look forward to building our new team into a powerful advantage for Little Bird.

     


     

    Verifying your identities & processing pledges

    The PledgeMe team have started verifying your identities and addresses with the information you provided when you registered to invest. If they need anymore information, they will contact you through the PledgeMe platform (generating an email and profile notification).

    If you need to wait until the original deadline for payment to be processed, please complete this form. PledgeMe will ensure you are not charged until after 29 March 2018.

     

    If you’re good to go, PledgeMe will start processing pledge payments from Thursday this week. If you chose to complete a bank transfer, payment details will be sent through the system as soon as you’re verified. If you chose to have your card charged, it will be charged after Thursday.

     

    Cheers,

    Megan, Jeremy, Melanie, Malcolm and the whole Little Bird team

    Wow! And, next steps from the PledgeMe Team

    27/02/2018 at 4:09 PM

    Dear Little Bird fans (and soon to be owners),

     

    What an incredible time it has been for us! We are so grateful for the reception the campaign has received and the level of support and excitement that exists for Little Bird. This is such a game changer for us, and as founders, Megan and I couldn’t be happier to have such support directly in the company with us. Welcome aboard everyone!

     

    More investment, more cafes!

    There is still a good chunk of investment available. We could potentially squeeze 2 new cafes out of what remains, which is a great incentive to get that extra investment secured - please continue to spread the word if you can and help us get all the way to that $2 million goal.

     

    Those Birthday Lunches

    There have been a few questions about the birthday lunch offer. Just to clarify the rules:

    Little Bird shareholders will be able to visit one of our cafes during the month of their birthday and celebrate with a meal and a drink on the house - the offer will be valid for one person, and for one visit per year only.

    We will be sending out a card to each shareholder for redemption of the offer. Our intention was that this would start once the campaign has closed, but - for those shareholders that are having a birthday from our launch date onwards (from Feb 22 til the campaign closes) we are happy to welcome you for a birthday meal. Please get in touch with us directly on [email protected] to organise this as we will need to confirm your investment and details.

     

    Verifying your identities & processing pledges

    The PledgeMe team will start verifying your identities and addresses with the information you provided when you registered to invest. If they need any more information, they will contact you through the PledgeMe platform (generating an email and profile notification).

     

    Once the maximum goal of $2million or the deadline of 29 March is met, and your identity has been verified, PledgeMe will start processing pledge payments. If you chose to complete a bank transfer, payment details will be sent through the PledgeMe system. If you chose to have your card charge, it will be charged.

     

    If the maximum goal of $2million is met before our deadline, but you need to wait until after our original deadline for payment to be processed, please complete this form. PledgeMe will ensure you are not charged until after 29 March 2018.



    Cheers,

     

    Megan, Jeremy, and the whole Little Bird team

     

      Offer Details

      Current Valuation 8,000,000
      Raise Minimum 500,000
      Raise Maximum 2,000,000
      Share Price 1.00
      Minimum Pledge 500.00
      Maximum Shares Offered 2,000,000
      Explanation of valuation:

      The Valuation of Little Bird Organics Limited was undertaken by the company Directors with internal and external advice. We have considered how the targeted fund raise would affect the turnover and growth of the business and determined a long-term view for Little Bird.

      We have used a number of conventional models to determine business value (including discounted rates, revenue, EBITDA and NOPAT multiples). We feel that our current valuation is well-considered and reflects our understanding of and belief in the business.

      The most common benchmarking undertaken for company valuations in crowd funding scenarios is to use a revenue multiple in direct comparison to recent market transactions in the same or similar industries.

      Whilst we have used more detailed analysis to determine a valuation, we have cross-checked it against the revenue multiple method. Our valuation equates to a multiple of 1.82 times the current year’s revenue, which we believe represents a fair value for the company.

      The Comparative Market Transactions table on page 32 of our offer document illustrates recent market transactions both within New Zealand and internationally.

