Last week the Icebreaker New Zealand team took 40 staff from stores around NZ to Muller Station in Marlborough – 2 groups over 2 nights.  It’s got to be one of the most isolated spots in the country, and easily one of the most serene and stunning because of it.    From Blenheim it’s a 2 ¼ hr drive inland, up the Awatere valley – which our bus driver Ryan told us would be the second largest area of concentrated grapes in the country if it wasn’t defined as being part of Marlborough…

After those 2 hours or so of twisting, turning and gaining almost 900m altitude on the drive, we arrived dusty and tired to Muller Station.  Steve and Mary Satterthwaite and their family hosted us in a most SUPERB fashion…I’m sure we all ate 4 x more than we needed to while we were there, somehow Mary manages to be actively involved in every facet of the station, and be an incredible cook!

Once we were fed and watered it was time to pile onto the back of a huge UniMog 4×4 truck and get some sense of scale to the place.  Well – after a 15 min drive up to a high knoll in the snow, the views were simply awe inspiring, as was the cold!  Steve talked about the station – the size, distances and number of Merino they run (14,000!!), the challenges they face on a daily and seasonal basis, as well as the continued work and effort they put into their stewardship of the land, all 97,000 acres of it.

We met one of his superstar Rams – Maximiser! – and heard about the breeding and selection required to get the best and most hardy Merino, that produce the best fleece for Icebreakers contracts.

Following this (when the sun dipped below the ridge, and the temperature dipped to about -8 degrees C) we were back on the truck bouncing our way back to the station.  Mary showed us around the workings of a Woolshed, describing the roles of the various people who make their livelihoods there.  Woolsheds are simply incredible to see in full action in the spring – and if you ever get the chance to see one going at full steam ahead, you’ll know what I mean.

Back at the homestead for dinner, drinks and the usual IB shenanigans later on – and before we knew it, it was morning again.  Some weary and bleary eyes told the story of the night before…and after some great group discussions it was back down the valley for the first group – and up the valley for the second…   Lisa Thompson (NZ Market General Manager) and I got to do it all over again, and by Wednesday morning we really didn’t want to leave.

Station visits have always been a really effective way for people who sell Icebreaker to get a very real and meaningful connection to the places that are start of the process.  They build their own stories and sense of wonder about the Merino and the Mountains, and the people who run the stations that supply Icebreaker.   Every time I go to a station, I leave with an almost poetic sense of being involved in something that harks back to a true sense of our Kiwi heritage, something unique and yet totally cutting edge, these visits always feels special.

So we’re looking forward to the next Station Visit – who knows exactly where or when they’ll be!

Jem Culpitt – NZ Sales Manager