KEEGO Level 04. The full version.
2020 was a challenge, to say the least. We have tried everything to keep the development going. Here is the full story of the last generation of KEEGO.
Caps development
After our launch in summer 2019, we soon learned that problems often occur in areas that you don't pay the most attention to. While we focused heavily on making the body of the bottle really good - problems arose with the cap, especially the nub and the sealing ring, if you don't treat them right. And a good sports bottle has to withstand some well-intentioned abuse from time to time. That's why we started the cap redesign project just six months after KEEGO's market launch.
By now we already have some experience in product development, but we never thought it would take so long to present the new part to you. Our main goal was to prevent any contact of the water with plastic and (not immodestly) to create the most hygienic cap on the market. To achieve this, we looked for inspiration in many different areas. The system of baby bottle caps convinced us in many ways. What is good for babies is definitely also good for adults.
Together with Fredrik (in Team KEEGO since day 1), who takes care of the product design, we produced prototype after prototype... after another. The difficult part was that although 3D printing technology is very advanced, it is not accurate enough for very fine silicone structures. And you will see when you have your new KEEGO in your hand that the structures are very fine. A minimal change in wall thickness, radius or material hardness has a massive impact on the overall functionality.
After a long search for a company that can build silicone sample moulds for our prototype studs (at a reasonable price, within a reasonable time), we had the first prototype in summer 2020. Since then we have done many more rounds (5 more sample moulds) until we were satisfied.
The new cap is our answer to all our requirements in terms of good flow, splash protection, sealing, cleanability, easy assembly, durability and no-plastic-contact.
We firmly believe that this new design is made for a long life and that is where our focus lies in terms of sustainability. We don't want more - we want better products.
Development of the bottle
The latest evolutionary stage of the KEEGO bottle brings a new outer material.
To optimise squeezability, we have deliberately dispensed with the constriction that normal sports bottles have. This raises the question of the grip of our KEEGO.
We all know and love the KEEGO ribs from both an aesthetic and functional point of view. However, in rough terrain, the odd bottle can fall off. That's why we opted for a softer rubber-like material on the outside (which also has a positive effect on crushability). The soft-touch material feels very good in the hand and offers a better grip even with sweaty hands.
We are aware that with a softer outer shell, marks can also appear more easily. But together with a group of Viennese bicycle couriers, we have tested them extensively and find that they age very well.
They had a lot to do this year.
Production
We had to save where we could in order to be able to invest as much as possible in product development. But word of our product got around anyway, and many people chose KEEGO as a Christmas present. Not that we were complaining! By the end of November we knew we would have to start a new production soon to avoid running out of stock, so we contacted our manufacturers. Christmas came soon and we just managed to order the materials before then (financing a production is always a big issue too...).
After the good end of 2020, we started the new year highly motivated. But reality struck again. We learned that one of our manufacturers had to close its production because of the big C19 and the associated drop in sales.
In addition, the delivery of one of our materials came to a standstill (hello Brexit!).
As you know by now, we will never stop making KEEGO even better. At the top of our priority list is to make KEEGO even more sustainable by using organic and recycled materials. So to do this, we arranged a sample production with our Corona-bagged manufacturer. It took until mid-February for us to conduct these tests with recycled materials. And in the tests that followed, the bottles failed. A hard blow. It makes absolutely no sense to produce bottles more sustainably if they lose their longevity in the process. Fortunately, we did the test run with several combinations of materials and had a good plan B. We're still at it, though, and are in good shape. But we'll keep at it and are confident that the next attempt will work.
But now it was high time to start production. We were able to convince the manufacturer to reopen and give us a production slot (many thanks for that at this point!). But the material from the UK was still not there.... A lot of emails, a few phone calls and a few called-in favours later, and our colleagues managed to borrow material from another factory. Production could start in the middle of March.
But the production itself was also bumpy, as was the transport across Europe. Nothing seems to flow as it used to in these extraordinary times.
Now all that's left to do is transport and pack, and we look forward to bringing you the latest stage of the KEEGO bottle soon - with a better grip, better squeezability and a completely new cap!
We hope you will be able to use them in an unforgettably beautiful spring and summer!
WE BOUNCE BACK.
Luke
