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Hello and welcome to the Live Lightly
podcast.

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I'm your host, Jessica Franklin.

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in today's episode, we're going to talk
about one of my very favorite kitchen

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hacks for keeping food fresh, keeping it
out of the landfill, and also reducing

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household dependence on plastic, single
-use plastic especially.

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It's called Vejibag.

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It's a vegetable crisper bag that's made
of 100 % unbleached organic cotton French

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terry, and they keep vegetables fresh for
up to two weeks without plastic.

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I'm joined today by Anne Wing, the
Director of Communications And Stacey

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Erickson, the Director of Operations.

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Welcome, Anne and Stacey.

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Thank you for joining me today.

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Thanks, Jessica, for having us.

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we have a lot to talk about, but I'd love
to just start with the story behind

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Vejibag and how it was originally started.

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And then also, of course, how both of you
became involved with your current roles,

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because I know that you have stepped in
for the founder, who is no longer, she's

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retired, correct?

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Yes, Vejibag was started in 2013 by my
mother -in -law Sally, she was living in a

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small town called Eastport, Maine, and she
had a greenhouse, and she was selling

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greens to the local co -op, and wanted to
figure out how to transport these organic

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greens to her customers without using
plastic.

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she got on the internet, she did a bunch
of research and found that people had

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historically used kitchen towels to wrap
their greens in.

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So Sally went to her local thrift store,
found some used washcloths and started

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sewing them together and packing her
greens in them and sending them out to

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people.

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And it worked.

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They kept everything fresh.

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Maybe six months later, she showed up to
my house with this bag that she had sewn

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together and said, Hey, you've got to
start using this to keep your greens

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fresh.

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And I kind of looked at her.

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I was like, really?

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I tried it.

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And sure enough, they actually worked.

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I actually joined the company in 2016.

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So between 2013 and 2016, I kept.

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hearing updates from Sally about what the
company was doing.

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I kept thinking, this is so cool.

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I really want to be a part of it someday.

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And finally in 2016, the time was right
for everybody.

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so from 2013 to 2016, the bags were
actually made by women out of different

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recycled materials, either

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washcloths from the thrift store, then it
turned into t -shirts from the thrift

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store that they would then screen print,
but it was all made by women in their

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homes to provide them with work while they
were at home.

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So it seems very serendipitous that then I
ended up coming to work for the company in

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2016 when she relocated from Maine to
North Carolina.

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that is so cool.

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I love it.

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It's literally grassroots But Anne, let's
hear a little bit from you.

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And then and then I definitely want to
dive into like.

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the progression of how she went from that
to what they are today.

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Awesome, yeah, so I met Stacey in 2013
when all of this was starting for Sally.

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amidst this, her first grandchild was
born, Stacey's older son.

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And that's what brought me and Stacey
together.

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We became friends in 2013 because we both
had...

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babies and we started spending time
together.

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And so we haven't really spent a whole lot
of time apart from each other since then.

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I remember hearing Stacey talk about
getting involved with Vejibag , and then I

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started using Veggie Bags myself I would,
leave a playdate with Stacey and she'd be

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going off to ship Veggie Bags.

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So the company was still really small and
family was making it work and just, like

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you said, very grassroots.

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But production shifted to North Carolina
since I think Sally wanted to be closer to

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her grandson and family.

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So I actually...

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have known the family for some years and
have always marveled at Sally's commitment

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to sustainable practices.

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And so it was really interesting.

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She found a way to start producing vejibag
at a higher volume by partnering with some

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companies out of North Carolina, which is
where we're based.

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She found 100 % organic cotton that was
being grown in Texas actually, through a

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cooperative there and being brought to
North Carolina to be spun into thread,

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which was then made into the fabric we use
by a company out of Asheville, North

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Carolina called Spiritex.

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So she...

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Through that, she also developed a
relationship with a small worker -owned

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facility in Western North Carolina as well
called Opportunity Threads.

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And that's where vejibag are cut and sewn.

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So all of that came together.

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And still being a very grassroots company,

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took production to another level.

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And then in 2020, I got involved with the
company.

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It was a good time to have somebody come
and help out a little bit more given the

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success of the small.

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family -run company.

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So I just kind of stepped into a role to
help out wherever I could and things have

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just kind of evolved from there.

