October 24, 2024 • 6 mins
We continue our celebrations of Wool, today we find out what the team at MaxwellRodgers is getting up to.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on
gold Sport all week with FMG on Gold Sport. Because
where there's a wool, there's a way.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
New Zealand wool, as we've been explaining all week, is
globally acknowledged as a truly premium product and thanks to
FMG we've been celebrating all this week on the show.
We've been talking to various movers and shakers in the
wool industry, and one mover in shaker that's been involved
in this industry since nineteen eighty seven. I think it
(00:33):
is is Roger Green who set up Maxwell Rogers Fabrics.
He joins us this morning. Morning Roger, Morning, Brian, how
are you thaking very well? Thank you? Tell us the
story of Maxwell Rogers Fabrics. How did it all start
in eighty seven?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Well, it probably predated that, Brian. In my youth, I
worked for a company called Celtics Carpets and doing I
was pioneering a lot of the world markets for them.
I was a kid who just wanted to travel, you know,
and I wanted somebody to pay the bills and felt
X looked like a likely candidate. But we pulled some
pretty good contracts, and that led to US astabrishing Celtics
(01:11):
in the United States in the early eighties late seventies,
at which I was lucky enough to be able to
chosen to do that. And then you know, I just
outgroup up a company and decided they really wanted to
work for myself. So I little bit of consulting work
for companies, and one of them was Alliance Textiles and
Timaru looking at North America, and out of that really
(01:34):
I started Maxwell Rogers Fabrics.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And of course it's not now Maxwell's Rogers Fabrics is
not just about carpet.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Is it.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
No, we're only fabrics.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
No. I got off the floor and onto the wall,
which exactly onto a few counches, So no, no, we're
purely fabric and we also do bed throws for hospitality
around the world, all made here in New Zealand, and.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
All made with New Zealand War.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Not always in New Zealand War because the yarn spinning
systems aren't here, but substantially New Zealand War.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Over the years, you would have seen in a way
the sad demise of New Zealand. Well how the bottom
and more recently has fallen right out of it, hasn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I mean, unfortunately it's treated as a commodity, Brian, and
we don't treat it as a commodity. And you know,
you know, a commodity trader that you know has got
nowhere to go. They're just bloody price merchants.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah. But I think slowly the wheels are turning and
people are realizing the benefits of using woolen products.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
And the auction system needs to change. You know, the
guy who grows the walls so far divorced from.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
The end customer.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You know, they're not working with each other to command
a premium.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So Maxwell's Rogers Fabrics. You've landed some significant products, mainly
in contracts for hotels in North America, haven't you.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, we have you know, next sort of sport out
of my Celtics experience. Really, and I'm still dealing with
people that are knew in the Celtics days when I
established them up there. I understand how the market works,
I understand the principles of the market, and I've found
a niche that's that's been pretty attractive to my company.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
So if anybody is staying in the Venetian in Vegas
for instance, there'll be what Maxwell Rogers Fabrics there.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah, the throws and the Viking cruise ship one. I
mean that we've done fifteen ships for them so far.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
And they tell me they've got another ten that they're
going to build. So you know, that's been that's been
a good journey too. And that came out of an
American client working with Viking in Europe. I mean, it's
a global network of how we operate.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
So that's New Zealand wool used in all those throws
on those cruise ships and Viking cruises.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
We've done about three million bucks worth sofa.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, that's absolutely fantastic. And they where they made, where
are they put together?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Look, the wool is scoured in either Napier or Timaru
by Wolworks, and then the yarns spun and lower hat
by Wool Yarns and then the very good weaving plant
here in Autland Interweed.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Do all my weaving, and I believe most recently global
success on a Greek ferry.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, well that's sort of came out of left field.
We but it's just the way we operate. You know,
there's not a big lineup of people at the airport
wanting to buy a new Zealand wall product. You know,
you just got to get off your backside and walk
the streets, and that's what we do. And we were
in line to do the new cook straight fairies whether
we all know that story. But as a result of that,
they were working with a number of seating manufacturers around
(04:35):
the world and we were going to be doing the fabric.
