Changing habits are tough, kind of like developing new products, but the end result is always worth it.
Ever since launching our beeswax wraps and bags, our customers asked us what dish soap they should use to wash them. And we always ended up recommending soaps that were packaged in plastic bottles. Makes no sense, right? So we started down the long and winding road of developing our own PLASTIC-FREE liquid dish soap, which later led to the development of a hand soap and more....
We started with some cool concepts like this (stay tuned, we haven't given up on this concept, it's just going to take more time)...
After several. iterations, we landed on a pod made with natural waxes, oils and resins. The beauty of using these materials is that you don't need to to test them to know they biodegrade. Why? They are unprocessed materials already found in nature.
The challenge of these materials, however, is that they aren't commonly used to store liquids, they are more fragile than plastic and so we needed to do a lot of testing to figure out how to create the tubes so they wouldn't leak.
In our first month almost 7% of the pods broke or leaked. Ouch. By our 3rd month we got it down to 2% and now we're at about 1%. As we continue to grow and develop, we hope to get it to less than 1%.
The exciting news is that we now have a natural alternative to plastic that really works - just check out the reviews of our soaps (NOTE: we do not censor reviews, every review that comes in, we post). When combined with our kraft paper boxes, compostable cellulose packing tape and bio-based soaps, we now have a viable alternative to plastic, but this is just the beginning.
What's Next? Scaling...
This is always the make or break moment for any new product. Develop a concept, come up with a viable prototype, test the market, prove the market... scale.
Making products with natural, organic materials, developing and testing new processes takes time and investment. It's an exciting and fulfilling process. One that we couldn't do with you - our customers. We read every review, we talk to our customers and we listen. This information is essential to helping us adjust and improve both our soap and our pods every month.
The ultimate goal is to reach a point where we can take this to masses with a great product that works as well as its plastic contemporaries, at a price we all can afford.
On the road from here to there, we are so grateful to our customers who are helping us make this vision a reality. Together, we really can make a difference.
I recently got the Lemongrass Hand Soap and glass dispenser. Love the soap, the scent and also the dispenser jar. Works great and I love how it looks in my kitchen. Will purchase another dispenser next time I order soap to use in my bathroom. Keep up the good work.