      Financial Summary

      Prev Year Current Year Est. FY 2025 Est. FY 2026
      Revenue NZ $4,653,000 NZ $4,397,000 NZ $7,544,000 NZ $13,850,000
      Operating Expenses NZ $1,122,000 NZ $1,149,000 NZ $1,340,000 NZ $2,368,000
      EBITDA -NZ $101,000 -NZ $15,000 NZ $924,000 NZ $1,926,000
      Net Profit -NZ $211,000 -NZ $98,000 NZ $758,000 NZ $1,300,000

      Company Details

      Company Name: Little Bird Organics Limited

      Company Number: 2436632

      Company Documents

      Documents no longer available to download, as this campaign has closed

      Director Details

      Name Role Profile URL Invested?
      Megan May Director https://littlebirdorganics.co.nz/blogs/our-story/40005633-megan-and-jeremy
      Jeremy Bennett Director https://littlebirdorganics.co.nz/blogs/our-story/40005633-megan-and-jeremy
      Melanie Rands Director http://www.ecostore.co.nz/our-story
      Malcolm Rands Director http://www.ecostore.co.nz/our-story
      Temuera Hall Independent Chair https://www.linkedin.com/in/temuera-hall-0b891464/

      Can you please advise an update for shareholders? In the QA below you indicate a possibility of dividends for investors in three years ? Are you still on target for this?

      Posted on 29-08-2020 by Lisa Bell

      Hi - I have pledged and paid, but under a wrong email address (typo: gmal instead of gmail)! If you have already sent any relevant comms to shareholders such as shareholding confirmation / statement, could you please forward to me (my email address has now been corrected). Also, please update my email address for any future comms that you might be sending direct: [email protected]. Much appreciated and very excited to be part of the future of little bird organics.

      Posted on 23-04-2018 by Tanja

      Hello, any updates below?
      ———-
      Hey, my credit card hasn’t been charged yet. Is there a mistake or is it normal procedure. Ralf

      Posted on 25-03-2018 by Ralf Weihbrecht
      (delete)
      Thanks for the follow-up, Ralf. We'll get your card processed tomorrow

      - Anna from PledgeMe

      Answered on 26-03-2018 by jeremy bennett

      Posted on 03-04-2018 by Ralf Weihbrecht

      Hey, my credit card hasn’t been charged yet. Is there a mistake or is it normal procedure. Ralf

      Posted on 25-03-2018 by Ralf Weihbrecht

      Thanks for the follow-up, Ralf. We'll get your card processed tomorrow

      - Anna from PledgeMe

      Answered on 26-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hey guys, what a great response!
      1) You've indicated your cafes are doing over 50% of the current revenue for the company, but there are not separate financials for this. Can you provide this to shareholders? It would be important to understand the unit economics for this business - food and wage costs etc.

      2) Do you currently have an ESOP (employee share ownership plan)?

      Posted on 03-03-2018 by Michael

      Hi Michael, at this late stage we wont be releasing more detailed financial information for the campaign. More detailed info should be available to shareholders as part of the yearly AGM. We did investigate ESOPs earlier in Little Bird's life but the advice from our lawyers was not to go down that path. The legal admin costs and potential pitfalls are significant. We find other ways to reward our wonderful staff.

      Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi, we have already pledge via our limited company (investment company). it has 2 directors. if we make another pledge, can we register 2 people for birthday lunch? ie one each? or will the two pledges be combined into one total one?

      Posted on 02-03-2018 by Jo Fleury

      how do I view the financials for the little bird offer?

      Posted on 01-03-2018 by Tim meikle

      Hi Tim, you can view the financials within the full Information Memorandum doc, hit that black download button as part of the text on our home page blurb ('about' tab, below the video)

      Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi Jeremy - a follow-up to my previous question on buying shares as a gift; can my daughter be recognised as a pledger when I transfer the shares to her? That was my intention in buying them.

      Posted on 01-03-2018 by Carole

      Hi Carole - Yes, as you have let us know before campaign close, this is fine and we can recognise your daughter separately.

      Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi, just wondering how investors will be able to assess the value of their shares, particularly in the first 3-4 years. Will it be directly tied to the value of the company (in the same way you have determined the start value of the shares)? If so, how often will you be valuing the company? Cheers.