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Eventually, like Stacey said, Sally
decided to take a back seat and she's on

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to other really cool endeavors

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and is just so passionate about the
company.

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But yeah, these days Stacey and I are the
people behind the scenes with Vejibag

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it seems like growth has happened pretty
fast.

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to inspire people who have ideas for
sustainably made products that can help

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reduce plastic use in homes and just in
the world in general.

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And so do you know kind of a little bit
about what that journey looked like for

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her to go from such a small scale to what
it is now?

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How did she start growing?

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Did she just start with local stores or
was it online mostly or a little bit

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combination of both?

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And.

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If there were any like struggles or
challenges along the way that she met with

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the growth of her company, either with
sourcing or with production, those kinds

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of little nuggets I think are always fun
and interesting for people to hear

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because, it kind of helps to create the
picture of what possibilities are

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available for people who have a passion
and something that,

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that they have an idea to do and that it
might, start small, but it can grow.

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Yeah, in 2013, she was mostly just using
materials she could find at the local

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thrift store.

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And then in 2014, she found out about
cloth waste at hospitals.

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So she started actually picking up

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the what they're called, Huk towels.

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They're used like wrap up medical
instruments before surgery surgeries.

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So they're completely sterile through the
whole process.

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So she found out about those and was like,
this is a great waste stream.

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So she, for a while vejibag were made out
of Huk towels until she realized.

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I mean, that's just the ingenuity and the
creativity that I love to hear about

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because it's so resourceful and she's
saving waste from the landfill.

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I mean, I'm guessing they only use those
once.

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my gosh.

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Yeah.

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So from there, she started hiring more and
more women to make these.

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So then she also felt like she needed to
make sure she was able to provide a stable

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income stream for these women and realized
that by...

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trying to make each one, each one was such
an individual piece that it just wasn't

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really scalable because at that time she
was actually cutting and screen printing

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all the labels herself.

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She was cutting manila folders that she
was getting at the thrift store to turn

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them into tags for the vejibag.

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that.

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she was So while it was saving a lot of
things from the landfill, it just wasn't

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really a scalable way to do business.

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And people were learning about it.

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First it started off in the small town and
then some of the local shops found out and

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business just very organically grew.

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So she realized I've got to do something
different.

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And that's when she was like, well, if I'm
going to do this, I want to do it in the

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most ethical way I possibly can.

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And I don't want to be poisoning people
while I'm doing it So the only solution

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then was to find organic cotton,
unbleached material.

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And she found that the terry worked
really, really well.

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And she was able to find.

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a source in the US because she didn't want
to be transporting it across the ocean and

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found that luckily there's the Texas
Cotton Cooperative growing organic cotton

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and that there was a person in Asheville
actually making the fabric that she was

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looking for.

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Yeah, and that keeps it sustainable too
when you know your growers and you know

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your manufacturers.

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It keeps it ethical for, the pay and how
the workers are treated.

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and that seems to be kind of a theme that
I hear from all of my guests so far who

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are founders of their products and their
companies is that they started from day

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one.

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with sustainability as a number one
priority.

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to keep everything clean and put good out
into the world with their products They

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are obviously thinking about people and
the planet before profits, which is.

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rare and hard to find and it takes some
time.

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And I know that I actually, this is not a
product that I found myself, which is

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unusual because usually I'm the one
digging through the internet and trying to

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find things that are made with this kind
of mindset.

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And with all the greenwashing out there,
there's now a lot more choices than seven

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years ago when I started this process of
trying to reduce.

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my plastic use.

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But now there's so much and it's harder to
sift through the green washing.

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But luckily, this is a product that was
brought to me several years ago.

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My in -laws who live East Coast in New
York City, they found Vejibag as a

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solution to keeping their produce fresh.

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for a week or week and a half, however
long it would be between their trips to

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Whole Foods.

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And so they brought me some because they
were like, my gosh, you're going to love

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this.

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and at first I was kind of like really
it's going to keep my leafy greens fresh

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for two weeks I don't know about that, you
know So I kind of had some hesitation and

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there's a little bit of a learning curve,
but it's not bad And once I did it, I was

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like, wow, this is great I can actually go
less often to the one store that I prefer

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or to the farmers market just kind of
depends on the week and be able to

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not have to make so many trips So that's
how I stumbled upon Vejibag and I'm so

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glad that they're still making it today
because I just think it's the most no

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-brainer resource to avoid plastic, you
know, getting lettuce that's in those big

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plastic tubs and it just also it's
supposed to keep it fresh longer, but it

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just doesn't.

