The CaliWoods Story
There are lots of little moments and experiences that led to the creation of CaliWoods.
The crispy, hot black sand of New Zealand’s West Coast beaches coupled with a bunch of time spent in native bush - on repeat, every weekend - can really mould what a kid learns to value.
That was the case for the founder of CaliWoods, Shay Lawrence. She had a nature-filled childhood, always being thrown into the beautiful environments on offer around the country.
The sizzling sand, surfing and bush walks sure built character, but they also nurtured a little bundle of appreciation and love for all things nature.
Through years of travel, it also became obvious that the effects of human consumption was everywhere. It was hard to ignore the small pieces of plastic littered within the light, bright sand of the world’s most isolated islands. Bottle caps, plastic straws, fish nets - they were always there. Plastic followed her to some of the most isolated pockets of the Ocean.
Trying to make sense of it all, she thought back to one resounding moment meeting an old Indonesian woman. The toothless, smiling chuckle was so innocent as she thoughtlessly threw handfuls of wet plastic bags from her bucket.
Or looking back to her own childhood, full of plastic everything. Even to a few weeks ago when she walked out of the supermarket with a reusable bag, full of food covered in packaging.
All over the world, in lots of different ways, it became clear that there were very few stones left unturned by humans and the way we are living.
After six years of incredible travel, those collected moments and experiences (and all that appreciation) started talking to each other. They collaborated, wrapped themselves around each other and moulded into what makes up CaliWoods today.
What we stand for
CaliWoods exists because we believe there’s a better way to do things. We aren’t perfect, but we are working hard to make a sustainable life easier and exciting through awesome eco products, fresh ideas and motivating information.
