Podcast
Natural Paint Co.-Grace & James; Uncompromising, Sustainable, Beautiful Paints
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Podcast Summary
With no experience starting a business, let alone a sustainable paint business, these two 20 something year olds decided to crack the “mold” of the toxicity in our paint. Research out of the EPA found that our INDOOR environments can be 2-5x more toxic than the outdoor environment. These indoor “VOC’s” come from the chemicals we put into our carpets, our curtains, our furniture and our paint! Grace and James tell us how they started the Natural Paint Co. from scratch, cleverly collaborated with local chemists, started with an “uncompromising” mantra on both quality and sustainability and raised capital via an amazing local crowdfunding campaign in New Zealand.
The Paradox of Choice
Anyone who has ever painted their home has probably been faced with a million different options on paint. It can be quite overwhelming; colour, texture, durability, quality, finish, price and on and on. They have limited the pallet to “100 timeless” colours and they are gorgeous! One look at their Instagram page and you will quickly see what ardent fans they have and how they have “styled” their paints.
How Toxic Is Your Home?
Only recently have consumers started to become more aware of just how toxic their “home” environment might be. Understanding the impact of VOCs (volatile Organic Compounds) has unveiled the necessity to improve the air quality within our walls and not just outside. The Natural Paint Co. prioritises ingredients found in nature made with high quality plant and earth based minerals.
According to the US EPA “Volatile Organic Compounds” (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.”
Another Crowdfunding Success Story
In July 2021 Natural Paint Co. closed out their very first ever capital raise; hitting their target of 1.4m NZD with 5 days left on the clock! They used a local New Zealand company called The Snowball Effect.
These platforms give smaller investors opportunities to back entrepreneurs and products that resonate with them, without having to commit serious capital. According to the CAIA Association, “Kickstarter investors, the biggest global reward based platform with 17 million backers, have pledged about $5 billion in total.” Kickstarter also has a satellite tracker site, kicktraq.com, which stores information on past and present, successful and unsuccessful campaigns.
Disclaimer: As with anything you want to invest in, make sure you understand the risks involved.
Investment Takeaways
Founded in 2015, the Natural Paint Co. is generating revenues of $700k+, profitable from the first year and forecasting 219% CAGR to achieve revenue of $7m+ by 2023! The $1.4m capital raise will allow them capacity to 10x their production and to increase product awareness throughout New Zealand and Australia!
The Natural Paint Co. Product Inspiration
You Want to learn more about Sustainability?
If you want to learn more about how you can support sustainable products within your home, especially limiting single-use plastic, check out the webpage for Plastic Free July to get some actionable tips on reducing plastic waste.
You can find more “sustainable” consumer product inspiration in the Brianne West Podcast we published on my 50th birthday, July 1st! Have a listen to disruptive Danish entrepreneur Isabel Aagaard from The Last Object and our podcast with Elisabeth Dewey from Organic Mondays , another product take on a “sustainable bathroom.”
Thanks to our Guests:
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Grace’s Book Recommendation:
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- She Runs With the Wolves – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
James’ Book recommendations:
- The Power of Now – by Eckhart Tolle
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck by Mark Manson
- The Body Keeps Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Other Mentions:
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