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keep it fresh for very long.

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And then also just putting it into like
plastic bags to keep it fresh doesn't work

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for very many days either.

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So this is a great solution.

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And actually the other day, literally
yesterday, I pulled some kale out of the

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fridge that had been in a Vejibag for
three weeks.

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And I'd been keeping it moist because I
just, I had bought two batches of kale at

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the farmer's market instead of one for
whatever reason.

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And I was like, well, because it will be
fresh for two weeks.

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It's fine.

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And usually I just use one bunch worth in
a week.

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And so I used the first one.

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And then the next week, I just didn't get
around to using the second one.

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But I just kind of kept the bag moist like
I do during that two week window.

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If I have something for that long, just
kind of make sure that it doesn't dry out.

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And.

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Last night I had the opportunity to use it
and I was like, well, here's hoping, you

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know?

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And I opened it up and it was completely
fresh and crisp and perfect.

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There was like two leaves in the middle
that maybe weren't exposed to as much of

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the moisture that had a little bit of like
yellowing starting around the edges.

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But I mean, I was like, this is amazing.

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And I think that it happened that way at
perfect timing just for this interview

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because, it just kind of is a testament to
how.

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awesome these bags are.

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And just such a savings, I would have had
to throw it away, right?

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Like that would have been not only kind of
a mess to clean up in my drawer, but also

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two or $3, down the drain, in addition to
the resources that are used to grow the

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kale.

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But also I like to reference this.

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I found this information on the USDA
website one time about how unsustainable

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food waste is.

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on so many different levels and I just
kind of want to read it really quick

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because when I read it I was like, it's
kind of like you know inherently that it's

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wasteful.

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But when you read this or hear this,
you're just like, wow, that's really a lot

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of resources.

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So it says, when food is wasted, so too is
the land, water, labor, energy, and other

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inputs that are used in producing.

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processing, transporting, preparing or
packaging for sale and storing and

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disposing of the wasted discarded food.

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So when you really see the bigger picture,
it adds up to a lot more than just a

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little bit of food into the landfill,

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and that is creating some unfavorable
things for our planet as well.

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00:20:48,971 --> 00:21:35,064
So I love the resource so much for so many
different reasons

228
00:21:35,064 --> 00:21:39,864
And so it's an initial investment, but I
think on the back end, the amount of money

229
00:21:39,864 --> 00:21:46,484
that you save from not having to throw
foods away because they don't last forever

230
00:21:46,484 --> 00:21:48,514
and you know, life happens.

231
00:21:48,514 --> 00:21:54,104
We have kids, we're busy and planned meals
sometimes don't always get executed on

232
00:21:54,104 --> 00:21:54,844
time.

233
00:21:54,844 --> 00:22:00,584
And so, you know, I think over time they
pay for themselves like tenfold.

234
00:22:01,166 --> 00:22:03,146
Definitely.

235
00:22:03,146 --> 00:22:10,526
Well, we love to hear your story about
your three week old kale, Jessica.

236
00:22:10,526 --> 00:22:16,246
And I think just everything you are saying
speaks to the fact that Vejibag are

237
00:22:16,246 --> 00:22:20,536
awesome because they're good at keeping
your vegetables crisp.

238
00:22:20,536 --> 00:22:22,626
That's why we call them crisper bags.

239
00:22:22,626 --> 00:22:24,078
And they're also.

240
00:22:24,078 --> 00:22:25,618
plastic free.

241
00:22:25,618 --> 00:22:33,488
And we find that we have customers who are
seeking just plastic free.

242
00:22:33,488 --> 00:22:35,458
They don't want to use plastic bags
anymore.

243
00:22:35,458 --> 00:22:38,678
And that might lead them to trying a
Vejibag.

244
00:22:38,938 --> 00:22:44,458
Or we have people that are really tired of
slimy lettuce.

245
00:22:44,458 --> 00:22:49,198
And that might bring them to try a
Vejibag.

246
00:22:49,198 --> 00:22:53,018
But either way, it's a win on both counts.

247
00:22:53,390 --> 00:22:58,270
And I think it gives me the opportunity to
say just a little bit more about how they

248
00:22:58,270 --> 00:22:59,120
actually work.

