From rugby to rubber: How a Kiwi athlete built a global automotive products business

Pictured above: Brock and some of the RubberTree team.

When a career-ending injury sidelined Brock Mustard’s rugby dreams, he didn’t just pivot – he built something bigger. Learning the ropes in his stepfather’s carpet manufacturing business, he spotted a gap in the market with RubberTree, now Australasia’s leading manufacturer of interior vehicle protection products. With global expansion underway, Brock shares how he turned a setback into a business success story without losing the Kiwi values that got him there.

Brock Mustard didn’t plan on becoming a business owner. Between 2009 and 2011, while studying Business and Marketing at AUT, his sights were set on a professional rugby career until a fracture-dislocation injury to his ankle forced him to reconsider his future.

Unsure of his next steps, he joined his stepfather’s carpet manufacturing business, which had been in operation since the 1970s. Initially, he focused on sales and learning the trade, but he soon started cutting and detailing mats by hand, working with factory employees to create custom automotive mats.

This hands-on experience gave him insight into manufacturing, materials, and customer needs and, ultimately, sparked the idea for RubberTree.

Keen to test the market, Brock decided to combine research with a road trip around New Zealand, personally visiting hundreds of car dealerships.

“I was just asking a simple question: Would you buy customised car mats if we made them?” Brock recalls.

At each stop, he collected business cards from dealerships and noted whether they had responded positively or not. When he returned home, he looked at the stack of cards and realised there were more ‘yes’ responses than ‘no’.

“That’s when I realised there was a real opportunity. People were interested, so I saw the chance to get things rolling.”

He started small, hand-tracing and cutting each mat based on vehicle templates, then using his stepfather’s factory to sew and finish them one by one. Brock personally traced the interior dimensions of car mats onto paper templates, cut them out manually, and then handed them over to be sewn. He delivered the mats himself, mainly to used car dealerships replacing damaged mats in imported vehicles.

“As soon as the orders started coming in, I just kept saying yes and figuring things out along the way. The attitude was always to say yes, make it happen, and worry about the details later.”

As word spread, new car dealerships came to RubberTree, followed by fleet companies and even car manufacturers like Hyundai New Zealand and LDV New Zealand. The business was growing fast, and Brock quickly realised that his handmade process wasn’t going to keep up with demand.

Accelerating growth

In 2013, Brock hired his first full-time employee, a close friend who was eager to be part of the journey.

“Having someone I trusted, rather than a stranger, was really important,” he says. His first hire took on multiple roles, from customer service to logistics and production – allowing Brock to focus on expanding sales and refining operations.

Brock soon began investing in modern manufacturing technology, replacing hand-tracing with digital scanning and manual cutting with computer-guided precision machines. The shift allowed RubberTree to scale without sacrificing the quality and customisation that set it apart.

What started as a small side project has grown into Australasia’s leading vehicle interior protection manufacturer. The business operates in New Zealand and Australia, with early expansion into North America.

The company has started testing sales in the US and Canada, with plans to eventually set up local manufacturing for left-hand drive vehicles.

“We decided on the North American market as we managed to secure some business in the US and Canada off the back of some key customers wanting to grow into those markets and bring us with them. This has reduced the risk to enter the market and allows us to cover costs while looking to expand.

“We have also spent several years researching the market with frequent trade shows and customer visits to gather information,” says Brock.

RubberTree currently produces over 500,000 interior vehicle protection products per year, offering 200,000 unique variations, and employs 65 people across its operations.

One of the company’s defining features is its commitment to customisation. Every product is made to order, ensuring the best fit and quality for customers.

“The challenge in this market is that every car has different interior dimensions,” Brock explains.

“Nobody keeps 1,000 sets of Toyota Corolla mats in stock, waiting for someone to buy them. Our system allows us to make each order specifically for the customer, ensuring a factory-fit product without holding huge amounts of inventory.”

This approach has helped RubberTree secure partnerships with major retailers like Supercheap Auto and grow its e-commerce sales.

The introduction of bundled product offerings has also been a game-changer.

“If you’re looking to keep your car’s floor clean, you probably want to protect your boot as well. So we started bundling mats with boot liners and sunshades, and that’s been one of our biggest successes.”

Scaling a business from a handmade operation to an international manufacturer, Brock says, hasn’t come without its challenges.

Building the right systems and processes has been challenging and is continuously being readjusted to the growth levels.

“As soon as you grow, things start to break. You have to constantly rebuild them.”

Another major challenge was hiring the right people, who are willing to wear multiple hats ang growth withing the company.

“Sometimes you need a salesperson to help with marketing, or a logistics manager to jump into something completely different. Not everyone is up for that challenge.”

Looking ahead, Brock is focused on strengthening the RubberTree brand.

“For a long time, we were a white-label manufacturer, making products for car brands and dealerships,” he says.

“Now, we want people to recognise RubberTree as the go-to brand for interior vehicle protection.”