So I contacted them all and went and saw them,
and one of them said to me, hey, listen, we're
working with a company that owns forty four ships in
Greece and we're doing a trial area. You know, can
we work together? So we ended up with that job,
and to be honest, I had to do a site
visit the other day, which was a bit tough, and
(04:59):
the net res I think that we'll probably end up
with doing substantial war because they absolutely loved it. They
actually thought it was it was too good because the
rest makes the rest of the ship look pretty awful.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
So Maxwell Rogers Fabrics really are sort of flying under
the radar lot of people. Not a lot of people
realize just how successful they are and what sort of
job they're doing around the world promoting new Zealand Wall Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I mean we are a niche player and we're under
the radar, and we don't have a retail presence, so
it's not a retail brand as such. But you know,
if you had one hundred companies like mine operating around
the world doing what I do with wool, you know,
the Wall price hauld probably move.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
A with it.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, let's hope it does in the near future. Certainly,
the stories we're getting today, it's slowly slowly waking up
out of the doldrooms. Roger, it's great to catch up
and congratulations on what you've achieved so far.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Well, you know, we're pretty proud of what we do,
and you know we're not giving up here. You know,
I'm on the plane next week to New York. We
exhibited a major trade show up there. You know, we're
one of six hundred exhibitors. You know, we've got our
little space and you just hope that somebody trips onto
our stand and doing a hotel and loves our will
throws and we start working on a project. You know,
(06:06):
that's sort of how it works.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
You're doing a hell of a job, Roger. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Ryan, always good to.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Chat Roger Green from Maxwell Rogers Fabrics and if you
just happen to be in any B and Z or
a in Zed branch or head officer, whatever they demand,
New Zealand made wool upholstery fabrics from Maxwell Rogers and
all their officers and their branches as well. So that's
great for the economy and stunning for the environment as well.
(06:32):
It's to be in Zed and to what under the
team there and thanks to if MG all this week
we've been featuring wool and more to come to with
the team from the country. At midday today it has
been Woolwek's
This is the Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on
gold Sport all week with FMG on Gold Sport. Because
where there's a wool, there's a way.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
New Zealand wool, as we've been explaining all week, is
globally acknowledged as a truly premium product and thanks to
FMG we've been celebrating all this week on the show.
We've been talking to various movers and shakers in the
wool industry, and one mover in shaker that's been involved
in this industry since nineteen eighty seven. I think it
(00:33):
is is Roger Green who set up Maxwell Rogers Fabrics.
He joins us this morning. Morning Roger, Morning, Brian, how
are you thaking very well? Thank you? Tell us the
story of Maxwell Rogers Fabrics. How did it all start
in eighty seven?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Well, it probably predated that, Brian. In my youth, I
worked for a company called Celtics Carpets and doing I
was pioneering a lot of the world markets for them.