249
00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:01,590
That's a common question we get.

250
00:23:01,590 --> 00:23:09,550
So as you heard, the bags are made from
100 % organic cotton, which is very

251
00:23:09,550 --> 00:23:10,810
breathable.

252
00:23:10,810 --> 00:23:16,590
The material is a teary fabric.

253
00:23:16,590 --> 00:23:23,310
So it's kind of a thicker weave and it's
great at.

254
00:23:23,310 --> 00:23:30,930
retaining moisture, you actually dampen
the bag and then you wring it out really

255
00:23:30,930 --> 00:23:31,740
well.

256
00:23:31,740 --> 00:23:34,850
And so it works kind of like a washcloth.

257
00:23:34,850 --> 00:23:39,410
You don't want it to be dripping wet, but
you just want it to be nice and moist.

258
00:23:39,410 --> 00:24:01,180
And the reason this is effective is
because vegetables like moisture.

259
00:24:01,180 --> 00:24:07,030
so the bags are so effective because they
work like the spritzer in the grocery

260
00:24:07,030 --> 00:24:08,510
store.

261
00:24:08,510 --> 00:24:20,290
You see spritzers constantly keeping the
produce moist and a Vejibag works in the

262
00:24:20,290 --> 00:24:21,070
same way.

263
00:24:21,070 --> 00:24:28,814
It's, keeping a level of humidity that
produce.

264
00:24:28,814 --> 00:24:32,114
wants and needs in order not to become
wilted.

265
00:24:32,114 --> 00:24:37,274
And at the same time, the bags are
breathable, unlike plastic bags or plastic

266
00:24:37,274 --> 00:24:46,474
boxes, because most vegetables emit some
amount of ethylene gas.

267
00:24:46,474 --> 00:24:53,902
And when that is trapped inside of
plastic, it results in

268
00:24:53,902 --> 00:24:55,482
the vegetables going bad.

269
00:24:55,482 --> 00:25:01,062
It just increases the rate at which they
decompose.

270
00:25:01,062 --> 00:25:08,782
So the bags allow your produce to breathe
while also keeping your produce moist.

271
00:25:08,782 --> 00:25:13,902
Something that we would like to remind
people is that, just like when you get cut

272
00:25:13,902 --> 00:25:17,922
flowers, you think of the flowers of being
alive and that they need to go immediately

273
00:25:17,922 --> 00:25:19,534
into a vase with water.

274
00:25:19,534 --> 00:25:23,374
And that when you go to a store or a
farmer's market to buy vegetables, those

275
00:25:23,374 --> 00:25:26,814
vegetables, even though they've been
picked, are still alive.

276
00:25:26,814 --> 00:25:31,914
So it's the same concept as getting
moisture to the vegetables to help keep

277
00:25:31,914 --> 00:25:33,440
them fresh longer.

278
00:25:34,183 --> 00:25:35,343
Yeah, exactly.

279
00:25:35,343 --> 00:25:41,423
And it makes me wonder why everybody
started putting things into plastic when

280
00:25:41,423 --> 00:25:47,483
you say it that way, Anne, and you explain
that what it's releasing, the gases that

281
00:25:47,483 --> 00:26:01,043
it's releasing actually keeps those closer
and is part

282
00:26:01,043 --> 00:26:08,583
of almost accelerating it, but I think
that plastic was kind of used as a way to,

283
00:26:08,583 --> 00:26:14,483
keep it fresh but it's so prevalent.

284
00:26:14,483 --> 00:26:21,903
Even at our farmer's market, you'll find
leafy lettuces that are put into the

285
00:26:21,903 --> 00:26:22,783
plastic bags.

286
00:26:22,783 --> 00:26:24,903
And I'm just like, why?

287
00:26:24,903 --> 00:26:43,888
I don't understand.

288
00:26:43,994 --> 00:26:46,874
we've got some more resources on our
website.

289
00:26:46,994 --> 00:26:56,394
We have a Q &A section of our website
where we have a link to a table that kind

290
00:26:56,394 --> 00:27:01,774
of shows you the ideal temperatures and
humidity levels for.

291
00:27:01,774 --> 00:27:04,854
pretty much any produce you can think of.

