Memobottle
Q&A WITH JESSE LEEWORTHY & JONATHAN BYRT
Tell us the story of your business – was there a particular moment, person, or need that inspired it?
Growing up in a small coastal town south of Melbourne we saw first hand the devastating effect that single-use plastic water bottles were having on our oceans and environment.
On top of this we were astounded that in a country that provides clean and accessible drinking water, people could buy single-use bottled water and would pay over 1,400 times more than what it costs from the tap.
We had also experienced the frustrations of trying to fit cylindrical water bottles into our bags. The bottles on the market were designed around ease of manufacture. Because of this, car holders, bike holders, and accessories followed suit. We decided to flip the equation and create a product that was optimized for transportation but still held the functionality of traditional water bottles. Our aim has always been for the memobottle™ to become a vehicle to change, aiding people to reduce their waste and be more conscious about their purchasing decisions.
What’s been the most exciting development of the memobottle™ for you both?
The most exciting development for us has been placing memobottle™s in the hands of more and more people all around the world. This has resulted in a reduction in single-use bottle consumption and assisted in changing people's perceptions around wastage. One of our big milestones recently was becoming a certified B-corporation – this has pushed us even further to put ethical and sustainable factors at the forefront of our business.
Tell us three things that make your product stand out.
The unique design and aesthetics of our bottles, the convenience of the flat bottle design and its ability to be a better fit, and the direct social and environmental impacts created by the purchase of each memobottle™. The memobottle™ is a premium, reusable, flat water bottle designed to fit within your bag alongside computers, books, and valuables. Every element of the memobottle™ has been carefully considered, from its innovative shape to the premium grade packaging.
What energises and inspires you?
Our greatest motivator is our desire to create a positive future impact. We’re inspired to reduce the consumption of single-use products through convenient and sustainable design.
What advice would you give to someone who has a creative business idea?
Give it a shot! The best thing about crowdfunding and social media platforms is that we now have the ability to put an idea out to the world and receive some accurate and informative feedback. These days, with platforms like Kickstarter, Pozible and Indiegogo we are able to let the people decide first. Our advice is to work hard and work fast, put your idea out there to the world and use the feedback that you obtain whether it be good or bad, to refine and improve your idea.
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