Five years ago, Palmerston North-based startup Cutly was taking its first steps into the market with a simple goal: create a better shaving solution that prevented razor burn and ingrown hairs.

Founded by Managing Director Mo Eltayeb, Head of Finance Pradeep Chhetri, and Head of Finance Chris Teneza, Cutly began as a small startup focused on solving a common problem for consumers. What started as a product being mixed and packed in a garage has since evolved into a consumer brand stocked in supermarkets throughout New Zealand.

For the founders, the journey has been far from straightforward. Along the way, they faced product redevelopment, manufacturing challenges, retail rejection, and even a complete pause of the business before relaunching stronger than before.

Today, Cutly is entering a new phase of growth, with ambitions to expand its product range and take the brand beyond New Zealand shores.

Building the foundation for growth

Looking back over the past five years, several milestones stand out as defining moments in Cutly's evolution.

Becoming available nationwide at select New World’s, Pak’nSave’s, Fresh Choice’s and all Commonsense Organic stores marked a major achievement, but it was only possible after significant work behind the scenes. The team undertook a complete product redevelopment, established manufacturing partnerships, and built the systems needed to support large-scale retail distribution.

"Looking back, there have been a few major turning points," says Mo Eltayeb, Managing Director.

"Becoming available nationwide was obviously a huge milestone, but that only happened because we spent time rebuilding the product, finding the right manufacturing partner, and creating something that could actually scale."

What began as a startup producing product in a garage gradually transformed into a business capable of supplying retailers across the country.

The road to supermarket shelves

While seeing Cutly products on supermarket shelves today may appear like an overnight success, the reality was years of persistence and problem-solving.

The business initially gained strong customer traction, but the founders quickly discovered that enthusiasm alone wasn't enough to support national growth.

"We realised pretty quickly that if we wanted Cutly to scale nationally, it had to be shelf-stable and built properly for retail."

This led the team into unfamiliar territory, including shelf-life testing, microbial testing, product reformulation, and the search for a manufacturing partner capable of producing at scale.

The process wasn't without setbacks. At one stage, the business was paused while the team focused on redeveloping the product and creating a foundation that could support long-term growth.

That period ultimately became one of the most valuable lessons in the company's journey.

Learning to scale

Looking back, the founders see the decision to pause and rebuild as a pivotal moment.

"Pausing and rebuilding the product was one of the best decisions we made, even though it didn't feel like it at the time."

"The biggest lesson was that demand doesn't matter if the product isn't built to scale behind it."

The experience changed how they approached the business, shifting their mindset from operating as a scrappy startup to building a scalable consumer brand.

"It forced us to think properly about systems, manufacturing, and long-term scale. It basically reset how we approach the business."

While the challenges were significant, they also helped sharpen the team's understanding of what it takes to build a product that can succeed in a competitive retail environment.

Evolving alongside the business

As Cutly has grown, so too have the roles of its founders.

In the early days, every task fell back on the team, from making product and packing orders to responding to customer enquiries.

"At the start, we did everything. Packing orders, making product, replying to customers, running around doing whatever needed to get done."

Today, their focus looks very different.

"We're not just doing the work anymore. We're building systems, managing suppliers, dealing with retailers, and making sure we can actually deliver at scale across the country."

The transition has required learning entirely new skill sets, including retail negotiations, forecasting, supply chain management, and operating within the fast-moving consumer goods sector.

"It's still us running it, just on a very different level than day one."

Building from Manawatū

While many startups gravitate toward larger centres, Cutly's founders believe building the business from Manawatū has provided unique advantages.

"Building Cutly from Manawatū has been fairly grounding for us."

"It's not a typical startup hub, so we've had to be very self-driven and resourceful from day one."

The team credits the region with giving them the space to focus on execution rather than getting distracted by trends or startup hype.

"There's less ecosystem noise here, which forced us to focus on actually building the product and getting it into market."

Being based in Palmerston North has also kept the founders close to the practical aspects of the business, including logistics, manufacturing, and distribution.

Support has come from a range of networks and organisations throughout the journey, including CEDA, which helped provide visibility and connections at key points along the way.

"Manawatū didn't build the business for us, but it gave us the space to build it properly ourselves." 

Looking ahead

Five years after launch, the founders believe Cutly's journey is only just beginning.

While continuing to strengthen their position in New Zealand remains a priority, the team sees significant opportunities for growth internationally.

"Export is a huge focus. The problem Cutly solves isn't unique to New Zealand, so there's a lot of potential in other markets once we scale production further."

The business is also exploring opportunities to expand its product offering while staying true to its core purpose.

"The goal is to build a full shaving and skin system, not just a single hero product."

Alongside product development and export ambitions, the founders are focused on building Cutly into a recognisable New Zealand consumer brand known for quality, simplicity, and doing things properly.

"It feels like we've built the foundation," says Eltayeb.

"Now it's about scaling it properly."