292
00:27:04,854 --> 00:27:09,234
And a lot of our customers find that
really helpful and interesting.

293
00:27:09,234 --> 00:27:14,634
Most people are surprised to find that
produce actually prefers a pretty cold

294
00:27:14,634 --> 00:27:20,994
temperature, almost closer to freezing
than you might guess.

295
00:27:20,994 --> 00:27:26,294
And that also is part of the kind of
learning how to store your produce in a

296
00:27:26,294 --> 00:27:29,934
Vejibag, keeping your fridge cool enough.

297
00:27:29,934 --> 00:27:31,594
keeping your bag moist.

298
00:27:31,594 --> 00:27:36,034
And once you get the hang of it, like you
said, we get these stories all the time

299
00:27:36,034 --> 00:27:46,934
about people who are eating their two,
three week salad or whatever, broccoli,

300
00:27:46,934 --> 00:27:48,794
cucumbers, you name it.

301
00:27:48,794 --> 00:27:49,354
So, yeah.

302
00:27:49,354 --> 00:27:54,094
One of my favorite stories I've heard was
we sent samples to a store that was

303
00:27:54,094 --> 00:27:58,062
thinking about carrying Vejibag and she
put carrots.

304
00:27:58,062 --> 00:28:01,302
from her farmer's market in there and kind
of forgot about them for a couple of

305
00:28:01,302 --> 00:28:02,101
weeks.

306
00:28:02,162 --> 00:28:07,302
And then she went to check it and the
carrots had actually rooted, started to

307
00:28:07,302 --> 00:28:09,342
root in the Vejibag.

308
00:28:09,342 --> 00:28:12,927
And she took the carrots out and planted
them in her garden.

309
00:28:12,927 --> 00:28:23,647
my gosh.

310
00:28:23,647 --> 00:28:27,307
Yeah, you can use them for more than just
leafy greens.

311
00:28:27,307 --> 00:28:31,287
Tell us a little bit about all of the
different things you would recommend them

312
00:28:31,287 --> 00:28:31,697
for.

313
00:28:31,697 --> 00:28:34,487
I know it's on your website, but I just
think it's good to hear.

314
00:28:34,487 --> 00:28:38,747
So it's like, start putting together like,
yeah, I could use it for way more than

315
00:28:38,747 --> 00:28:40,587
just lettuce and kale.

316
00:28:40,942 --> 00:28:53,162
Yeah, I love them for like yellow squash,
zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, beets,

317
00:28:53,162 --> 00:28:58,102
chard, any of the leafy greens of root
vegetables.

318
00:28:58,102 --> 00:29:03,982
I think a lot of folks don't realize
they're super handy as well for cut.

319
00:29:03,982 --> 00:29:05,302
items.

320
00:29:05,302 --> 00:29:07,962
Stacey taught me this back in the day.

321
00:29:08,162 --> 00:29:16,682
But so say, you know, you only wanted half
an apple and so throw that other half in

322
00:29:16,682 --> 00:29:22,702
your bag and it's not going to get
shriveled and brown looking the way it

323
00:29:22,702 --> 00:29:24,722
would if you just left it sitting out.

324
00:29:24,722 --> 00:29:30,582
Or if you want to prep your cut vegetables
in advance.

325
00:29:30,902 --> 00:29:32,654
We're fans of

326
00:29:32,654 --> 00:29:35,794
you know, preparing basically a whole
salad.

327
00:29:35,794 --> 00:29:41,514
I think refer to a salad in a bag
sometimes, but like slicing up your

328
00:29:41,514 --> 00:29:45,134
cucumbers and peppers and whatever you
want in your salad and just throwing it

329
00:29:45,134 --> 00:29:48,084
all into a Vejibag.

330
00:29:48,084 --> 00:29:53,174
you can literally, use it for food prep
and have like your sliced stuff for your

331
00:29:53,174 --> 00:29:58,744
stir fry, your prepared salad for whatever
night of the week.

332
00:29:58,744 --> 00:30:01,838
And then you just, you know, dump it out
of your bag and.

333
00:30:01,838 --> 00:30:03,818
you're ready to go.

334
00:30:03,818 --> 00:30:08,658
So those are some other potential uses.

