Thomas, Oliver and Isabella in the Monge-Grassi Kindling Factory in Pigeon Valley. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Four siblings from Pigeon Valley, near Nelson, have spent the summer collecting wood from around their rural property and are kick-starting their savings by selling boxes of kindling.
Thomas, Isabella, Oliver and Mateo Monge-Grassi, with some help from mum, have set themselves up as Nelson's Kindling Kids and they have got hundreds of boxes to sell - to help fund their extracurricular activities and university education.
Thomas, 12, came up with the idea to sell kindling to make some pocket money and has been doing it for a few years. He made just over $500 last winter.
He said each box has some pine cones, branches of various thickness and some "nice flash kindling" split with the help of a kindling cracker he received as a Christmas present.
"Most of the scrappy kindling we dug out of the creek when we first got here, then we let it dry for a summer and then we chopped it up and all the flash kindling Dad has been cutting up from the big chunks."
The smaller boxes start at $5 and the larger are $7, with free delivery in the surrounding areas for orders over $20.
Some of the kindling boxes - packed by the Monge-Grassi siblings. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
His younger siblings including Isabella, 10, have been roped in, too.
"We have to get all the branches and we had to pick them up and tip the boxes over and put them in... it was very hard because we did it in summer and it was so hot," Isabella said.
The kids have big dreams. Thomas plays football and is saving up for out of town tournaments, but also for university.
"I want to study viticulture and engineering and one day own my own vineyard or become a professional footballer.
He said was interested in winemaking because he liked grapes.
"I like the idea of wine and I've always wanted to be an engineer and so I thought I could fix my own tractors if I needed to.
"I've had a drop of [wine] and it was ok but I think I'll like it more when I'm an adult."
Thomas, 12, Oliver, 7 and Isabella, 10 with some of their kindling boxes. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Isabella plans to put her savings toward dancing, a little bit of spending money and also university education.
"I'm saving up for Massey University which is for vets because I like helping animals."
Seven-year-old Oliver is also saving for football and university - but would like to be an opal miner, while two-year-old Mateo has aspirations of becoming Spiderman.
Mum and Facebook admin Louise Monge-Grassi said both she and her husband work full-time and run their own businesses - so having a side hustle is in the blood.
She said the family were fortunate to live on a three hectare property south of Nelson, where they were "never going to run out of trees or things to prune".
"It's definitely been character building, it was tough, particularly for Thomas in the summer because I said he needed to come out every day for an hour and it was pretty hot and it's hard for kids doing all their work in January and not getting paid until May.
"But now we have the ball rolling and there's a little bit of money coming in all the time, it's not quite as difficult [for them] to see the fruits of their labour."
Oliver, Thomas, Mateo and Isabella Monge-Grassi with some of their Paterpillar reusable gift bags. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Thomas and Isabella also make reusable fabric gift bags under their mum's apparel brand Paterpillar and this year, are also selling thousands of strawberry plants at $2 a pop.
"Them learning how many sets of bags that is going to cost or how many boxes of kindling they are going to have to sell to fund that trip to Christchurch that gives them a bit more of perspective," Louise said.
"I would much rather they were running around outside, occasionally complaining to me that they have to work [rather] than sitting in front of a TV or a Playstation, but they don't think that all the time."
Sales have been strong, but there are plenty more boxes in the Monge-Grassi Kindling Factory, ready to head out the door.
