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Parents in Business featuring Pura - Claire Moran Designs
This week on my Parents in Business series I’m excited to introduce you to Guy and Abi, a husband and wife team who created and set-up their business; Pura selling flushable and non-flushable baby wipes. I’m sure that many parents are horrified by how many baby wipes are sent to landfill, I know that I am. I dread to think how many I’ve placed in our black bin over the past 5 years. I would love for you to have a read of Guy and Abi’s story about how they made it a success really quickly during lockdown, whilst looking after their son. Tell me a little bit about you, your background, and your business? My wife Abi and I launched Pura under lockdown, in June this year. We both have other businesses: I run a wholesale business called Brand Ambassadors International, selling fmcg brands, while Abi has her own clothing retail business called Abi Fisher Clothing and we were both keen to launch our own brand. Having just had our first child, Ezra, we wanted to drive change by producing affordable eco-friendly baby products. Abi and I were shocked by how many plastic based wipes we saw in friends’ homes. I did my own research and discovered that 90% of the wipes currently sold in the UK contain plastic, meaning they can last more than 100 years in landfills, yet the vast majority of parent don’t know that the wipes they are using are made from plastic. Abi and I decided to take on the big names in wipes, hence our company Pura was born and we launched our own range of 100% plastic free, 100% compostable and biodegradable flushable and non flushable wipes. We’re going beyond the product though, as we’re on a mission to ban plastic based wipes in the UK and beyond and our launch film featuring babies calling on people to ditch plastic wipes, has been viewed more than 7 million times to date: YouTube What motivated you to set up your own business? My wife Abi, and I, were thinking of starting a family and were shocked by how many baby wipes we saw in friends’ homes. We did our own research and discovered that 90% of wipes in the UK contain plastic and can last more than 100 years in landfills, yet most consumers are unaware of this. At the same time having our first child, Ezra, was a turning point, as we became more aware of the legacy being left for our children. We decided to take on the big names in baby products, launching Pura with a mission to make eco-friendly baby products affordable for all. Our first product is 100% plastic-free, 100% compostable and biodegradable baby wipes and we want to go further and ban the sale of plastic wipes in the UK. Our baby wipes come in two types – flushable and non- flushable and contain 99% water and organic aloe vera. At under 3p per wipe, they are on par or cheaper than traditional plastic wipes and available on subscription with free next day delivery for the ultimate in convenience. Products are available on subscription with free next day delivery for the ultimate in convenience and include that they are on a par, or cheaper, than other wipes brands at less than 3p per wipe. We’ve just launched our range of nappies which are the most affordable eco-friendly nappies on the market in the UK, created with 100% green electricity and no production waste. Their super absorbent core is made with certified natural plant fibres and they contain no nasty chemicals, perfumes and they are approved by Allergy UK. Wrapped in 100% recyclable PE packaging, the nappies have been awarded the EU Ecolabel, so they meet the highest environmental standards and the packaging can be recycled at the local supermarket. The nappies are really affordable for the consumer at just 12.8 pence (size1) per nappy with free next day delivery. How do you balance or juggle your business around family commitments? We’ve supported each other through our start-up journey. We’ve been together for 15 years and we build each other up when we need it. We’re also lucky to have an incredibly talented and supportive team who help share the load. What do you view as your biggest success since setting up your business? In the first week after our wipes launch on 21 June (Father’s Day), we took 27,000 orders, and we’ve since seen sales growth of between 150% and 200% week-on-week and our subscription base is expanding by 70% weekly. What are your top tips for anyone who is thinking about setting up their own business? Surround yourself with brilliant people with the same vision and be honest and open about what you can and want to achieve Thank you so much Guy and Abi for taking part in my series this week. It has been lovely to find out more about you and Pura. To find out more about Pura visit the website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. If you like what you’re reading and would love to be part of my Parents in Business series just drop me an email: thepramshedblog@gmail.com. Or have a nose at some of the other businesses I have featured in the series: Blinds Direct Online, Allcott Associates, and Mum & You. Claire x