Hunting & Fishing NZ: A CEO's Factory Tour Across Two Vietnamese Cities
Grant Sheridan is the CEO of Hunting & Fishing New Zealand, a cooperative outdoor retail chain with stores across the country. The company sells specialist hunting and fishing apparel alongside casual outdoor clothing under its own private label. Grant was looking to diversify his supply chain away from China and evaluate Vietnam as a manufacturing base for both technical outdoor clothing and casual everyday wear.
Two product categories, no Vietnam contacts, and a CEO who wanted to see factories firsthand
Grant needed manufacturers across two very different categories. Specialist outdoor apparel (waterproof jackets, technical hunting clothing) requires factories with seam-sealing capability, performance fabric sourcing, and experience with technical construction. Casual clothing (hoodies, shorts, basics) requires different factories entirely, ones built for higher volume and simpler construction but with consistent quality across repeat runs.
New Zealand is a small market with a population of 5.5 million, so order quantities would start at 100 to 700 units depending on the category, with multiple runs per year. Grant needed factories willing to work at these volumes without compromising on quality. And as CEO, he wanted to visit the factories himself before committing to any supplier.
A 3-day factory tour across Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi
Factory Sourcing & Vetting
Our sourcing specialist Lam identified and vetted apparel factories across both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, matching each to Grant's requirements for technical outdoor clothing or casual private label production. Seven factories were scheduled for in-person visits.
Multi-City Tour Logistics
We organized the full three-day itinerary including private car and driver in HCMC, domestic flights to Hanoi for a factory visit at a key candidate, and return flights. Lam accompanied Grant to every meeting for bilingual translation and technical support.
Technical Evaluation
At each factory, Lam helped Grant evaluate production capabilities, fabric sourcing, seam construction, and quality control processes. Factories were assessed for their ability to handle both small-batch specialist orders and higher-volume casual runs.
Post-Tour Follow-Up
After the visits, Lam shared all factory contact details and meeting notes so Grant could begin direct conversations with his top candidates. We stayed available for follow-up introductions and coordination as Grant moved into sampling and quoting.
From Factory Tour to 15,000-Piece First Order
Grant visited 7 factories across Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in 3 days, narrowed down his shortlist, and is now placing his first production order of approximately 15,000 pieces with a manufacturer that Cosmo Sourcing connected him with.
"Lam was great and did an amazing job looking after me and helping me with the factory visits. We managed to find 4 of the 7 that we think are good possibilities."
From factory tour to 15,000-piece production order
Less than a year after his factory visits, Grant is placing a first production order of approximately 15,000 pieces with a manufacturer that Cosmo Sourcing introduced him to. What started as a CEO wanting to see factories firsthand has turned into an ongoing supply chain relationship that will serve Hunting & Fishing stores across New Zealand.
"Just a massive thanks for the help. You have an awesome person working for you in Lam."
Want to Visit Factories in Person?
Our team arranges guided factory tours across Vietnam with bilingual support, private transportation, and pre-vetted supplier meetings. You see the factories before you commit.
