Back in the summer of 2019 we launched our new business. Our aim was to help small businesses and individuals have access to the then new alternatives to single use plastic disposables. We bought in bulk to get the benefit of that pricing from our suppliers and passed those savings on to you, our customers. Allowing you to buy smaller quantities in the process (buy 100s not 1000s).
As we geared up for our first summer season, COVID happened. Overnight we saw our business model disappear. We were targeting summer festivals, outside catering, all of the events that were now in jeopardy. Then we realised, businesses that weren’t doing takeaway, were now forced to do so. This saved us and we suddenly had a viable business again. We were immensely grateful for the support that we got and that we were able to offer a valuable service during this time.
As we returned to normality, we grew more and more. We have to-date served ~3K unique customers across; restaurants, delis, bakeries, coffeeshops, churches, schools, burger vans, horse-box trailers and a tattoo parlour amongst many others. We have prided ourselves on our customer service and have received lots of lovely reviews – leading to being rated “Excellent” on Trustpilot with 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Over the last 7 and a bit years we have sold;
- 2M cups and lids,
- 2M takeaway containers,
- 2.5M straws and stirrers,
- 500K napkins, and…
- 4,750 dog waste bags!
A total of greater than 11M items that have been made from plants not plastic. We feel that we have helped make a difference and in some ways have achieved what we set out to achieve, with of course, your help.
Our main customer industry is hospitality, which for our entire existence has faced challenging times. We have seen long-standing customers sadly forced to call it a day. There have also been a few of you that have been with us almost since the beginning. It’s been amazing to see you flourish.
Our next challenge is making sure that we continue to have a viable business going forward. As part of this we have looked at where lack of control on costs and service level are affecting us. There are two key areas here; warehousing and logistics. We have now taken the decision to clear our entire warehouse and move to a different business model. Where we can, we will send items directly from our suppliers to you.
What does this mean?
- We will continue to get the benefit of volume pricing from our suppliers and pass those savings on to you.
- We will only be able to sell carton quantities of items, not the ‘break pack’ sizes that we currently sell.
This is a marked change in direction for us as we had always set out to support the smaller businesses and individuals buy smaller quantities. When we set out, we were one of the few companies that were doing this. However, the market place has changed significantly and you are now well catered for (pun, definitely intended).
This is now a transition period as we look to clear down our existing stock. We have removed the ability to ‘back-order’ any products on our website and everything is at least 50% off. For customers wishing to buy more than we have the stock for, please help us clear what we have and then get in touch to arrange orders of carton quantities (at non-sale pricing). Once the warehouse stock is cleared, we will update the website to reflect the new business model and allow ordering of carton quantity items.
Thank you once again for your existing business and we hope we can continue working together into the future.