I was a kid who just wanted to travel, you know,
and I wanted somebody to pay the bills and felt
X looked like a likely candidate. But we pulled some
pretty good contracts, and that led to US astabrishing Celtics
(01:11):
in the United States in the early eighties late seventies,
at which I was lucky enough to be able to
chosen to do that. And then you know, I just
outgroup up a company and decided they really wanted to
work for myself. So I little bit of consulting work
for companies, and one of them was Alliance Textiles and
Timaru looking at North America, and out of that really
(01:34):
I started Maxwell Rogers Fabrics.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And of course it's not now Maxwell's Rogers Fabrics is
not just about carpet.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Is it.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
No, we're only fabrics.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
No. I got off the floor and onto the wall,
which exactly onto a few counches, So no, no, we're
purely fabric and we also do bed throws for hospitality
around the world, all made here in New Zealand, and.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
All made with New Zealand War.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Not always in New Zealand War because the yarn spinning
systems aren't here, but substantially New Zealand War.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Over the years, you would have seen in a way
the sad demise of New Zealand. Well how the bottom
and more recently has fallen right out of it, hasn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I mean, unfortunately it's treated as a commodity, Brian, and
we don't treat it as a commodity. And you know,
you know, a commodity trader that you know has got
nowhere to go. They're just bloody price merchants.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah. But I think slowly the wheels are turning and
people are realizing the benefits of using woolen products.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
And the auction system needs to change. You know, the
guy who grows the walls so far divorced from.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
The end customer.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You know, they're not working with each other to command
a premium.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So Maxwell's Rogers Fabrics. You've landed some significant products, mainly
in contracts for hotels in North America, haven't you.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, we have you know, next sort of sport out
of my Celtics experience. Really, and I'm still dealing with
people that are knew in the Celtics days when I
established them up there. I understand how the market works,
I understand the principles of the market, and I've found
a niche that's that's been pretty attractive to my company.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
So if anybody is staying in the Venetian in Vegas
for instance, there'll be what Maxwell Rogers Fabrics there.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah, the throws and the Viking cruise ship one. I
mean that we've done fifteen ships for them so far.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
And they tell me they've got another ten that they're
going to build. So you know, that's been that's been
a good journey too. And that came out of an
American client working with Viking in Europe. I mean, it's
a global network of how we operate.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
So that's New Zealand wool used in all those throws
on those cruise ships and Viking cruises.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
We've done about three million bucks worth sofa.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, that's absolutely fantastic. And they where they made, where
are they put together?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Look, the wool is scoured in either Napier or Timaru
by Wolworks, and then the yarns spun and lower hat
by Wool Yarns and then the very good weaving plant
here in Autland Interweed.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Do all my weaving, and I believe most recently global
success on a Greek ferry.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, well that's sort of came out of left field.
We but it's just the way we operate. You know,
there's not a big lineup of people at the airport
wanting to buy a new Zealand wall product. You know,
you just got to get off your backside and walk
the streets, and that's what we do. And we were
in line to do the new cook straight fairies whether
we all know that story. But as a result of that,
they were working with a number of seating manufacturers around
(04:35):
the world and we were going to be doing the fabric.
So I contacted them all and went and saw them,
and one of them said to me, hey, listen, we're
working with a company that owns forty four ships in
Greece and we're doing a trial area. You know, can
we work together? So we ended up with that job,
and to be honest, I had to do a site
visit the other day, which was a bit tough, and
(04:59):
the net res I think that we'll probably end up
with doing substantial war because they absolutely loved it. They
actually thought it was it was too good because the
rest makes the rest of the ship look pretty awful.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
So Maxwell Rogers Fabrics really are sort of flying under
the radar lot of people. Not a lot of people
realize just how successful they are and what sort of
job they're doing around the world promoting new Zealand Wall Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I mean we are a niche player and we're under
the radar, and we don't have a retail presence, so
it's not a retail brand as such. But you know,
if you had one hundred companies like mine operating around
the world doing what I do with wool, you know,
the Wall price hauld probably move.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
A with it.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, let's hope it does in the near future. Certainly,
the stories we're getting today, it's slowly slowly waking up
out of the doldrooms. Roger, it's great to catch up
and congratulations on what you've achieved so far.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Well, you know, we're pretty proud of what we do,
and you know we're not giving up here. You know,
I'm on the plane next week to New York. We
exhibited a major trade show up there. You know, we're
one of six hundred exhibitors. You know, we've got our
little space and you just hope that somebody trips onto
our stand and doing a hotel and loves our will
throws and we start working on a project. You know,
(06:06):
that's sort of how it works.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
You're doing a hell of a job, Roger. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Ryan, always good to.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Chat Roger Green from Maxwell Rogers Fabrics and if you
just happen to be in any B and Z or
a in Zed branch or head officer, whatever they demand,
New Zealand made wool upholstery fabrics from Maxwell Rogers and
all their officers and their branches as well. So that's
great for the economy and stunning for the environment as well.
(06:32):
It's to be in Zed and to what under the
team there and thanks to if MG all this week
we've been featuring wool and more to come to with
the team from the country. At midday today it has
been Woolwek's
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