335
00:30:08,658 --> 00:30:14,138
I will add the sliced vegetables don't
last as long as the, you know, beautiful

336
00:30:14,138 --> 00:30:19,178
leafy greens that you just brought home,
but like the prepared salad, I've had it

337
00:30:19,178 --> 00:30:22,652
last no problems for four or five days.

338
00:30:24,076 --> 00:30:25,366
That is so helpful.

339
00:30:25,366 --> 00:30:31,066
I'm going to do that all the time now
that's definitely something that I didn't

340
00:30:31,066 --> 00:30:35,866
know.

341
00:30:35,866 --> 00:30:45,986
the one thing that I will do when I come
home from the farmer's market I will wash

342
00:30:45,986 --> 00:30:47,386
it in advance.

343
00:30:47,386 --> 00:30:53,063
And so it's already like ready for prep
and then put them in washed.

344
00:30:53,063 --> 00:30:57,093
so that at least that step is done, but
you don't have to even do that.

345
00:30:57,093 --> 00:31:01,163
I mean, you can just throw them in there
and then I just do that because I kind of

346
00:31:01,163 --> 00:31:06,393
feel like I'm already, putting away the
groceries, you know, just one more step,

347
00:31:06,393 --> 00:31:08,823
wash everything before I put them in the
bag.

348
00:31:08,823 --> 00:31:15,723
And now I'm going to even if I have the
extra time prep things, if I know that I

349
00:31:15,723 --> 00:31:20,623
can use them within what like three or
four days, that's cool because usually,

350
00:31:20,623 --> 00:31:23,147
you know, you're just like prepping.

351
00:31:23,399 --> 00:31:30,119
the day of and sometimes that can become a
little overwhelming or the reason you

352
00:31:30,119 --> 00:31:33,539
might be like, I don't have time for that.

353
00:31:33,539 --> 00:31:38,339
Let's just pick something up for dinner,
you know, but like if it's already done,

354
00:31:38,339 --> 00:31:43,979
then that's half the battle to preparing
your meal for the night.

355
00:31:43,979 --> 00:31:45,919
So that's really great little tip.

356
00:31:45,919 --> 00:36:08,711
Thank you for that.

357
00:36:08,711 --> 00:36:14,151
So I'm curious, is there anything new
coming down the pipes for Vejibag in the

358
00:36:14,151 --> 00:36:15,097
future?

359
00:36:16,110 --> 00:36:23,950
Yeah, so we've got some really exciting
developments which really tie back into

360
00:36:23,950 --> 00:36:30,270
part of our earlier conversation about
just the company's commitment to

361
00:36:30,270 --> 00:36:36,350
sustainability and reducing food waste and
plastic waste all around from the

362
00:36:36,350 --> 00:36:37,870
beginning.

363
00:36:37,870 --> 00:36:38,956
So.

364
00:36:39,310 --> 00:36:45,850
through the entire time that vejibag have
been produced in North Carolina out of the

365
00:36:45,850 --> 00:36:52,190
100 % organic terry cotton with
opportunity threads, we have been saving

366
00:36:52,190 --> 00:36:58,730
every scrap of material that's generated
during the cutting and sewing of our bags.

367
00:36:58,970 --> 00:37:07,022
So Opportunity Threads has been just
creating this big pile of

368
00:37:07,022 --> 00:37:09,922
beautiful organic cotton.

369
00:37:09,922 --> 00:37:17,122
And they have partnered with a
organization called Material Return, which

370
00:37:17,122 --> 00:37:21,282
is also out of Morganton, North Carolina.

371
00:37:21,282 --> 00:37:27,982
And Material Return is a really innovative
company that is figuring out how to

372
00:37:27,982 --> 00:37:30,432
repurpose used material.

373
00:37:30,432 --> 00:37:34,254
That's another huge area of waste, as you
heard a little bit about.

374
00:37:34,254 --> 00:37:41,194
in the story of Sally's initial
repurposing of textiles to make vejibag.

375
00:37:41,194 --> 00:37:48,034
So material return is doing a lot to
figure out how to keep textile waste out

376
00:37:48,034 --> 00:37:49,294
of landfills.

377
00:37:49,294 --> 00:37:57,054
And they have figured out a process in
which they are able to break down our

378
00:37:57,054 --> 00:38:01,294
organic cotton scraps and then...

