The idea for creating bamboo paper towels came to Irene and Noam Krasniansky in 2011 when Irene decided she wanted to live a more sustainable lifestyle. She knew how wasteful paper towels are, so she and Noam set out to find and make a “green” substitute. That’s how Bambooee – the bamboo paper towels – were born! Bamboo grows like a weed; in fact it’s one of the fastest growing plants on earth. It’s become a hot green resource used in wood flooring, furniture, and now, paper towels. There are also Bambooee “sweeps” for all those Swiffers in America’s closets.
The bamboo Bambooee uses to make their paper towels comes from China currently and is grown on small, family farms. They make the product near the farms, so it’s pretty eco-friendly. The Krasnianskys want to grow more bamboo in the USA so they can bring manufacturing (and jobs) over here.
The real benefit of bamboo paper towels is each towel can be washed and re-used up to 100 times. They work like regular paper towels, so each roll of 20 Bambooee towels replaces up to 570 rolls of regular paper towels! It’s a product that makes perfect sense. EVERYBODY uses paper towels, so think of how many trees we’d save if everyone used Bambooee. The Krasnianskys even have an initiative to plant a tree for every roll they sell.
My Take on Bamboo Paper Towels
I used to work for a company that sold the Magic Cloth, a super absorbent sponge cloth that’s a lot like TV’s “ShamWow.” We have a TON of them in our home and we use them in lieu of paper towels all the time, so I understand how much we can save on paper towel use. Even though they work well on spills and messes, they aren’t good for using as napkins. The Bambooee would be a great napkin substitute.
This is a product I would use for sure. We always look for small ways to save money and be more environmentally friendly, and bamboo paper towels fit the bill. The one thing I’d be concerned about is the product comes off as too “As Seen on TVish.” Even so, I think Bambooee is a winner whether they get a deal or not.
Do Sharks Bite on Bamboo?
I think Bambooee has a great concept. They already have a lot of sales and a cute infomercial, but what will the Sharks think? I can see all five Sharks battling on this product because the market is so huge. Bambooee has multi-million dollar sales potential and the Sharks will recognize that. The ABC press release for this episode also touts Noam as a “savvy salesman,” which means the Sharks will like his approach even if they don’t like the product.
All five Sharks might bid, but Lori is the obvious target here because of her TV connections. Bambooee is a new twist on a concept that’s sold well on TV (the ShamWow) in the past. It’s easily demonstrated, it has a low price-point, and EVERYBODY uses paper towels. A good QVC campaign, coupled with the hype of a Shark Tank appearance could be a very profitable venture for the Krasnianskys and Lori.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
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