      Posted on 01-03-2018 by Steve Longhurst

      Hi Steve, as we are a private company there will obviously be no external market valuation for the shares. We wont be regularly undertaking a valuation process. As a rule of thumb you could apply the same revenue multiple we have indicated for this raise, which would show an appreciating value as the company revenue increases, but this should not be taken as a firm value. Our goal is to focus on significant growth, which will increase the value of all shares. If at any point in the first 3-4 years you wish to sell your shares, we will help you to match with any willing buyers, but the value will be determined between buyer and seller - (Little Bird wont dictate share value).

      Answered on 03-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi again, you’re probably getting sick of questions about the birthday lunches but just wondered for those of us thinking about buying more shares to transfer to our children, whether they will also receive the birthday lunch or is this a reward offered exclusively to initial pledgers? Thanks

      Posted on 01-03-2018 by Amy Scott

      Hi Amy, good question! We need to keep this manageable for the company (its already a bit more admin than we were anticipating...). I think we need to keep it to initial pledgers only, otherwise in a worst case scenario it could get abused through multiple share transfers. However, because you have declared your intentions prior to a second investment, I think we could accommodate this. Sound ok?

      Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi there a huge congratulations on current pledgers this is so exciting :) just a couple of questions in regards to shareholders shares in the future. If the company expends and does well will their be more shares sold and the current share holders shares devalue? Also do the share holders get progress updates on how the company is going with it not being on the stock market etc? Have just been reading the pledge me terms. Cheers R:)

      Posted on 01-03-2018 by Rachel

      Hi Rachel, thanks for the questions. If the company continues to grow as we would like past our three year projections it is likely we will need more investment at some point yes. Should this happen, whilst the percentage of total shares current shareholders would hold would decrease, we certainly anticipate the value of your shares to increase. Does that make sense? (Basically we would be seeking investment at a higher valuation than current.)
      With regards to updates, yes definitely, we will be sending out information on how things are going.
      Please get in touch direct and we can explain further if required.

      Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi Jeremy, just wondering about the recipe book that is mentioned for Package B, I already have the first book so is it possible to select which book I would like, or is it likely to just be a random distribution? Thanks, Amy

      Posted on 28-02-2018 by Amy Scott

      Hi Amy, absolutely no problem - we anticipated many of our new investors would have one or both books already. Once the campaign closes we will go out to everyone with what happens next on the rewards, and you will be able to let us know which book you would prefer. Thanks so much for investing.

      Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi there, and congratulations on the terrific response to this campaign. I have made a pledge, and would like to make a further pledge as a gift for my daughter. Is there a mechanism for doing this please?

      Posted on 28-02-2018 by Carole

      Hi Carole, thanks so much for joining us! I think this should be pretty easy - you will need to pledge in your name, and then transfer the shares to your daughter once everything is settled. I think Pledge Me has a share transfer template we can use.

      Answered on 01-03-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Congratulations on the capital raise so far. In doing due diligence on this investment I was concerned to discover that the intellectual property of the Little Bird and Unbakery trademarks is not actually owned by the company that we are being asked to invest in, it’s owned by a single director of the company, Jeremy Bennett. This can be confirmed by anyone doing an IPONZ search. This seems at the very least to be a breach of trust. The value of any business is in its intellectual property.
      Questions
      1) In the event that an acquisition offer is made for Little Bird/Unbakery trademarks (not the trading company) does the director intend to share any of the proceeds with the shareholders
      2. Is there a formal agreement in place between the trademark owner and the trading company?
      3. Are royalties paid from the trading company to the brand owner, if so is it percentage based and what percent?

      Posted on 28-02-2018 by Glen Fraser

      Hi Glen, thanks for the question! The IP/trademarks were registered when we were a much smaller company, and there was no real distinction between Megan and I and Little Bird. I set them up acting as the 'agent' for the company, and there they have sat since. It is certainly not our intention to be misleading anyone. We very much see these trademarks as being Little Bird property, and we will be transferring them into the business in the most appropriate way possible. There has been no benefit to myself personally in holding the registrations thus far, nor will there be prior to transferring them to the company (of course at nil cost). To do so we are just checking with the company lawyers on the best way to transfer.

