The past year
I thought I'd share a little summary of the past year, and a little about our plans for next year.
Now in February it will be three years then Sebbe convinced me to move to Gotland and run this company with him.
2021 , our first year, where terrible. We didn't know what we were doing, we had no customers, and were wasting our time on nonsense.
As soon as it crossed over to 2022, our business really took off, as our sales skyrocketed. However, the happiness was short-lived, because throughout the year we suffered from various logistical problems. We were inexperienced and sold for more than we could handle.
2023 was the year we got a handle on logistics , thanks in large part to hiring Moa for customer service, who many of you have probably been in contact with. She has proven to be an invaluable asset to us!
More products
We have spent most of the year on that introduce more products to the range, as we want to contribute on several fronts. Sometimes I pass by the warehouse and take a look at the different products we have. We have light in various forms, beeswax bags , fire starters , vegan cloths , rolls , and ours mini-fireplaces . It's hard to imagine that once upon a time we only had beeswax cloths. The fact that they have also become so popular is incredibly fun to see!
For next year, we have no plans to slow down. During 2024, we will continue to launch more sustainable household products in even more categories.
This year's bestseller
When it comes to this year's best sellers, it's hard to single out just one, because not all products have been around for the same amount of time, and sales often go in waves. The vegan cloths, for example, have only been around for a little more than a month, while the candles have been around for almost a year.
The award " bestseller of the year " will probably still go to the mini-fireplace. It was launched in September as an effort to reduce our production waste. It has succeeded well in that, and we have at the time of writing sold more than 3300 pieces . Nowadays, there is a mini-fireplace in almost every third order that goes out. Extremely fun to see when you put so much time into it. You can read more about the mini-fireplace here!
Fairs
The best decision we made this year was to start going to fairs. Among other things, we have been to Formex, Rättvik's autumn market, and the Garden Fair in Stockholm. Standing in the streets and squares and talking to people has been invaluable!
For next year we have planned to double the number of fairs we visit. We want to reach even more towns and cities in all corners of the country. We want to meet as many people as possible, get as much feedback as possible, and shake as many hands as possible. We learn an incredible amount from it!
A couple of upcoming dates you can write down are
- Formex in Stockholm 16 - 18 January
- Vegemessut in Helsinki (Finland) 26 - 28 January
- Formland in Herning (Denmark) 2 - 4 February
- Our Garden in Malmö 8 - 10 March
- The garden fair in Stockholm 21 - 24 March
Hope to see you at one of these!
Final words
Last but not least, I want to give a big, big thank you to all our customers and followers!! Without you, we would literally be nothing at all.
We are a small company struggling to make ends meet, especially when we insist on doing everything ourselves in our own factory, with employees who are paid a fair wage. It is not always easy, but we are convinced that David always beats Goliath in the end.
Even if we didn't earn your wallet's trust this year, every like, share, comment, or email means everything to us!!
Our journey began in a student room three years ago . Then the goal was to replace single-use plastic. Now the goal is to make all sorts of functional, cool, and durable products for the home, that all "serve a purpose", and that people actually use.
If we haven't earned your trust yet, I sincerely hope we can in the future. If we got it, I hope we get it again next year. We will continue to fight for that every day!
We wish you a really wonderful 2024!
Sincerely,
/Leo & Sebastian
