by Aude Camus
If you follow me on Instagram, you can’t have missed it: I recently gave birth to baby girl. And if you are following me, I apologize for the baby spam! (Sorry, not sorry). Being a mother indeed changes a lot of things (but not everything) and one of the things motherhoods has brought to me (on top of unconditional love for my baby girl) is a heavy shopping addiction. I can seriously spend hours browsing at online shops selling baby stuffs. Am I spending more money than I should on cute little stuffs I don’t really need? Definitely yes! And I don’t feel guilty at all about it. After all, nothing is ever too much for your baby right? One of my fav online shopping destination when it comes to baby essentials (and non-essentials) is Petit Tippi, Hong Kong’s one stop shop for natural, organic and eco-friendly baby products. I absolutely love their perfectly curated selection of premium baby products and the way they make sustainability looks absolutely cute and desirable. It’s actually the kind of business I wish I had launched myself, so I decided I wanted to feature Vicky Chuard, the mompreneur and mastermind behind Petit Tippi, and get to better understand the whys and hows of her launching this online shop.
Hey Vicky. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question. Can you start by quickly introducing yourself?
If you follow me on Instagram, you can’t have missed it: I recently gave birth to baby girl. And if you are following me, I apologize for the baby spam! (Sorry, not sorry). Being a mother indeed changes a lot of things (but not everything) and one of the things motherhoods has brought to me (on top of unconditional love for my baby girl) is a heavy shopping addiction. I can seriously spend hours browsing at online shops selling baby stuffs. Am I spending more money than I should on cute little stuffs I don’t really need? Definitely yes! And I don’t feel guilty at all about it. After all, nothing is ever too much for your baby right? One of my fav online shopping destination when it comes to baby essentials (and non-essentials) is Petit Tippi, Hong Kong’s one stop shop for natural, organic and eco-friendly baby products. I absolutely love their perfectly curated selection of premium baby products and the way they make sustainability looks absolutely cute and desirable. It’s actually the kind of business I wish I had launched myself, so I decided I wanted to feature Vicky Chuard, the mompreneur and mastermind behind Petit Tippi, and get to better understand the whys and hows of her launching this online shop.
Hey Vicky. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question. Can you start by quickly introducing yourself?
Sure. I am Canadian Chinese and came to Hong Kong for my first job out of school, initially for 3-5 years, but then met my now husband and had 2 kids and am still here!
How was born the idea of Petit Tippi? Did you ever thought you would launch a baby/kids related business?
Never, I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur. I was pregnant with my son and was really just envious of all the beautiful brands that I didn’t have access to here in Hong Kong, many of which were so much more eco-conscious and innovative too. I also really wanted to cloth diaper, it was becoming big in North America and when I read about it, I was very concerned about the chemicals in disposable diapers, but there was very little choice in HK at the time. I did zero market research and had zero ecommerce experience! I just really wanted parents in HK to have access to some of the great things I had found, so I started small and grew slowly from there.
What was the first brand/product you decided to sell on Petit Tippi and why?
It was AppleCheeks, if I remember correctly. They are Canadian, their products are made in Canada and they were really easy to work with. Cloth diapering was one of the big things I really wanted to do and they had the softest, cutest swim diapers I had ever felt or seen. Even now my customers come back and tell me it’s the best swim diaper they’ve ever bought.
What are today some of your favourite brands on your website?
How was born the idea of Petit Tippi? Did you ever thought you would launch a baby/kids related business?
Never, I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur. I was pregnant with my son and was really just envious of all the beautiful brands that I didn’t have access to here in Hong Kong, many of which were so much more eco-conscious and innovative too. I also really wanted to cloth diaper, it was becoming big in North America and when I read about it, I was very concerned about the chemicals in disposable diapers, but there was very little choice in HK at the time. I did zero market research and had zero ecommerce experience! I just really wanted parents in HK to have access to some of the great things I had found, so I started small and grew slowly from there.
What was the first brand/product you decided to sell on Petit Tippi and why?
It was AppleCheeks, if I remember correctly. They are Canadian, their products are made in Canada and they were really easy to work with. Cloth diapering was one of the big things I really wanted to do and they had the softest, cutest swim diapers I had ever felt or seen. Even now my customers come back and tell me it’s the best swim diaper they’ve ever bought.
What are today some of your favourite brands on your website?
That’s hard, there are so many! ErgoPouch is hands-down my favourite sleeping bag. Malabar Baby is my favourite receiving/stroller blanket and swaddle. Naked Lab, which is brand new, has an amazingly soft but not slippery Bamboo Silk bedding for babies up to adults. Folpetto has beautiful swimwear and a rash guard that zips all the way down the front and is made of fully recycled plastics reclaimed from the sea. My daughter loved the Bibs pacifiers when she was a baby, and they are so beautiful in photos. The Youha The One breast pump made pumping so fast, and I hated it so that made it so much more bearable. My kids at this age (2 and 5yo) love the Zazu collection of night lights and sleep trainers (thank goodness for them!). I could go on…! We love a brand with a story.