      Answered on 28-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi there. Just reading the question below about the terms of resale and not sure what the implications of the answer are. If the value of these shares isn’t directly linked to the growth of the business, then does mean we have no guarantees that Little Birds growth will be reflected in the value of our investment?

      Posted on 28-02-2018 by Ahmad Salim

      Hi Ahmad, thanks for your question. While we of course do anticipate the growth of the company will equate to a growth in the value of your investment, what we are not able to do is dictate what anyone's shares are worth at any point in time. As we are not publicly listed, there is no external market determinant for our company value. So should any investor wish to sell their shares in the short to medium term it will come down to a price negotiated between buyer and seller. As we progress the company we do anticipate this value increasing from what investors are purchasing today, but as I say it will come down to what any buyers are wanting to pay.

      Answered on 28-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      For your financial estimates for FY18 and beyond, was an estimated amount for this capital raising included in the balance sheet numbers?

      Posted on 26-02-2018 by Brendan

      Hi Brendan, yes our numbers assumed the full raise of $2 million was achieved. We also assumed the maximum campaign time had elapsed, so assumed no funds would be received until April (start of FYE19).

      Answered on 27-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hey guys, after purchase of shares is there a minimum time required to hold onto shares if I wanted to re sell? If so what are the implications? How was the business evaluation done and would the same evaluation metrics count for re sell? Thanks!

      Posted on 26-02-2018 by Rochelle

      Hi Rochelle, I dont believe there are any restrictions, though the PledgeMe crew might be able to clarify if so. There would need to be a willing buyer, and the value of the shares would determined between yourselves. We can help to match with any interested buyers should they make themselves known to us. Hope that helps?

      Answered on 27-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      When will we receive details for the bank transfer? Many thanks

      Posted on 26-02-2018 by Joanna Pawluczuk

      Hi Joanna, we are about to release a project update which will cover this info, stay tuned!

      Answered on 27-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      I am in Dunedin. I don't believe I will travel up north for my birthday lunch. Obviously, I won't be the only out-of-town shareholder. What could possibly be done for us?

      Posted on 25-02-2018 by F C Lam

      Thanks for looking at joining the flock. For the birthday lunch, Megan’s intention was to add this as a bonus in case you happened to be near the café for your birthday so we could give you that fresh food experience that little bird is known for and say thanks for being a part of little bird. The real investment is those shares! (That we are going to work hard at making into a great financial investment.) There are also online discounts that can be enjoyed by everyone no matter where they are.

      For the birthday lunch you will be able to come in once during the month of your birthday to celebrate with a delicious plant based meal and drink.

      Answered on 26-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      What are the terms and conditions for the shareholder birthday lunch? My birthday is in 2 weeks - am I able to use the bday lunch offer then or will I have to wait until next year?

      Posted on 24-02-2018 by n sen

      We have set the rules as "Little Bird shareholders will be able to visit one of our cafes during the month of their birthday and celebrate with a meal and a drink on the house - the offer will be valid for one person, and for one visit per year only" We will be sending out a card to each shareholder for redemption of the offer. Our intention was that this would start once the campaign has closed, but - for those shareholders that are having a birthday from our launch date onwards (from Feb 22 til the campaign closes) we are happy to welcome you for a birthday meal. Please get in touch with us directly to organise this as we will need to confirm your investment and details.

      Answered on 26-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi. Am I able to purchase shares for my child in her name if she is under 18?

      Posted on 24-02-2018 by Vanessa Lynch

      Hi Vanessa, thanks for your email. Anyone investing through PledgeMe needs to be over 18, so you'll need to initial invest as yourself initially. But minors are allowed to hold shares, so when the campaign closes and you are officially added to the share register, you'll be able to transfer the ownership to your child by filling out a share transfer form. We can help you through this process at the time.

