The end of one chapter, the beginning of something extraordinary

Hello Crimson community,

Vicki here and I have some truly BIG news to share with you. 

After seven years at the helm of Crimson Organic, I'm stepping aside. Before you panic, let me tell you why this is actually the most exciting news I could possibly share.

Sometimes life presents you with a moment of perfect clarity - one of those rare instances where you just know, without question, what needs to happen next. This is one of those moments.

Many of you know how the story began. During my quarter-century as a criminal defence lawyer representing young people, I kept encountering the same devastating pattern: bright, capable young women missing school simply because they couldn't access period products. A week every month. Ten weeks every year. The kind of chronic absenteeism that dramatically increases the likelihood of these young people ending up in our justice system.

I couldn't solve their family dysfunction or home chaos, but period poverty? That was something tangible I could actually fix.

What started as one woman's attempt to keep girls in school became something much larger. We've now donated 109,000 tampons through our programmes. We became inaugural suppliers to New Zealand's groundbreaking Free Period Products in Schools initiative - an honour that exceeded every dream I'd dared to have when I first started speaking publicly about period poverty.

From schools, we expanded into supermarkets and online retail to build our brand recognition and fund our donation programmes. Women's refuges, shelters, youth programmes - our reach keeps growing.

Despite my unwavering passion for this mission, I've reached the point where I can see I'm not the person to take Crimson Organic to its next level of impact.

This is where I introduce you to my successor, Rose.

Rose brings a rare combination: marketing experience, business acumen, and the heart of a mother who genuinely cares. Most importantly, Rose shares our core values around organic and fair trade principles, and our absolute commitment to products that harm neither women nor the environment.

She's warm, she's genuine, she's formidable in the best possible way, and I have complete confidence she'll take our vision places I never could have imagined.

For my part, I'm being drawn back to my true calling - standing in courtrooms advocating for vulnerable young people who need someone fighting in their corner.

This transition fills me with that particular mix of emotions every parent knows: pride, excitement, and yes, that little pang of letting go. But watching something you've built spread its wings? There's nothing quite like it.

Rose is now the proud owner of Crimson Organic, and while I'll be sticking around for a bit (old habits die hard), this is truly her moment to shine.

I hope you'll join me in giving Rose the warmest possible welcome into our community. This isn't an ending - it's the beginning of something extraordinary.

Please continue supporting us and following our journey at www.crimsonorganic.co.nz

With gratitude and genuine excitement for what lies ahead,
Vicki
 xx