Keeping it in the family….
Hairy Coo is run by mother and daughter partnership Sheila and Emma. Sheila began growing the business in 2013, with the focus on handwrapped Hairy Coo accessories and was even awarded the Best Product Award at the Scottish Trade show in her first year trading!
When Emma joined in 2018 they began to grow the product range. First introducing Woolly Ewe and then branching out into homeware and textiles. It was when Emma’s children came along in 2019 they decided to explore the idea of introducing a children’s range and soon Baby Coo was born.
Both live in Highland Perthshire where Hairy Coo HQ is located. They have a team of fantastic wrappers based in the highlands who they couldn’t do without!
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Sheila’s background is firmly routed in business. With a degree in business and accountancy she has, primarily, worked in the education sector and her final role, prior to donning an entrepreneur's hat, was heading up the marketing at the school which educated King Charles! Before Hairy Coo was born, Sheila first opened her own gift shop, appropriately called The Hairy Coo Shop! It is based at Ralia Cafe, Newtonmore - her husband’s cafe! Running the shop gives her a great insight into the Scottish tourist market and helps Hairy Coo to produce desirable products that look great on a shop shelf. Sheila is very much the boss and heads up all management, logistics and production at Hairy Coo and often swaps these roles for granny duties. The beauty of a mother/daughter business!
Emma’s road to the world of Hairy Coos was fairly winding! She trained as an actor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland which led her to London for 10 years, where she had every job under the sun - except acting! Jealous of her family’s entrepreneurial spirit (her brother owns several coffee shops & a roastery business in Edinburgh. Check out Cairngorm Coffee!) she tried her hand at starting her own business, Hey Ewe, in London. When children were on the horizon she merged Hey Ewe with Hairy Coo and moved back home to Scotland. Emma heads up the product design/development and marketing side of Hairy Coo, whilst also helping to fulfill orders when her two young children allow for it!
