International attention for Wānaka’s Stoked Stainless company’s range of handcrafted electric and wood-fired, stainless steel and cedar baths, hot tubs, spas and plunge pools is expanding its profile.

“We now have New Zealand’s largest range of luxurious indoor and outdoor hot tubs, spas and plunge pools with Australia the next big growth protectory,” says co-founder Dan Young. “Our Brisbane and Melbourne showrooms recently opened plus we have a new dedicated Australian website and distribution centre. New Zealand Trade & Enterprise has played a role offering advice and marketing support as we expand our Australian exports pushing the Stoked brand even further.”

What began as a hobby for Dan and co-founder Andrew Horton ten years ago  quickly grew and the business was recognised as one of New Zealand’s fastest growing companies in the 2022 Deloitte Fast 50.

“We literally made a wood fired hot tub for ourselves then friends and family wanted one,” says Dan. “As an engineer I was made redundant in 2015 which gave us the push to work full time with the business and rapidly expanding.”

Identifying a gap in the electric tub market the pair added a version to their range which had instant success.

“We soon began selling three electric tubs to one wood fired, a pattern which continues today,” says Dan. “The off grid wood fired hot tubs are a rewarding experience, lighting the fire and warming the water, but that comes at the expense of convenience. We now offer eight different electric products where people can take the lid off and jump straight in.”

Dan and Andrew are going further outside the square with the Stoked Stainless Steel ice bath soon to be launched.

“Given we already do a classic bath, a wood fired bath and an electric bath it made sense to add a cooling unit to our existing design turning it into an ice bath.”

“A key difference for our company is that our products are integrated with no external heaters so everything is enclosed inside the spa making them aesthetically pleasing for architecturally designed homes and landscapes,” says Dan.

“Kiwi and Australian customers respond very well to the ‘made in New Zealand’ label and rather than go offshore chasing higher margins we’ve chosen to stay in Wānaka and contribute to our regional economy. A key takeaway is these are lifetime products that will be passed down through future generations meaning customers only pay once but the product lasts a lifetime.”

Celebrity Endorsement

When renowned New Zealand actor, filmmaker and Hollywood director Taika Waititi recently posted an endorsement for his Wānaka Stoked Stainless Steel hot tub on Instagram it received over 100,000 likes.

“It was great to see he was enjoying the tub and we gained a few more followers and international exposure,” says company co-founder Dan Young. “ It helped to reach different customers in new locations and spread the word.