379
00:38:01,294 --> 00:38:08,414
spin that cotton in a combination with
some virgin organic cotton that we already

380
00:38:08,414 --> 00:38:16,574
use into a thread and knit into the same
exact fabric that we use, so the terry

381
00:38:16,574 --> 00:38:18,434
fabric.

382
00:38:18,434 --> 00:38:28,074
And as of April of this year, all of our
Vejibags are now made of this fabric that

383
00:38:28,074 --> 00:38:30,894
is 30 %

384
00:38:30,894 --> 00:38:34,774
recycled Vejibag fabric.

385
00:38:34,774 --> 00:38:43,654
So we have created a zero waste stream
with our product where we don't generate

386
00:38:43,654 --> 00:38:48,394
any textile waste anymore in the making of
our bags.

387
00:38:48,394 --> 00:38:56,894
So that's something we're very excited
about and has inspired us to work towards

388
00:38:56,894 --> 00:38:59,918
some other product developments.

389
00:38:59,918 --> 00:39:06,918
One of the things we're hoping to release
this year are bulk refill bags.

390
00:39:06,918 --> 00:39:12,998
So if anybody goes to their local
refillery to get beans or nuts or anything

391
00:39:12,998 --> 00:39:21,298
else you might buy in bulk, that they'll
be able to take a 100 % organic bag with

392
00:39:21,298 --> 00:39:26,938
them, knowing that it was grown and sown
in the US, completely ethically made and

393
00:39:26,938 --> 00:39:28,942
not have to wonder about, you know.

394
00:39:28,942 --> 00:39:30,622
what's in their bag.

395
00:39:31,111 --> 00:39:33,191
That is amazing.

396
00:39:33,191 --> 00:39:47,411
And again, just such a testament to being
sustainable from the beginning to the end.

397
00:39:47,691 --> 00:39:53,991
And I just wish so many more companies out
there would be doing business this way.

398
00:39:53,991 --> 00:39:56,031
I know it's not the easy way.

399
00:39:56,031 --> 00:39:57,731
It's the hard path.

400
00:39:57,731 --> 00:40:00,775
And it's just...

401
00:40:00,775 --> 00:40:08,475
a new way of thinking that I hope starts
to grow and expand across the board in

402
00:40:08,475 --> 00:40:09,775
every industry.

403
00:40:09,775 --> 00:40:45,383
And I'm excited to check out the bulk bags

404
00:40:45,383 --> 00:40:50,563
And also I just wanted to touch base kind
of circle back around to you said

405
00:40:50,563 --> 00:40:54,119
something that I think should be pointed
out again, right?

406
00:40:54,119 --> 00:41:02,759
Like this bag is made of organic cotton
and that's important because anything

407
00:41:02,759 --> 00:41:11,719
that's touching our food that may not be
made of materials that are, you know, as

408
00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:16,839
I'll just say it, like when plastic
touches your food, it's made with a lot of

409
00:41:16,839 --> 00:41:20,539
chemicals such as PFAS, BPA.

410
00:41:20,583 --> 00:41:21,583
phthalates.

411
00:41:21,583 --> 00:41:29,863
And all of those chemicals can leach into
the food depending on the circumstances

412
00:41:29,863 --> 00:41:43,163
how it's been shipped and stored.

413
00:41:43,163 --> 00:41:49,083
And so this is how humans are now exposed
to and taking in some of these chemicals

414
00:41:49,083 --> 00:41:49,735
that

415
00:41:49,735 --> 00:41:51,215
are in plastics.

416
00:41:51,215 --> 00:41:56,815
And so I just wanted to reiterate why it's
so important, not only for the

417
00:41:56,815 --> 00:42:03,835
sustainability factor of, growing organic
cotton is more sustainable because you're

418
00:42:03,835 --> 00:42:15,375
not using pesticides.

419
00:42:15,375 --> 00:42:19,879
In addition to that, not being good for
our environment, the soil, the farmers.

420
00:42:19,879 --> 00:42:26,879
the bees and our air and people who live
next to those farms, right?

421
00:42:26,879 --> 00:43:06,338
So there's a lot of different layers to
look at from that perspective as well.

422
00:43:06,338 --> 00:43:13,679
I just love all of the different layers of
sustainability that are involved with the

423
00:43:13,679 --> 00:43:18,574
making of Vejibag.

