Lullaa Dairy Brand Backlash Over Mobility Parking Incident

Award-winning New Zealand dairy company Lullaa faced public criticism after its owners, Vineet and Vibhah Shiriwastow, briefly stopped their Bentley in a designated mobility parking space while delivering products to a FreshChoice store. The pair photographed the vehicle for internal record-keeping, then turned the car around and left within about a minute. The image was later shared online, leading to accusations that the car was stolen and prompting threatening messages toward the brand.

The New Zealand Herald

The Shiriwastows explained that the stop was intended solely to capture a delivery record and that the vehicle remained running while parked. They removed the photograph after learning it had been reshared and ceased responding to some online queries, believing further replies would fuel the backlash. Vineet Shiriwastow said the incident “shouldn’t have happened at all” and emphasized that FreshChoice had not authorized the parking, describing the store’s involvement as a “third party” matter. FreshChoice declined to comment when approached for comment.

The New Zealand Herald

• “We owned our mistake, we rectified it, we acknowledged it, and we took that photo down,” — Vineet Shiriwastow

The New Zealand Herald

• “We knew we were in the wrong ... and we learned from that. That was it, and we apologised to everyone who personally emailed us.” — The Shiriwastows

The New Zealand Herald

Despite issuing apologies and acknowledging the mistake, the Shiriwastows report that a minority of complainants continued to send threatening and intimidating messages. The online backlash, amplified by the image’s circulation on the CarJam platform, has overshadowed Lullaa’s recent market growth and the years spent developing its products. The episode illustrates how a brief parking breach can generate sustained reputational challenges for a growing New Zealand brand.

The New Zealand Herald