Meet Guy and Abi, founders of Pura, and a husband-and-wife team driven by their passion for creating a better, greener future for the next generation.
Through their innovative and environmentally responsible approach, they have set new standards for the baby care industry, offering parents a range of products that not only prioritize the safety and well-being of babies but also have a profound positive impact on our planet.
In this interview, we will dive into the inspiring story behind Pura, exploring the driving forces that led Guy and Abi to establish this remarkable brand, the challenges they’ve faced, and the milestones they’ve achieved.
We will also gain invaluable insights into their vision for the future of sustainable parenting and how Pura’s eco-friendly baby care products are making waves in the industry.
Q: What was the Lightbulb Moment / Origin Story of Pura?
Guy and Abi: We started Pura in our home in Cheshire, England in 2020, after we’d hit a phase in life where many of our friends were beginning to have children (we’d go on to have our first child, Ezra, just before Pura’s launch).
We quickly noticed how much of early parenting life is having your home suddenly inundated with wipes and diapers — both the fresh ones and the ones in the bin.
When we dug deeper, we found out that about 90% of wipes sold in both the UK and the US contain plastic, while 3 billion disposable diapers are thrown into landfill annually in the UK, each taking hundreds of years to degrade (that number increases to 20 billion used diapers in the US).
We knew that better, greener options already existed, but that the price alone was enough to make them a luxury for the majority of parents. We wanted to create something different — babycare that is high quality, skin safe, better for the planet, and, importantly, affordably priced.
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Q: What is Pura’s Mission and Vision?
Guy and Abi: At Pura, our mission is to democratize the ‘eco’ babycare space. Creating a more sustainable world for consumers doesn’t work if green products are prohibitively expensive.
In addition to protecting the planet with less plastic and carbon neutral manufacturing, Pura products put baby’s comfort and safety first, with diapers and wipes that are approved by Allergy UK, Nordic Swan and EU EcoLabel to meet the highest international standards in both skin safety (allergy and eczema-safe) and sustainability.
Q: How Does Pura Impact Lives and/or the Environment in a Positive Way?
Guy and Abi: We are a family-owned Carbon Neutral business and certified B Corp, and have dedicated our company to providing families with a better choice for their babies and the planet.
In the US, Pura’s eco-friendly diapers and 100% plant-based, biodegradable wipes are available at Walmart and Amazon, deals we made specifically with the intention of making them as easy to access as possible.
The year we launched, we joined forces with NappiCycle, a world leader in diaper recycling technology based in the UK.
Together Pura NappiCycle keeps millions of nappies out of landfill, repurposing the used diaper fibers for useful items such as materials for paving roads. We’d love to launch something similar in the US in the future.
Q: How have you funded the company thus far?
Guy and Abi: Pura launched as a family funded business in 2020. In 2022 we completed Raise A funding with backing from UK-based private equity firm Maven Capital partners to support our rapid growth.
The £4.25m funding included investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, an initiative launched by the UK government-owned British Business Bank to support SMEs in the Northwest of England.
We are currently in the midst of Raise B to further accelerate our growth as we launch into the US. We have secured £3.4m so far with backing from new high net worth individuals and also our private equity partner.
Q: What Tools Do You Use to Run Pura?
Shopify is our web platform. We sell directly to consumers via our UK site, so Shopify made sense as a one-stop shop to manage inventory, payments, and shipping.
Klaviyo has helped us build a community and keep our audience updated via marketing email communications. Internally, we use a mixture of Slack and Teams for online meetings and for messaging.
Because we launched during the Covid 19 pandemic, I often say we built our business on Microsoft Teams!
It was how the newly recruited Pura team got to know each other via daily online meetings and where we shared the early ideas and innovation that formed the bedrock of our brand.
Now we’re a global business, Teams and Slack continue to be an essential tool for interaction with our US partners.
