 Yes, we start to be part of a movementDuring my October visit to Phillip Island - Australia, I stayed in the house of the Innes family. Very special friends, and most of all the son, Youki. (see a photo of him on my PARTNERS page) Youki has Cerebral Palsy and is using straws to drink from cups / glasses. One day we were talking together about his future and he mentioned that he wanted to start a web-shop in products and handy gadgets for people with a handicap, and of course Youki could be the best person to sell them, as someone with personal experiences with Cerebral Palsy and all the problems, issues, difficulties and challenges it brings!!! We also talked about the plastic straws he is using and decided that it should be possible to replace the one-time-use-disposable straws, which you will find everywhere in the trash, many times also on beaches and in oceans. And so we talked about wooden or bamboo straws. Of course we did not expect to be the inventor of the product, but I decided to look into it and found several bamboo straws offered on the internet. I have been spending time to read about them in blogs, tests and reviews of buyers and there are really not many good ones on the market. But I found some with the company BRUSH WITH BAMBOO. And I placed a test order with them, as a regular client. Just to see if I would like them. At the same time I decided to write to the company and ask if I could place a reseller-order instead of a regular client order and they said "yes". So we changed my retail order into a wholesale order and I decided to order also the Bamboo toothbrushes as a try-out. I have been reading more and more about bamboo, bamboo from China / India, the different product offers on internet, the cheap Chinese ones and the more expensive but still affordable high quality ones. BRUSH WITH BAMBOO came out as the best in many tests and blogs and as one of the most reliable in giving honest statements about products, manufacturing, etc. So this is "how it started". Now more about the products and the company.  "BRUSH WITH BAMBOO" TOOTHBRUSHThe source for the following information is the web-site of BRUSH WITH BAMBOO. For a lot more information and details I refer directly to their site: Brush with Bamboo (Copied from the website) 1 - BIODEGRADABLE HANDLE We’ve created a high quality easy-to-grip curved handle made entirely out of bamboo. Only organic, wild, giant Chinese Moso Bamboo is used for our bamboo toothbrush handles. No pesticides or fertilizers are ever used on our bamboo – in fact, because it is wild mountain bamboo, doing so would be completely impossible. Likewise, our bamboo is never watered by us — only natural mountain rain. At present we are harvesting less than 1% of the possible bamboo resources available in the sprawling Chinese bamboo mountain range where our bamboo is harvested. Less plastic, more bamboo! 2 - PLANT BASED BRISTLES This special SOFT bristle is composed of 62% Castor Bean Oil, 38% plastic. This is the latest and most advanced biobased bristle in the world today. It’s biobased, but still not biodegradable. You may have seen Dasani brand plastic water bottles made form 30% plants – our bristle is a similar concept. Prior to the invention of nylon in the 1930s, pig hair was used for toothbrush bristles worldwide. Today, pig hair remains the only biodegradable option – and it is a very controversial material. We hope you’ll support our brand as we “vote” with our supply chain. We’re pushing bristle manufacturers to develop better alternatives to nylon. This new bristle that we are now using is the best available option. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. Our bristles can be recycled – please read further details in the Proper Disposal Section of the website. 3 - COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING We wanted our whole product to be ecological, including the packaging. The toothbrush comes in a compostable wrapper made from plants (Learn more about the wrapper in the FAQ link at the bottom left of our web page). The outer box is made from 100% paper and is also biodegradable – no tape or glue is used. 4 - SAME LIFESPAN AS CONVENTIONAL PLASTIC TOOTHBRUSH Our ecological bamboo toothbrush will last just as long as a conventional plastic toothbrush. Please see details on the Proper Care page of the website. 5 - TRUE SUSTAINABILITY Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth. Because it contains naturally-occurring antimicrobial agents, there is no need for using fertilizers or pesticides during its cultivation. Our bamboo is totally organic and wild. After we harvest a bamboo stalk to use it for toothbrushes, another stalk takes its place and grows to full size within just 2 years — a remarkable growth rate! "Brush with Bamboo is the world’s first plant-based toothbrush. Every component of our product is plant-based: bristles, handle, wrapper, and box. Brush with Bamboo is a USDA Certified Biobased Product by United States Government’s Biopreferred Program. A purchase of our toothbrush is a vote for biobased products that are not fossil fuel-based! Our product is BPA-Free, Vegan, and Verified Non-toxic."  "BRUSH WITH BAMBOO" DRINKING STRAWS"Our bamboo drinking straws are grown organically and artisan-made in Northeast India exclusively for Brush with Bamboo. Bamboo straws are traditionally used in this hilly part of India to consume beer. You will notice the difference between our fine hand-made straws and other lower-priced machine- made brands of straws. Our artisans are treated like family and paid fair wages. 1 billion plastic, petroleum-based, non-biodegradable straws are used everyday worldwide. Our bamboo drinking straws are a fun and eco-friendly alternative to plastic that can be used with any beverage. The straws are made from real whole bamboo stalks – nothing re-compressed or processed. They are washable and reusable. Use a jar of warm water with soap to shake them clean, or clean with a pipe cleaner. A purchase of bamboo straws is a vote for sustainable materials. Each straw is 10 inches in length. The straws can last for years and years when properly cared for" Sun Sand Salt will sell the straws in sets of two or four together with a small straw cleaning brush. We are also working on a small pouch made of handcrafted fabric in which you can carry your personal straw with you. 
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 BEING SELF EMPLOYED - SURVIVAL OF THE FITTESTSometimes I compare people who start with their own business, with these little sea turtles crawling on the beach, trying to make it to the sea, facing all the dangers and predators around them, but just going in one direction! And not many are making it. I have a lot of respect for everybody who tries to make it in this harsh world of big companies, internet overload of information, offers and temptations, quick shopping, quick decisions, quick payments and quick deliveries (and many times also the quick returns). I understand that I am part of it too, with my web-shop, but I prefer to see myself as a different entrepreneur. My web-shop functions more as my catalog, the "window" for my business. But the real fun is selling directly to people, interact with people, share stories with people, to see how they are interested in something, and come back! It is my choice to be less commercial, to not go for big money, it is my choice to buy things from special projects or businesses, where the quality is maybe not high standard, but where you can feel love and care in a product, or the originality of it. And sometimes the product is not good at all, but I have been helping them, that is already good. It is my choice to give away a lot to charities and to help with donations. And I consider myself as one of the baby turtles who was running on the beach AND I made it to the sea - my little business is still there - and the dangers are not gone. But the feeling of freedom and swimming and floating in that endless sea, is also a great feeling! Happy with my chosen slow business in this fast and commercial world!  |
My name is Anneke AND I STARTED in January
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