2020 was a challenge, to put it mildly. We tried everything to keep the development going. Here is the whole story of the last generation of KEEGO.
Caps Development
After our market launch in the summer of 2019, we soon learned that problems often occur in areas that are not given the greatest attention. While we focused heavily on making the bottle body really good – problems arose with the cap, especially with the knobs and the sealing ring, if they were not handled properly. And a good sports bottle must also be able to withstand some well-intentioned abuse from time to time. That's why we started the redesign project of the closure just six months after the launch of KEEGO.
In the meantime, we already have some experience in product development, but we would not have thought that it would take so long until we can 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 (who has been on the KEEGO team since day 1) who takes care of the product design, we produced one prototype after another... after another. The difficult part was that although 3D printing technology is very advanced, it is not accurate enough for very fine silicone structures or it cannot do it. And you will see when you hold your new KEEGO in your hand that the structures are very fine. A minimal change in the wall thickness, radius or material hardness has a massive impact on the overall functionality.
After a long search for a company that could build silicone master molds for our prototype knobs (at a reasonable price, within a reasonable time), we had the first prototype in the summer of 2020. Since then, we have done many more rounds (5 more master molds) until we were satisfied.
The new cap is our answer to all our requirements regarding good flow, splash protection, seal, cleanability, easy assembly, durability and no-plastic contact.
We are firmly convinced that this new design is made for a long life and that is exactly where our focus lies in terms of sustainability. We don't want more - but better products.
Development of the bottle
The latest evolution of the KEEGO bottle brings a new outer material.
To optimize squeezability, we deliberately avoided the constriction that normal sports bottles have. This raises the question of the grip of our KEEGO.
We all know and love the ribs of the KEEGO, both from an aesthetic and a functional point of view. However, in rough terrain, a bottle or two can fall down. That's why we opted for a softer, rubber-like material on the outside (which also has a positive effect on the squeezability). The soft-touch material feels very good in the hand and offers a better grip even with sweaty hands.
We are aware that a softer outer shell can result in easier denting. However, we have tested it extensively with a group of Viennese bicycle couriers and find that it ages very well.
You had a lot to do this year.
Production
We had to save wherever we could in order to invest as much as possible in product development. But our product still got around, and many people chose KEEGO as a Christmas present. Not that we're complaining! At the end of November, we knew that we would soon have to start a new production run in order not to run out of stock, and so we contacted our manufacturers. Christmas was coming soon and we just managed to order the materials beforehand (financing a production is always a big issue...).
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 due to the large 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 making KEEGO even more sustainable through the use of organic and recycled materials. So we agreed on a sample production with our manufacturer, who was struggling with the effects of the pandemic. It took until mid-February before we could carry out these tests with recycled materials. And in the following tests, the bottles failed. A hard blow. It makes absolutely no sense to produce bottles more sustainably if they lose their durability in the process. Fortunately, we did the test run with several material combinations and had a good plan B. But we're sticking with it and are confident that it will work out next time.
It was high time to start production. We managed to convince the manufacturer to reopen and give us a production slot (many thanks for that!). But the material from Great Britain still wasn't there... A lot of emails, a few calls, and a few favors called in later, our colleagues managed to borrow material from another factory. Production could begin in mid-March.
However, the production itself was bumpy, as was the transport across Europe. Nothing seems to flow as smoothly as it used to in these extraordinary times.
Now all that's left is transport and packaging, and we look forward to delivering the latest version of the KEEGO bottle to you soon - with better grip, better squeezability and a completely new cap!
We hope you can use it in an unforgettably beautiful spring and summer!
WE BOUNCE BACK.
Lukas