424
00:43:18,574 --> 00:43:25,102
Yeah, and one thing we didn't mention
either is that of course the bags

425
00:43:25,102 --> 00:43:32,302
are compostable because the cotton is
completely, free of toxins or chemicals

426
00:43:32,302 --> 00:43:43,822
and even down to the ink that we use for
our labels is also non -toxic.

427
00:43:43,822 --> 00:43:51,302
And yeah, so you can repurpose your very
worn out bags to do other things with or

428
00:43:51,302 --> 00:44:51,671
you can compost them.

429
00:44:51,671 --> 00:44:56,931
I just love that you're also bringing it
to the end of life because at some point

430
00:44:56,931 --> 00:45:09,691
they're going to have, an end of life, and
they compost.

431
00:45:09,691 --> 00:45:18,191
So that's great because sometimes for me,
I'm just always like, what do I do with

432
00:45:18,191 --> 00:45:19,391
this?

433
00:45:19,719 --> 00:45:21,839
Where does this go?

434
00:45:21,839 --> 00:45:25,399
And I just don't like throwing things away
that go into the landfill.

435
00:45:25,399 --> 00:45:27,599
So it's great.

436
00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:34,639
I want to be able to provide resources to
connect with you for the listeners who are

437
00:45:34,639 --> 00:45:42,059
now ready to get their Vejibags And so I
will say that your website is certainly a

438
00:45:42,059 --> 00:45:48,125
resource and they can go to that directly,
which is what is the website?

439
00:45:49,006 --> 00:45:53,346
It's just www .vejibag .com.

440
00:45:53,706 --> 00:45:59,685
And Vejibag is V -E -J -I -B -A -G.

441
00:45:59,685 --> 00:46:14,235
that is the one little thing tricky to
know about the spelling for sure.

442
00:46:14,235 --> 00:46:24,423
And also if you want to pick up a link for
a discount it's in my sustainable.

443
00:46:24,423 --> 00:46:28,633
Wellness home guide which is a free
resource for all my listeners.

444
00:46:28,633 --> 00:46:32,163
If you don't have it yet, you can get it
on live lightly .

445
00:46:32,163 --> 00:46:53,695
ECO And it's under the tab for free guide.

446
00:46:53,695 --> 00:46:59,355
and if you use the link that's in the
guide you'll receive a discount on the

447
00:46:59,355 --> 00:47:05,655
bags and also I know you guys have an
Instagram for people to connect with you

448
00:47:05,655 --> 00:47:07,466
there as well.

449
00:47:07,466 --> 00:47:13,626
we're just @vejibag which again is V -E -J
-I -B -A -G.

450
00:47:13,626 --> 00:47:18,926
And we'd love to hear from people about
other products that you might like to see

451
00:47:18,926 --> 00:47:27,058
from us made out of, 100 % organic.

452
00:47:27,058 --> 00:47:29,718
recycled cotton blend.

453
00:47:29,718 --> 00:47:35,178
And whether you're wanting to move away
from using plastic or you're just really

454
00:47:35,178 --> 00:47:41,198
passionate about keeping your produce
fresh, we always like to remind people

455
00:47:41,198 --> 00:47:53,006
that vejibag are one piece that we can all
try in this whole puzzle of.

456
00:47:53,006 --> 00:48:01,045
plastic and throwaway culture and we
aren't perfect by any means but you know a

457
00:48:01,045 --> 00:48:08,306
lot of folks find that vejibag really work
for them and it's one small way to to make

458
00:48:08,306 --> 00:48:09,831
change so.

459
00:48:09,831 --> 00:48:11,211
Yeah, absolutely.

460
00:48:11,211 --> 00:48:11,771
I agree.

461
00:48:11,771 --> 00:50:15,063
And I think that it's a small change, but
over time, it adds up.

462
00:50:15,063 --> 00:50:19,223
it's just these little things that we can
do collectively that do kind of add up and

463
00:50:19,223 --> 00:50:20,403
make a big difference.

464
00:50:20,403 --> 00:50:22,653
So thank you guys for joining me today.

465
00:50:22,653 --> 00:50:23,743
I really appreciate it.

466
00:50:23,743 --> 00:50:27,383
I know you're both busy moms and also
working.

467
00:50:27,383 --> 00:50:31,693
So taking time out of your busy day and
your schedule really is appreciated.

468
00:50:31,693 --> 00:50:32,755
Thank you.