Introducing, The Honey Trap.

Here at Whitelaw Weber we take great pride in supporting our clients. Knowing that our clients are achieving goals, smashing glass ceilings & paving their way forward is very inspiring. For a long time (over seventy years!) we’ve been behind our clients supporting them, and every day we count ourselves lucky. To celebrate the fact that we get to work with such epic Northland businesses, we have bought back our client profiles so that we can share these businesses & their adventures with you. It makes us very proud to be able to share the great things our clients do across industries. 

To kick off 2025, we spoke to Stacey Hayes, owner of The Honey Trap. A local Northland business, The Honey Trap delivers natural animal health care products, that are derived from quality ingredients. Stace took over The Honey Trap from a close friend who passed away, and is now growing the business to new heights in her honour.  With stockists around the country,  ranging from the local vets to national equestrian stores, Stace’s products are becoming a go-to. The Honey Trap provides animal owners with an NZ-made solution to keep their horses healthy, as Stace says, from head to hoof!

but that’s enough from us, here's what Stace had to say.

 Who are you, & what do you do?

I am Stace Hayes, I am 30 years old and grew up (and still live) on a beef farm that has been in our family for 120 years. Which started my love for the outdoors and animals. I create Natural Health and care products for animals using only the best quality ingredients including manuka honey and beeswax. The Honey Trap consists of a wide range of products covering a horse from head to hoof as well as tack care, skin and coat treatments. All your grooming needs, whether it’s showing or a soothing remedy, and even little luxuries for yourself like Magnesium Body Butter.

What was your biggest challenge in starting a business, & how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge by far was all the admin involved. I have overcome it by having the right people on board with support and guidance, who were happy to teach me.

What’s your favourite part about running a business in Northland?

My favourite part about running a business in Northland is the strong sense of community and connection to the stunning natural environment. The people here are incredibly supportive and being inspired by my surroundings in the place that I get to call home every day.

What was your proudest moment of 2024?

My proudest moment would be the amount of retail stockists we gathered over the year and branching out to the South Island. As well as rebranding to a new look that is extremely special to us, as our logo now symbolizes the original owner of The Honey Trap - Anne Ticehurst - who passed after a long battle with cancer.

Can you offer any advice for someone wanting to start a business?

My advice would be ensure you have all your ducks in a row, know your budget, and have your costings accurate, find the right people to help you in the beginning.

How has working with Whitelaw Weber helped you & your business?

Whitelaw Weber have been nothing but great to work with! They make it so easy by taking care of all the financial admin side of things and explaining things so you understand. They have helped me by allowing more time for me to do what I love, creating products and not stressing about the numbers.

What’s one piece of business software that you can’t live without?

I could not live without Meta Business Suite, as social media seems to be the way of advertising .

You can shop The Honey Trap here & find out more about Stace’s products. We’ll be back with another client feature for you next month!