      Answered on 26-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Not an urgent query, I have looked at the names of pledgers around the time I pledged $2500, I do not see my name, I did check well before and after I pledged 7.45pm on 22/2/18
      Thanks Trixina Smith

      Posted on 24-02-2018 by Trixina Smith

      Hi Trixina - we also have limited ability to check this - might be a better one for the PledgeMe crew to check for you.
      Id send them a note directly.

      Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hi guys, congratulations on your success so far. I’ve been a long time supporter since working at Huckleberry for 2 years. I have 2 questions for you: Firstly, I have selected package A and it says that it needs our address as something will be delivered. What would that be and what is the timeframe for delivery? And secondly, with the free birthday lunch, is it possible to take advantage of this maybe a month or so before or after my birthday? I live in Christchurch but come up to Auckland and visit your cafes, just not usually on my birthday.
      Thanks heaps

      Posted on 24-02-2018 by Ethan Laby

      Hi Ethan, That was a 'in case we need it' request - we are still working through the best way to manage the birthday lunch offer. (we may end up sending a card out for use.) I will need to speak with the team on how much leeway we can provide on the redemption of the offer.

      Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      hi I would also like to upgrade to package B what us the best way to do this as I am currently package A

      Posted on 24-02-2018 by Peter Meister

      Hi Peter, so long as your combined investments add up to $2500+ you will be considered a Package B level investor. (just make sure all investments are in the same name.)

      Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      If all goes to plan, how far down the track do you see the company starting to pay out dividends to shareholders?

      Posted on 23-02-2018 by Symone Wishnowsky

      Hi Symone, this is a difficult one to answer with surety.Our goal is to grow the company significantly and obviously this requires capital. (Such growth will also grow the value of your investment obviously.) We have said that at least for the next three years we will be investing in growth rather than paying out dividends. At the end of the three years we will review this on a yearly basis. It is hard to know where exactly we will sit in export markets at that point (which will be a big driver for how much capital the company might require).

      Answered on 24-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Firslty well done on the success to date with the raise. Can you indicate what % of revenues is from the cafe verses sale of manufactured goods to third parties?

      Posted on 23-02-2018 by Ralph Shale

      Hi Ralph, sure - looking at the last 6 months revenue the split is 39% manufacturing/wholesale and 61% Cafes. We expect this to level out at around 50-50 over the next few years as we grow both manufacturing (and cafes). The only proviso being should our export initiatives exceed expectations it will likely see manufacturing bring in a greater share of revenue.

      Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      The Rands joined the share register in last year and Karla and Paul joined more recently. At what valuation did they invest at.

      Posted on 23-02-2018 by First Heritage Ltd

      Thanks for your question. The bulk of the Rands shareholding came from them buying out two previous shareholders. This transaction price was agreed between the parties.
      The Rands also provided finance to the company, some of which was agreed as a convertible note, which has now been converted.
      The company directors saw a huge benefit in bringing the Rands experience, governance, relationships, reputation, and advice into the company. Their involvement so far, and their help in bringing Temuera and Leonard on board has greatly supported our growth plans.
      Our employee Karla (with partner Dom) also provided finance to the company as a convertible note at the same time as the Rands, which has also now been converted.

      Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hello Little Birds.

      Lovely evening tonight, thank you.

      I have just pledged another $1500 on top of my initial $1000 to bring me into the Package B category. At the moment it is just showing as 2 Package A's. Is this just a platform glitch? Thought I would just check with you.

      Well done too for hitting the $500,000 mark in under 1 1/2 hours!! Congratulations.

      Posted on 22-02-2018 by Shae Kinney

      Hi Shae, thanks so much for getting involved, twice!
      No problem, we'll ensure you're in Package B.

      Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett


      Hey! I've joined the pledge, just wondering if you guys have plans to open a Café in Christchurch anytime soon?

      Posted on 22-02-2018 by Oliver Jenks

      Hi Oliver, Congrats - welcome to the team! We have not yet determined any definite locations for new cafes, there is quite a bit of feasibility work required to be sure of any site and location, which of course comes at a cost, so we thought it best to wait for the results of the raise (and undertsand how many cafes we might be able to fund) and then get into it!

