Once upon a time there was a drycleaning plant in Hawera, Taranaki, named Odourless Drycleaners. This family-owned and operated business evolved into La Nuova – named after one of the old-school drycleaning machines from the original plant. Joining forces with Apparelmaster in 1984 and with Linenmaster since its inception in 2014, La Nuova has truly become a force to be reckoned with! Winning the supreme award at this year’s Apparelmaster Conference, the single plant has expanded to a total of 11 across the ‘Naki’ and 2 in Wanganui and they are renowned across the group for their fun yet highly committed and professional work ethic.
In more recent times, the latest facility at Inglewood has had a major upgrade and is now processing upwards of 50 tonnes of laundry per week alone. This year marks 60 years in the drycleaning business for the Craig family. La Nuova is now in the operating hands of the 3rd generation, Brad Craig following in the footsteps of his father, Gordon, and grandfather, Gordon Senior, who launched the business in 1959. Since its beginning, the business has seen continuous growth, and yet, they’ll never outgrow their customers – some who they have been servicing since day one!
Brad and his family have kept their true community and family values at heart, and the vast La Nuova family is not restricted within the walls of their plants! La Nuova has supported the local and wider communities’ year-on-year, through donations, sponsorships, partnerships and more. Almost 50 organisations have benefitted from the ongoing support of La Nuova – each with a story to tell. From sporting clubs, to charitable Trusts, education funds and community centres, La Nuova’s family just keeps on growing.
Check out our recent story on the Taranaki Retreat and how La Nuova goes above and beyond to lend a helping hand here.
And the good deeds don’t end there. La Nuova is conscious of waste management and sustainable practices. They have invested in top-of-the-line machinery to recycle water and minimise energy usage when processing laundry. As well as this, La Nuova has established an end-of-life management plan to best handle products that inevitably come to the end of their use. Their plan is environmentally friendly, and even benefit the wider global community. This is where La Nuova’s large family spreads across oceans! When Brad saw the charitable Trust, Pacific Koha, on Good Sorts, and learned that they restore retired medical equipment and send it to the Solomon Islands for use in their hospitals, he immediately got in contact. La Nuova is now partnered with the Trust, sending regular shipments of old linen sheets and appropriate workwear alongside the machinery, to use in the hospitals for staff, beds, or for bandages.