In addition to attending events and growing our product’s reputation in a new country over the past year, Twipes has grown as a business as well.
Through the programs Twipes has been a part of over the past year, including Morgan Stanley’s Inclusive Ventures Lab, Innovate UK’s Global Incubator Programme and 43North’s startup accelerator, we have received mentorship and connections vital to the success of our expansion.
This mentorship has propelled Twipes along as we get ready to add truly flushable feminine hygiene products and truly biodegradable baby diapers to our repertoire of offerings. Through these programs, we’ve also received important investments to help our company scale.
In addition to the business side of the expansion, the people Twipes have met over the past year have also been phenomenal. From helping find apartments and workspace, to promoting a company new to American shores, to alerting us of additional opportunities and programs specific to U.K. startups that have been helpful in creating brand awareness and raising capital, the hospitality our company has received in its time in the States is nothing short of incredible.
In December, Twipes began researching retail opportunities across the country and landed in its first U.S. retail store, Thistle and Shamrock in Cambridge, Mass. Through this process, Twipes dealt with the challenge of learning where our product fits in the market and what types of retailers we should be reaching out to, while also confirming that there is genuine demand and interest in a product like ours in the retail space.
Another challenge Twipes encountered with the expansion is manufacturing-related. Because our product is currently manufactured only in Wales, U.K., it became clear that existing in both countries means we would need to set up another manufacturing facility in the U.S. We currently ship our products from Wales to the U.S., but are in the process of establishing manufacturing stateside to make production and distribution easier.
Twipes looks fondly back on its first year in America, yet is eager to continue its growth. In 2024, we hope to establish a manufacturing facility in Buffalo, N.Y., hire additional staff to help grow the company on a physical level and hone in on its next expansion: the European Union.