
GCA podcasts – capturing greeting card history to inspire the industry of the future
Talking Cards with Industry Leaders, the Greeting Card Association’s podcast series, is a look at key greeting card designers, publishers and individuals whose passion, drive and talent has influenced and shaped the history of our industry.
It is hoped that listening to those who have made a major contribution to our industry talk about their journey, and advice they’d give their younger self, will help and inspire the next generation of our wonderful industry.
GCA Meets – Cath and Rosie, co-owners of Cath Tate Cards
Cath Tate is a family business, started in 1980’s by Cath at her kitchen table. Today Cath Tate Cards is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Cath and Rosie. Working with small team in South London they are a prominent name in the UK greetings card market, known for funny cards with a social conscience.
Cath and Rosie talk to GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson, sharing a fascinating insight into their business.
- Cath and Rosie as a baby in 1981
- Mother and daugter team Cath and Rosie Tate
- Winning at the Henries
- Cath’s cover feature!
- Cath Tate at a trade show in 1990
Cath speaks about how her interest in photography and politics led to that Margaret Thatcher card, and featuring on the front of The Radical Bookseller, and how being inspired by her favourite female cartoonists, led to the birth of Cath Tate Cards.
She also talks about “thinking big”, managing a queue of retailers wanting to place orders at Spring Fair, and shares an interesting insight into the milestones and challenges of building a business. Rosie speaks about the importance of empowering a good team, outsourcing what you’re not good at, plus working with her mother and writing the jokes together!
Timeline
Cath Tate Cards
Giving a voice to female artists is at the core of Cath Tate Cards business. They work with an ever-growing community of contemporary designers and artists producing new cards, captions and concepts all year round.
Ethical production is an important focus at Cath Tate, all their cards continue to be printed in the UK on 100% recycled paper.
- Life is Rosie
- Loose Knits
- Lost Plots
- Life is Rosie
- Pina Colada
- Photocaptions
Meet the sponsor
Windles Group
Windles, specialist printers working with many in the greeting card industry, are kindly sponsoring this Podcast. Passionate about cards, the family run Windles Group have an ethos of ‘research, develop, try, refine and create’ that underpins their daily work. Combined with their custom built eco-factory and advanced sustainability program, this brings them a “brilliant, loyal client base”. They’ve shared journeys with hundreds of publishers and have been instrumental in driving environmental principles and initiatives.
