It all started when our mum, Jo, decided to make just one beanie for a friend during the endless winter nights of 2020. Picking up the needles reignited her childhood love of knitting, and she realised she'd found the perfect way to keep her hands busy and her mind quiet.
Jo soon became a bona fide beanie machine, with current estimates sitting at one hat per week for the last five years (!). Before long, there simply were not enough heads in the family to meet her growing supply, so we figured we’d share them with our customers. The first batch were sold at the Nzo headquarters in Rotorua, New Zealand, back in 2021.
When we brought Nzo to the Northern Hemisphere, we knew it was time for Jo’s beanies to go international - there's plenty of ears up here to keep cosy after all. Unboxing our annual eclectic batch is a moment we look forward to every year.
It's no surprise the beanies have become an Nzo favourite: with each stitch carefully knitted by Jo, each hat is full of character and as unique as her. As one happy camper put it: "[I] get a lot of compliments so thank you to the family member for making it, it's very comforting to have in your pack at the top of a hill or setting up camp.”
For Jo, it’s knitting. For us, mountain biking is how we switch off from the noise of the outside world and clear our heads. So when we heard about the incredible work happening to support people with their mental health through Delivering Mountain Biking in Scotland's Trail Therapy programme,we knew we had to put our 2025 drop to good use.
Trail Therapy supports people experiencing mental ill-health, social isolation and barriers to physical activity, using structured, nature-based mindfulness practices, alongside mountain biking. The programme is designed to build confidence, improve social interactions in a supportive environment and help participants establish self-regulation skills. The goal is that mountain biking will become part of each person’s toolkit, to accelerate and sustain their recovery.
We think its best to let the Trail Therapy crew do the talking, so check out James' story here.
We're stoked this initiative is out in the world and hope to keep supporting efforts to increase access to the mental health benefits of our sport in any way we can.
So grab a beanie and we'll donate £29 to the Scottish MTB Health Fund.
Cheers!
The Nzo Active UK Crew.