Little Peach Co.

Over the last few weeks I've had several people suggest that I get in touch with the crew at Little Peach Co. over in Woolloongabba. Dave, Cath + Sara, along with their 1965 Heidelberg Platen Big Bertha, are flat out creating beautiful, one-of-a-kind stationery for a multitude of clients. Dave took a breather to answer a few questions...

A gorgeous save the date card. Photo: Little Peach Co.

Dave's own business card! Photo: Little Peach Co.

Little Peach Co. greeting cards. Photo: Little Peach Co.

A lovely letterpress wedding invitation suite designed and printed by Little Peach Co. (G&V logo designed by Thea Skelsey and Gale & Vallance). Photo: Little Peach Co.

Another fabulous wedding invitation suite complete with cut-out silhouette of the Bride and Groom. Photo: Little Peach Co.

What are you backgrounds - how + when did you discover you had a passion for design + printmaking + how did Little Peach Co. evolve?

I come from a design background - from early days studying at Design College Australia to, more recently, working as an Art Director at an advertising agency - but over the past seven years I have been moonlighting as a wedding invitation designer. It was only when I discovered letterpress printing that I made the full leap of faith with my wife, Cath, to open Little Peach Co. last November. Our very small team of two became three at the start of the year when we brought on Sara, who (literally) just showed up on our doorstep to offer help with marketing + design.

Of course, a lot of work had to be done before we opened our studio doors. I'd done a fair bit of research into the letterpress industry + Cath + I had heaps of strategy meetings after our little ones went to sleep. Although our grand business plan certainly meanders as we face new challenges, it's a rewarding task to find creative solutions.

We currently lease an amazing 120 year old building on Stanley Street in Woolloongabba. We feel lucky because having a storefront allows us to meet with clients in a creative environment + show them firsthand the beauty of letterpress + how it all works. It's amazing to split our time between the front studio with clients + the back pressroom with Big Bertha, our 1965 Heidelberg Platen. It's always fun to welcome new visitors, so feel free to drop by for a coffee, chat + studio tour!

It's extraordinary that what began as an after-work hobby is now my full-time passions - designing + printing handcrafted invitations, business cards + custom stationery from scratch. I couldn't be happier to go to work everyday!

There has been a real resurgence of interest in using traditional, small run production methods for all sorts of things from printing through the ceramics + textiles over the last few years. What triggered your interest in letterpress as opposed to modern printing techniques?

When I discovered letterpress I was absolutely fascinated. I saw vintage printing as an opportunity to use an ancient trade, which provides a real challenge with beautiful + tangible results. Working with our press is quite laborious + time-intensive, but worth every second when you see and feel that exquisite letterpress detail.

Since letterpress is basically a dying art form, we wanted to add to the movement to preserve the craftsmanship of this extraordinary method. Lucky for us, we see Brisbane locals turning back to the old ways with a love for vintage goods + we're excited to contribute to the revival.   

Describe a typical day at Little Peach Co. for us?

Every day is pretty full on here at Little Peach since we only have two hand-on-deck. A typical work day would involve a revolving schedule of quoting + invoicing, designing, printing + client meetings. Our hands are pretty full with meeting quick turn arounds + working closely with clients to create a fun + friendly design process.

Luckily we always try to find time for coffee + a muffin from our local cafe Desmond and Molly Jones up the road!

When you get some downtime, how do you spend it?

At this point we're usually consumed by client projects, but it's really great to spend our downtime thinking about new + interesting ways to use our Heidelberg Platen. We're really excited about releasing our holiday range in the next few weeks + dreaming up new products for our online store.

Also, fresh off our collaboration with one of our local favourites Everingham & Watson, we have a few exciting projects with local businesses + designers coming up in the next few months. Stay tuned!

If all your dreams come true, where will Little Peach Co. be in 5 years time?

We're really taking everything one day at a time at this point. Hopefully we'll be able to grow + add in more presses + talented people over the next few years, but ultimately our aim is to keep producing high quality design + print work for a wide variety of clients.

At the end of the day, we started Little Peach Co. as a friendly, local studio for beautiful hand-crafted stationery. We hope to stay true to our roots for many years to come.

Finally, where or who do you look to for a bit of creative inspiration?

To be honest, most of our day-to-day design inspiration for stationery comes from our clients themselves. You should see the big ideas our brides + fellow designers come up with! Their excitement is ridiculously inspiring + always leads us to create the most incredible finished products!

Check out this lovely little video of Big Bertha in action for a little bit of insight into the printing process.