(Some of) The women who have made Mini Hippo
It’s International Women’s Day and, here at Mini Hippo HQ, we have a lot to celebrate. From the women in our warehouse who pack your orders with so much care, to the female founders (listed below) who have dreamt up your favourite products, our business would not be possible without them all. It really does take a village.
Catherine | SoYoung
She’s the woman behind one of Canada’s most successful school and lunch brands, but Catherine’s journey has been anything but easy. After overcoming addiction more than two decades ago, Catherine’s years of healing and self-discovery finally led her to where she is today. Through SoYoung, she hopes to empower others to overcome their own limiting beliefs and begin to pursue their best lives – whatever they look like. For Catherine, her best life centres on her three kids and her booming business. We’re so honoured to be a small part of her story.
Maia and Daniela | Yumbox
Did you know that your favourite lunch box was designed by two dedicated mums? Inspired by the French school lunches her children were eating, Maia set out to create a product that would emphasise balance, variety, taste and nutrition. She teamed up with Daniela – who is also a big proponent of the Mediterranean diet – to design Yumbox. With its bento-like tray (cleverly separated into food groups), attached lid and built-in portion control, it’s clear that Yumbox was designed by mums who are passionate about helping other families eat well. No wonder they’ve achieved global success.
Nathalie | Fluf
The Fluf story started in 2005 with a dream to create beautiful, safe and sustainable pillows. Now, almost two decades later, it has blossomed into a beloved brand dedicated to providing quality lunch products to families – not just in their native Canada, but all over the world. Though Terra Kushner, Nathalie’s friend and co-founder in Fluf, went her own way in 2016, mum Nathalie continues to lead the litterless lunch revolution… and she’s doing it in style. Along with designing 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton lunch and snack bags, they’re one of just 200-odd brands to become Climate Neutral Certified. Fluf yeah.
Jade | Wrap’d
The genius idea behind Wrap’d came to founder Jade one day while she was watching her boys eat (or rather, struggle to eat) a flatbread wrap. “I was three years into my 18-year career of making school lunches, and already struggling to offer the boys variety and healthy lunch choices,” says Jade. After extensive research and product development, Wrap’d was born. It’s a fully reusable, clever solution that caters to all ages, appetites and – most importantly – hand sizes. It’s been a challenge, of course, but Jade’s mind and creativity have worked overtime to adapt to each new stage of the process.
Bobbie | FunBites
Bobbie was four years into her FunBites journey when she brought the revolutionary product to America’s ‘Shark Tank’. Having struggled to feed her picky-eating daughter healthy foods for years, she invented FunBites – a plastic food cutter that creates teeny geometric cutouts in seconds, making them instantly more appealing to fussy eaters. Unsurprisingly, the sharks saw the same value in FunBites that Bobbie did. After some bickering, Bobbie walked away with a $75,000 investment and 25% equity from entrepreneur Lori Greiner. Since then, FunBites has expanded globally, proving once again the power of mums’ intuition.
Amy | Little Renegade Company
Parenting and business ownership are two sides of the same coin for Little Renegade Company founder, Amy. As she said herself, when talking about her ‘mini me’ daughter Avalon Renegade, “If I am responding to your email or active on social media, chances are she’s within a five-metre radius of me.” In 2014, during maternity leave, Amy was on the hunt for a baby hat that didn’t look like traditional baby hats. She wanted something fun, so she decided to create her own. Now, Little Renegade Company is sold in over 100 stores across four countries, and the range has expanded far beyond the OG baby hat.
Kelli and Laura, Zara and Jess | Solar Buddies
Solar Buddies is true testament to the power of women – specifically, mums. The product itself was dreamt up by Kelli and Laura, two mums from Wales who were looking for an easier way to sunscreen their children. To tap into the Aussie market, they passed the baton (or rather, the sunscreen applicator) to Sunny Coast locals Zara and Jess. The results have been nothing short of spectacular. Parents all over Australia are discovering the genius of Solar Buddies and reducing sunburns in the process. Way to go, girls.
Megan | Mini Hippo
Psssttttt… Don’t tell our boss we’re writing this, okay? Our founder Megan prefers to let the products she discovers (and rigorously tests at home, with the help of her three kids) speak for themselves. But on a day like International Women’s Day, it feels particularly important to recognise the hard work, business nous and parenting prowess that has shaped Mini Hippo into the business it is today. Since introducing Australia and New Zealand to the Yumbox almost 15 years ago, Megan has travelled all over the world sourcing new products for families just like yours. It hasn’t always been easy, but stepping back and looking at the impressive product range and genuinely family-run business she’s built*, it’s certainly been worth it.
*Megan’s kids have been known to peddle products at school, have joined Megan at trade shows and, of course, are constantly providing expert TikTok advice.