And what are the most popular brands/products among your clients?
And what are the most popular brands/products among your clients?
The brands I mentioned above customers have definitely discovered the merits of. Silverettes (editor’s note: healing cups to protect nipples while breastfeeding) are definitely a top seller too, for good reason! Avanchy (editor’s note: sustainable baby dishes) is another good one, they are beautiful, and they actually suction well to the table. Little Linen Co. is a relatively new one but is also selling very well, they make simple yet beautiful bedding and lovies, as well as the mesh Airwrap bumpers which are just genius.
What would you say have been, so far, the biggest challenge as an entrepreneur in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong offers a world of opportunities, it’s so easy to start a small business. I think the challenge comes when you want to scale and grow beyond a certain point – space is expensive, talent is difficult to source, and the consumer market is small, so you inevitably have to look elsewhere. That said, I am content serving our tight-knit community of parents for the time being.
And the greatest reward?
Helping someone. Recently someone emailed me to tell me that she attended my cloth diaper workshop while pregnant and a few months later she is full-time cloth diapering and her whole family prefers cloth over disposables. Another thanked me for rushing Silverettes to her and how it saved her nipples. Even a message about her husband now exclusively using a reusable mask that we found and stock because it’s the most comfortable one, made my day. Helping families be their best selves and sharing all the parenting wisdom I’ve gathered over the years is our reason for existence.
What's next for Petit Tippi? Any exciting projects coming-up?
We are working on designing some of our own products. In some cases, it’s partly to help reduce the carbon footprint and partly to put our spin on things, and in other cases we are working on some more long-term design projects for products we wish we had, including a cloth diaper. Hopefully they come to life one day!
What does a typical day in your life look like those days?
There’s nothing typical about these days! I am normally used to having more structure in my day, but these days I am mostly trying to keep the kids busy and find time in between to do work and help my team. I’m sure most parents can relate, but I will be devastated if school doesn’t recommence in the fall term! My youngest goes to bed at 7pm, then my eldest at 8pm, and then my husband and I have peace and quiet to have dinner, work, watch something, or perhaps go out.
What are your fav places in Hong Kong for:
What would you say have been, so far, the biggest challenge as an entrepreneur in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong offers a world of opportunities, it’s so easy to start a small business. I think the challenge comes when you want to scale and grow beyond a certain point – space is expensive, talent is difficult to source, and the consumer market is small, so you inevitably have to look elsewhere. That said, I am content serving our tight-knit community of parents for the time being.
And the greatest reward?
Helping someone. Recently someone emailed me to tell me that she attended my cloth diaper workshop while pregnant and a few months later she is full-time cloth diapering and her whole family prefers cloth over disposables. Another thanked me for rushing Silverettes to her and how it saved her nipples. Even a message about her husband now exclusively using a reusable mask that we found and stock because it’s the most comfortable one, made my day. Helping families be their best selves and sharing all the parenting wisdom I’ve gathered over the years is our reason for existence.
What's next for Petit Tippi? Any exciting projects coming-up?
We are working on designing some of our own products. In some cases, it’s partly to help reduce the carbon footprint and partly to put our spin on things, and in other cases we are working on some more long-term design projects for products we wish we had, including a cloth diaper. Hopefully they come to life one day!
What does a typical day in your life look like those days?
There’s nothing typical about these days! I am normally used to having more structure in my day, but these days I am mostly trying to keep the kids busy and find time in between to do work and help my team. I’m sure most parents can relate, but I will be devastated if school doesn’t recommence in the fall term! My youngest goes to bed at 7pm, then my eldest at 8pm, and then my husband and I have peace and quiet to have dinner, work, watch something, or perhaps go out.
What are your fav places in Hong Kong for:
a day off with the kids: Disneyland or the beach
a family brunch: Limewood or W’s Kitchen
a date night without the kids: For something more casual, we like all the Black Sheep Restaurants. Frantzen’s Kitchen for something more special and if going all out then L’Envol (REDISCOVER OUR INTERVIEW OF CHEF OLIVIER ELZER FROM L’ENVOL)
drinks with friends: J Borowski, Envoy
shopping for your kids (when not shopping on Petit Tippi, of course): These days for clothes I shop a lot on Retykle (REDISCOVER OUR INTERVIEW OF SARAH, FOUNDER OF RETYKLE) and Janie & Jack in the US. When we go to France (editor’s note: Vicky’s husband is French) I stock up on Jacadi and a Spanish brand called Lola Palacios. I also really like Jamie Kay from Australia.