Our newest Impact Partner likely needs no introduction, being found in the gear bags of adventurers around the rohe (region).
Sweet Cheeks started as many good ideas do – to solve a problem and make the most of the activities Jennie and her family loved.
“Sweet Cheeks started from my family’s active, outdoor lifestyle. My husband loves long bikepacking adventures, I love big missions in the hills with friends, and our three boys are always on the move , whether that’s skiing, biking or racing around our rural property. I wanted to create natural, effective products that could keep up with us, instead of relying on the petroleum-heavy options on the market .” Jennie says
For anyone who has been in a bike saddle for too long, or had their hike burdened by clothing rub, you’ll know chafing is the last thing you want to be slowing you down.
Having trained with a herbalist in Colorado, Jennie had the knowledge needed to work beeswax and herbs into balms that could be used as a natural chamois cream. Tested thoroughly by her husband and his cycling group, this became the first batch of Butt Butter – the product that kicked off Sweet Cheeks.
Soon word travelled, and Sweet Cheeks began supplying the local Wānaka bike shop (and fellow Love Wānaka Impact Partner), Racers Edge, and before long Jennie was running a business she’d started at her kitchen bench.
Nearly two decades later and Sweet Cheeks now makes a full range of natural balms, still with the same ethos and handmade approach as day one. Ingredients are sourced locally, including certified organic beeswax from Wild Pure, a Central Otago producer whose hives are dotted across the region, its beeswax gently filtered rather than processed. The rest of the range follows the same standard – using herbs and essential oils sourced right here in Aotearoa.
As a business built on caring for adventurers, caring for the environment that provides the playground was non-negotiable.
As Jennie explains, “we love our beautiful backyard of Wānaka, and want to preserve it by making our products as sustainable as possible.”
As well as being a Love Wānaka Impact Partner, Sweet Cheeks is a Trail Fund NZ “1% for Trails” partner, donating 1% of proceeds to the maintenance and building of trails around the country. It’s a fitting way to give back, given how many of the trails Sweet Cheeks products are used on.
This ethos extends to the products themselves.
“We use refillable tins because a lot of these products live in your bike bag or your first-aid kit for years; there’s no reason for that to be single-use. And we’ve moved to plastic-free packaging wherever we can. If we’re asking people to look after their bodies with something natural, it only makes sense that we look after the place they’re using it in too.” Jennie says.
Sweet Cheeks is one of a growing number of local businesses putting real support behind the region they call home. Ready to join them? Reach out to the Love Wānaka team to learn more about partnership options, or find out how you can volunteer or donate to local causes already making a difference in our region.
Ready to join? Reach out to the Love Wānaka team to learn more about partnership options, or find out how you can volunteer or donate to local causes already making a difference in our rohe.
