2021 Year In Review

Aug 11, 2023 Tom Walsh
2021 Year In Review
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Hey Durbys!

First off, from the bottom of my heart I want to thank every person who supported our mission this past year. Without your unwavering love, support, and encouragement – durbl wouldn’t be here today. It’s hard to imagine that this time last year, I was still working with our manufacturer to finalize our samples. I hadn’t even touched a durbl yet, our packaging wasn’t finalized, and this website didn’t even exist. I say that with an immense amount of pride in hopes of inspiring someone reading this that it’s never too late to start and if you’re committed to something -- you can accomplish it. All that said, I’d like to take a few moments to reflect on our journey this year with some milestones, accomplishments, and what to expect in 2022.

Milestones

Our North Star is to inspire & enable people to make health-conscious decisions not only for the earth but themselves. We’ll build on the latter in 2022, but you all contributed immensely to making the earth a better place in 2021.

In totality, you’ve purchased over 5,217 durbl bags. Conservatively, we can say that one durbl replaces 200 plastic baggies. Thus, you’ve helped eliminate at least 1,043,400 plastic baggies from entering & harming our environment. Wow! Our goal is to help eliminate ONE BILLION plastic baggies from harming the environment. We’re 1% of the way there and with your help, we’d like to make a bigger dent in that goal next year.

The Durbl Starter Set was recognized in two publications as the best reusable silicone bag for leftovers AND its standing capability (most reusable bags on the market – like Ziplocs – lay flat). Our founder also joined a podcast to talk about the process behind building durbl.

We know that to replace the single-use plastics in your life, you need sustainable substitutes that make sense. Our original collection solved most needs, but we knew we could do better. That is why we brought to market the first standing, single-piece, dishwasher-safe, reusable Gallon bag. It sold out within 3 weeks on our site, and we tripled our order quantity this time around. You should expect our gallon bag in some new colors in 2022. 

In a world where everything is moving online, we certainly grew our presence. In November, we went viral on TikTok had garnered over 2 million views on ONE video. Creating content that brings you value is a huge focus for us in 2022. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram and TikTok!  On top of that, we’ve partnered with some wonderful women to join our ambassador team and spread our mission organically through their respective communities they’ve worked hard to build. Interested in learning more? Check out our ambassador program here.

What To Expect In 2022

Like most companies, managing the supply chain has been a challenge for us. Especially, as a start-up with limited funding. We hope to have our best-sellers (Sky Colored Set) back in stock within the next 60 days and to keep it that way through the year. How could we honestly say that we’re committed to making it easy for you to switch away from single-use plastic if we don’t have products in stock? We do appreciate your patience & understanding.

We’ll look to partner with a non-profit and contribute a portion of our sales to a mission that aligns with our corporate values.

Adding new colors and bag sizes is also a top priority for us. We’ve been working diligently with our manufacturer to offer new sizes that make it easy for you to switch away from single-use plastic. You can expect those in the 2nd half of 2022.

Simply put, we’d like to grow our community by offering value in our product line and the content we produce. We truly hope to continue inspiring others to make health-conscious decisions for themselves AND the earth. It could be as simple as not taking the straw at Starbucks. We don’t need everyone doing sustainably perfectly, we just need everyone doing something sustainably.

I’d like to leave you with this. We strive to be accountable and transparent on our journey. If you see/think of something we could be doing better – let us know! We value your input, and we will always listen. This is our journey together.

Thank you all again for your support over the past 6 months. With your help, we’ve certainly accomplished a TON, but know that our best days are still ahead of us. I wish all of you a healthy, blessed, and prosperous 2022. It will be OUR year.  

Much love,

Tommy

Durbl Founder & CEO

 

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