The Devastation of 2022

In the early morning hours of February 28, 2022, our family-run business was changed forever.

There had been incessant rain for days in Northern New South Wales and the flood waters began to rise. The devastation was wide-spread, and we were heartbroken for the increasing number of families who had lost their homes and everything they had. We waded through flood waters (because the water was still too high for cars to drive through) to get to our warehouse to assess the damage.

Our hearts were in our throats, knowing that the cost to our beloved business could be enormous. We opened the door to the warehouse and the utter shock we felt when we saw what was inside is still tangible to this day. It was far worse than we ever could have imagined.

The waters had risen one metre, saturating the bottom layer of boxes of nappies which caused an avalanche of stock. The result was a devastating quarter of a million dollars of stock destroyed! We were absolutely reeling but after the shock began to wear off, we felt a glimmer of hope.

Our church, Gardn, jumped into action and provided 30 plus volunteers who immediately came alongside us and began cleaning out the mud-soaked warehouse and carting out hundreds of damaged nappy/wipes boxes. The volunteers continued over the next week working tirelessly cleaning and trying to salvage what we could. Local mums even volunteered to take home our reusable nappies and products and wash them in their washing machines—the support was just mind-blowing!

We turned to our Instagram and shared with our LuvmeEco customer family what had happened and again, the support was tremendous, on social media and in person! So many people shared our story and the impact was huge! We hosted a sale at the warehouse and hundreds of people came to buy our discounted stock (that had external packaging damage.) We felt the love from our Luvme community in a way that we never had before!

Staring at this pile of lost stock, we actually felt a sense of peace knowing although it looked like massive amount, the fact that most of this pile would biodegrade in a few short months was comforting. It reminded us that the choices we have made as an eco-minded business have lasting effects, even in unexpected situations.

One year on, we can honestly tell you that the floods were a blessing in disguise for our small business! Amazingly, our subscriptions went through the roof and our sales have continued to rise. We lost stock, but we gained support and love for our brand and for that, we are forever grateful. Our team at Luvme is stronger, more prepared, and more determined than ever! We could never express how much the support meant to us in time when we needed it most, and we just want to say thank you. So today, on the anniversary of a day that rocked our business, we celebrate…with hearts inundated with gratitude, eyes fixed on God and a hope for a bright future!