These Parents Are Shaking Up The Plastic

When Adam Bonnier and Ai Su Bonnier became new parents, they were surprised to find that they couldn’t find environmentally-friendly baby dishware, so they launched Miniware. In a crowded market of plastic sippy cups and one-time use placemats, Miniware is unique. Miniware products are made from sustainable plant-based materials, and look like they would be at home in a modern-farmhouse kitchen. Since launching, Miniware is now sold in over 20 countries and growing beyond bowls and plates.

Miniware Founders Adam Bonnier and Ai Su Bonnier

“It was shocking to open our eyes to the massive short-term product life and the endless disposable waste in the baby industry,” Ai Su Bonnier said. “There were many issues to tackle but we were already studying certain materials and production methods that were aligned with Eco, self-feeding tableware. Eco and functional baby tableware supporting self-feeding were not available back when our son turned 6 months old. Both of us really enjoyed the whole process of prepping food and carrying on a meaningful conversation during mealtimes and we didn’t want to change that important family tradition after having a baby!”

The Bonniers started to pay more attention to baby tableware and were disappointed to find most of them were made with petroleum plastics and in primary colors.

“Out of frustration, we decided to apply our knowledge of design and sustainable materials to the baby industry and founded the Miniware brand at the end of 2015,” Ai Su Bonnier said. “Despite that the cost of materials and long making process put us in a smaller, more premium price market we got immediate attention from the Xennial parents who had the same frustrations and desire for modern, functional, sustainable and non-toxic baby products. We launched our product officially in 2016 and Miniware is now sold in more than 20 countries around the world.”

Miniware

With a background in working with biotechnology, the duo self-funded their launch. They started learning more about natural materials with higher durability.

“We started our search in Taiwan not only as it was Ai’s hometown, but because it was a miniature reflection of all the manufacturing and advanced technology in the world,” Adam Bonnier said. “At first we visited many factories who claimed they used natural materials, but sadly found out most of them had infused petroleum plastics with those natural ingredients. That made the final material stronger, but also less pure, less healthy and poorer compostability.”

They eventually made their first run of Miniware by using a small factory who created a pure bamboo fiber and tree-sap mixture which achieved their goals using renewable resources, being non-toxic and compostable, however as Miniware grew, the manufacturer couldn’t keep up with the growing demand and they had to find a new plant-based material.

“Constantly looking for better Eco materials also means new production methods and new molds,” Ai Su Bonnier said. “For example, we recently shifted our products over into an advanced PLA material made primarily from the Cassava plant. I spent at least a year searching for certified factories, reading the most updated thesis of the production techniques, visiting the production site to make sure all the processes were meeting our low environmental impact and non-toxic needs. Then we had to understand the strengths and weaknesses of that material and adjust our designs.”

Miniware

Miniware has grown exponentially since launching in the United States and Asia, where they products are made.

“We had quicker visibility in smaller countries such as Taiwan and Korea where sustainable product awareness was also high,” Ai Su Bonnier said. “Miniware products are very modern in their aesthetic and feature unique smart features which are eye-catching in web-campaigns and social media. Quickly, we got attention from more design focused shops like SF MOMA to carry our products. We were received well in more design-focused and premium shops in the beginning but now we are starting to get into larger health food markets and larger baby shops online. We are constantly growing distributors internationally and in just the last year have dramatically increased our visibility in the premium baby market.”

Miniware

Miniware resonates with parents not only because of the materials, and design, but also because of how they aim to promote self-feeding.

“It takes a lot of determination to design a series of sustainable feeding wares which grow and adapt with children,” Adam Bonnier said. “We really try to build a meaningful and functional system for the modern family instead of a quick and cute baby product meant to be used for a short time and cheaply made.”

Miniware

The duo plan to continue to expand upon Miniware’s collection, they will be launching new bibs in silicone and textiles in the near term, which will help Miniware cross over int the apparel and accessories market.

“A little further down the road we are aiming to build a Miniware community by pushing out an App, this is the next big thing for us,” Ai Bonnier said. “The App will introduce some of our future smart products for modern parenting. We can not say too many details but our aim is to build a community with a focus on Eco, modern, smart parenting life. We will focus on specific issues that are more and more important to Millennial and Gen Z parents such as new allergy solutions, equal parenthood solutions, subscription services, etc. How to help baby SLEPP [ Sleep, Learn, Eat, Pee and Poo] in a smarter and more sustainable way will always be a core focus of Miniware.”