Small, Local & Mighty: Carrie Andrews of Wholly Cow

What happens when you stop worrying about having the perfect plan and simply stay curious?In this episode of the Growing Kiwis Podcast, Claire sits down with Carrie Andrews — farmer, business owner, creative, mum and the woman behind Wholly Cow, for a conversation about building a life and business around curiosity, community and simply giving things a good crack.Carrie and her husband Tom started Wholly Cow almost 18 years ago as a way to help pay the mortgage. What began as a family farm and farmers' market venture has grown into a local, closed-loop food business with its own micro abattoir, butchery, team and focus on keeping skills, employment and food production close to home.But Carrie's story doesn't stop at farming.From studying craft and ceramics, to raising four children, building businesses, creating collectives and now experimenting with traditional leather tanning, Carrie has always followed her curiosity — often without knowing exactly where it will lead.In this episode, we talk about:Building a business from the simple question: “How are we going to pay the mortgage?”The journey from farmers' markets to building Wholly CowWhy local food, food security and small businesses matterCreating a strong team culture through kindness, food and connectionRaising children around business and giving them the confidence to find their own pathWhy Carrie believes in “small but mighty”Her love of making, tinkering and learning new skillsThe story behind Flock Tannery and her journey into traditional leather makingWhy preserving old skills and knowledge mattersLearning to embrace failure and keep goingThe importance of curiosity and not needing to have a five-year planBuilding a life around family, partnership, purpose and communityWhy nature continues to be one of Carrie's biggest sources of inspirationAnd her simple philosophy: keep it simple, keep it real, care genuinely and give things a go. Carrie's “special sauce”? Giving things a go, having a good crack and not being afraid to fail.This is such a beautiful reminder that you don't have to have everything figured out. Sometimes the best businesses, ideas and adventures come from simply being open to what's next.A very Kiwi story about farming, family, business, creativity and making your own path.