Podcast: Womenled

63: TOPUP TRUCK – Mobile Zero-Waste Shop

With a vision to shop plastic-free, Ella Shone (founder of TOPUP TRUCK) drives a milk float around Hackney, East London, refilling consumables that her customers pre-order. Ella and I chatted virtually over a cup of tea – she had her classic English Breakfast with oat milk and I had an African Rooibos. She recounts her journey with laughter and enthusiasm about founding TOPUP TRUCK – the refill store that floats to your door.

When she was furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic, Ella volunteered at the local food pantry. She found it very fulfilling as she biked around Hackney during the lockdown dropping meals to those who couldn’t come to the community kitchens to pick up their meals. With a head full of various business ideas, Ella came up with the idea of the TOPUP TRUCK. She wanted to reach out to the reluctant environmentalists and make it easier for them to shop plastic-free. She partnered with Re-Stor, a local refill store, and started TOPUP TRUCK.

Learn more about her journey right here on Mindful Businesses podcast.

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Europe
63: TOPUP TRUCK - Mobile Zero-Waste Shop
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59: Amazi Foods – Snack on Purpose

Renee Dunn, Founder of Amazi Foods, studied abroad and did her thesis research in Uganda. While living there, she was blown away by their organic tropical fruits, bursting with flavors unlike back at home in the US. But stand after stand, people traded fruits raw or looked for cheap ways of processing or exporting. She had heard stories about cocoa farmers never saw a chocolate bar. Those at the heart of the resources were completely separate from the opportunity and innovation that existed in the global market —resulting in high unemployment and food waste. This sums up a lot about our supply chains as a whole.

Meanwhile, back at home, consumers look for products that serve a higher purpose. She realized there was a huge opportunity missed not only for local industry and job creation but also to satisfy a growing need for US consumers. Amazi Foods source directly from farmers and keep production in-country by partnering with Ugandan businesses. By creating over 150 jobs and paying 2-3x the local wages, paying farmers up to 67% above market price, prioritizing women and smallholder farmers, and committing to contribute over $13 million to the Ugandan economy over the next 4 years, they bring 100% made-in-Uganda products to the US markets. Listen now only on Mindful Businesses podcast.

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Africa
59: Amazi Foods - Snack on Purpose
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53: The Grandad Company – Unisex Circular Street Clothing

Hand-made in The Grandad Company’s London home studio; The Grandad Company is a closed-loop streetwear brand whose mission is to breathe life into reclaimed vintage menswear for a new unisex generation. An upcycling brand, with being environmentally conscious at its core. “Wear your grandads’ clothes!” Don’t let your grandads’ clothes go in the bin!” – says Jess Grech, the founder of The Grandad Company. Hear about her sustainable passion to create an upcycled unisex street clothing brand – made one piece at a time.

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Design and Innovation
53: The Grandad Company - Unisex Circular Street Clothing
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51: Clean and Proud – Creating Sustainable Fashion from Plastic Waste

Clean & Proud kicks off in 2018, when two environment and ecology enthusiasts George Berthon and Beatrice Engström, living in Malawi sit together to once again talk about the problem of plastic waste littering the streets and the nature of this country they love so much. It was that evening that they decided to act against pollution. With a small amount of cash they had on hand and the help of a partially successful crowdfunding campaign, Beatrice and George set out to create machines to recycle all that plastic polluting Malawi. But they fail to operate these machines to their full potential. It was at this moment that they came across this simple and effective technique on the internet to heat-seal single-use plastic waste (such as packaging and plastic bags) together to create a durable and practical material. Since then, Clean & Proud has strived to create and produce wonderful eco-friendly and ethical products, handmade with always a little African touch to warm the hearts.

Learn more about their passion for bringing environmental change and their love for the East African nation, Malawi.