      Answered on 23-02-2018 by jeremy bennett

      Alison
      03/03/2018 at 1:01am
      Rowena
      02/03/2018 at 11:24pm
      Amy Scott
      02/03/2018 at 10:48pm
      Matt G
      02/03/2018 at 10:39pm
      Aiza Fernando-Cristobal
      02/03/2018 at 10:35pm
      Anna Leslie
      02/03/2018 at 9:45pm
      Lisa Cheney
      02/03/2018 at 9:29pm
      Anna Battershill
      02/03/2018 at 9:04pm
      Mattias Nilsson
      02/03/2018 at 8:28pm
      Terumi Isogai
      02/03/2018 at 8:23pm
      jayeandmargot
      02/03/2018 at 8:21pm
      Tanya Gurtin
      02/03/2018 at 8:09pm
      AG Grandt
      02/03/2018 at 7:58pm
      Amy
      02/03/2018 at 7:37pm
      Patsy Bass
      02/03/2018 at 7:29pm
      kris vermeir
      02/03/2018 at 6:19pm
      Julie Duffy
      02/03/2018 at 5:49pm
      Paul Duffy
      02/03/2018 at 5:47pm
      Zeus Ltd
      02/03/2018 at 5:47pm
      A & J SMART
      02/03/2018 at 5:45pm
      David Savage
      02/03/2018 at 5:31pm
      Lin
      02/03/2018 at 5:25pm
      Simon Carter
      02/03/2018 at 5:21pm
      Debra Fallowfield
      02/03/2018 at 5:14pm

      "Go little bird!!!"

      Averil Oliveira
      02/03/2018 at 5:14pm
      Shane Caley
      02/03/2018 at 4:59pm
      Janine Gray
      02/03/2018 at 4:51pm
      Simon Werner
      02/03/2018 at 4:32pm
      Averil Oliveira
      02/03/2018 at 4:31pm

      "Looking forward to seeing you go from strength to strength with this venture!"

      Katie Kempthorne
      02/03/2018 at 4:16pm

      "Viva!"

      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 03/03/2018 at 3:52 AM.

      This campaign has closed, but this company may choose to do more equity raises on PledgeMe in the future. If you're interested in investing in little bird organics limited, you can sign up to be notified when a new equity campaign from this company is published.

      Notify Me

      Investor Perks

      Package A

      NZ $500.00+

      Part ownership in an innovative, ethical and exciting business. 10% shareholder discount on all Little Bird packaged products on our website. Shareholders Birthday Lunch - celebrate your birthday at one of our cafes and get your lunch on us. (conditions apply) Invitation to the Little Bird AGM.

      Package B

      NZ $2,500.00+

      All Package A plus: • A copy of either one of Little Bird’s two recipe books with a personal thank you message from Megan. • 15% shareholder discount on all Little Bird packaged products on our website. • Invitation to a Shareholders Shindig event at our Ponsonby Unbakery cafe • ‘First Taste’ - be part of the feedback group for new product development.

      Package C

      NZ $100,000.00+

      All of Package A and B, plus: • Ordinary shares – with full voting rights. • 20% shareholder discount on all Little Bird packaged products on our website. • Founders Dinner - a hosted private event for 10 guests at our Ponsonby Unbakery. • Guided Tour of one of our amazing Growers markets gardens - Pakaraka Permaculture.

      Warning statement about equity crowdfunding

      Equity crowdfunding is risky.

      Issuers using this facility include new or rapidly growing ventures. Investment in these types of business is very speculative and carries high risks.

      You may lose your entire investment, and must be in a position to bear this risk without undue hardship.

      New Zealand law normally requires people who offer financial products to give information to investors before they invest. This requires those offering financial products to have disclosed information that is important for investors to make an informed decision.

      The usual rules do not apply to offers by issuers using this facility. As a result, you may not be given all the information usually required. You will also have fewer other legal protections for this investment.

      Ask questions, read all information given carefully, and seek independent financial advice before committing yourself.