Last week, we were joined at our Founders’ Breakfast by Laura and Adam from Solid Oral Care for a kōrero about their journey from identifying the problem, to landing on supermarket shelves. In particular, Solid found a way to shake up a largely slow-moving and non-innovative $33 billion industry
Solid began with identifying a simple problem: too much annoying plastic waste involved in dental care, and not enough good alternatives.
Laura, who was a Registered Dental Hygienist & Therapist working in the industry at the time, wondered how she could target some of that waste generated in-home; after all, toothpaste tubes are made of plastic and almost always end up in landfill.
So they designed a solution - Solid Oral Care. With refills in compostable packaging and a commitment to zero-waste values, Solid now ships across the motu and beyond.
Their business is proudly bootstrapped - from mixing toothpaste themselves in the downstairs level of their own two-storey home (complete with a shipping container on the lawn out front) to a PledgeMe campaign where 80% of pledgers were already customers. They’ve incurred some serious customer loyalty along the way (and converted a sausage making machine into their own toothpaste refilling station at Taste Nature!).
Along the way, they’ve been featured in Breakfast, Seven Sharp, Stuff, and made the most of the Emerge Foodstuffs programme, landing Solid products in supermarkets for a year. They’re now in 250 stores nationwide, and have got eyes on the Australian market, where a younger customer base and a taste for eco alternatives is on the rise.
As a team, Laura brings the creative spark, Adam brings the structure - and together, they’ve built a business that’s both strategic marketing-wise, and also deeply values-driven.
Ngā mihi to Laura and Adam for joining us this week. It was a pleasure to hear from this sustainability-focused startup on their journey!