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Africa
51: Clean and Proud - Creating Sustainable Fashion from Plastic Waste
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50: Dandelion Energy – Heat Without Fire

Whether it’s a winter cold snap or a summer scorcher, the ground five feet below the surface maintains a constant temperature year-round. This constant earth temperature is higher than average winter temperatures and lower than average summer temperatures.
Geothermal systems use this difference in temperature to transfer heat between your home and the earth with two key parts: A heat pump inside your home (usually in place of your traditional system) and buried pipe systems (called ground loops) circulate heat transfer fluid. During summer, the geothermal system draws heat from the air in your home and transfers it to the ground. During winter, it draws heat from the ground and transfers it to your home. Fascinated to learn how it works? Listen to our episode with Kathy Hannun, co-founder of Dandelion Energy – heat without fire.

For more information about this and other episodes go to www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com and https://dandelionenergy.com/

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Energy
50: Dandelion Energy - Heat Without Fire
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45: Green Heirloom – Sustainable Organic Cookware

We chat with Kaviya Cherian, founder of Green Heirloom, as we follow the traditions and customs of traditional cookware in different parts of the world, how our food and cookware are far more connected than we think. Green Heirloom is a unique platform that brings sustainable and eco-friendly cookware from artisans and creators across India to the world. Green Heirloom not only assures quality and a treasured asset that can be bequeathed to generations, but it also helps you to do your bit in sustaining many communities who rely on this traditional occupation. They work with artisans, involve and engage with them at each step of the way, not only to bring to market a product suited for their customers but also to ensure that the artisans are rewarded adequately for their efforts.

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Design and Innovation
45: Green Heirloom - Sustainable Organic Cookware
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38: The Unscented Company – Effective Unscented Home and Body Care

Anie Rouleau – Founding CEO of The Unscented Company, is a Montrealer, who is guided by the belief that a business’ social values are no obstacle to its profitability and financial viability. Her vision is driven by a desire to encourage new consumer habits for more conscious living and to be an active participant in the global initiative to ban single-use plastic and reduce our collective ecological footprint. This B – Corp certified business is passionate about changing consumer habits – to reduce plastic use in everyday life. Listen to what she has to say in our episode.

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Fashion and Beauty
38: The Unscented Company - Effective Unscented Home and Body Care
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37: Textile Exchange – Creating Material Change

Being a fifth generation cotton farmer gave LaRhea Pepper the knowledge, grit and passion to farm the way her granddaddy had taught her. She set out to to create the non-profit Textile Exchange to build a community that can collectively accomplish what no individual or company can do alone.

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Agriculture & Farming
37: Textile Exchange - Creating Material Change
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35: Palette By Pak – A Better Way To Pack Your Beauty

It was 12:05 a.m., the night before a soul-searching solo trip to Paris, her luggage was laid out across her bedroom floor and Kate Westad, founder of Palette by Pak, looked at her beauty, cosmetics and toiletries, realized there must be a better way to pack them. Between her four children and her job as an attorney, Kate took her passion of beauty products and design and figured out a way to develop and manufacture this break-through product. She was adamant her product be reusable so that small plastic travel containers are kept out of the waste stream. With the use of recycled plastics, a tight foot-print and sustainable packaging, she produced a planet-friendly product she was proud to call her own.

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Design and Innovation
35: Palette By Pak - A Better Way To Pack Your Beauty
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30: Diaspora Co – Building a Better Spice Trade

The original intent of colonial conquest of the Indian subcontinent was a desire for domination of the spice trade. 600+ years later, as a young woman born and raised in postcolonial Mumbai, working at the intersection of food and culture, Sana Javeri Kadri founder of @diasporaco, was slowly discovering that not much about that system had changed. Farmers made no money, spices changed hands upwards of 10 times between farmer and consumer, and the final spice on the shelf was usually an old, dusty, and flavorless shadow of what it once was. Living a life between two worlds – India and USA, and mindfully impacting lives in both places. Listen to Sana’s passion in this episode.

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Food
30: Diaspora Co - Building a Better Spice Trade
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