In all started in 2010.
In 2014 we decided the world needed better and more sustainable wipes. Our aim was to develop the best wipe in the world, because we were not content with what the market was offering.
From humble beginnings…
In 2010 we started with a smart idea: we wanted to introduce wipe dispensers on the European market. These dispensers were produced in Asia, but could not meet the highest EU standards and regulations. We started a redesign of the dispenser and wanted to offer something completely different than other manufacturers. We wanted to meet the highest quality standards include a Dutch design. Instead of cotton or paper we used the bamboo non-woven. We chose bamboo because we wanted to bring an eco-friendly product to the market. Besides bamboo we chose for only using natural liquids and additives. During the process of the redesign people got very enthusiastic about the rolled bamboo wipes of the dispensers. They asked us to produce them separately. The idea of a single packed wipe was born and we started a new process of product development.
We tried several qualities of non-woven (see also our story about bamboo below) and paid a lot of attention to natural disinfectants as well as to natural fragrances. Especially the later one was a big challenge. All competitors use the standard citrus smell and we didn’t like that. However it was hard to find a smell that everybody likes. In the end we tested more than 80 fragrances. Some of them coloured our bamboo, some of them provided a really bad smell, or some of them provided a bad smell after three months. Finally we succeeded and we found an awesome nice natural fragrance that is loved by people all over the world. At that point we stepped into the big world and finally founded early 2014 our present (Dutch) company Coolhands BV.
We were sure Coolhands was going to be a success. We’d got requests from all over the world and solely enthusiastic reactions. Everybody liked our wipes and wanted to know where to buy them. This story became even more interesting when we finally chose our natural disinfectant. We didn’t want to use alcohol as a disinfectant, to be able to deliver to muslim countries as well and perhaps become halal certified at a point in time. We chose bioflavonoids as a perfect natural solution. With our disinfectant, Path-Away, we have found an ultimate solution for our purposes and the supplier turns out to be a very interesting partner. As they say “using nature to combat nature’s ills”. There are so many applications for this product that it also expands Coolhands applications to the max.
So, after 3 years of product development, we can honestly say that we were proud to provide the first rolled individually packed multi purpose bamboo wipe in the world, which conquers numerous yields, bacteria and viruses. A true ultimate bamboo wipe for every environment where you need 100% clean hands and surfaces.
Why Bamboo?
Bamboo is the future. Bamboo is biodegradable and eco-friendly. To produce 1 cotton T-shirt, 10,000 liters of water are needed (where water is a scarce commodity in the world!). That is really crazy.
Bamboo is ecological sustainable, biodegradable in 3 months and it growths 60 to 100 centimeters per day. After harvesting bamboo it regains very fast. Replant is not necessary and per acre a lot more raw material is produced (up to 20-40 times more than cotton). Aside from the ecological advantages, bamboo contains 60% more moisture than cotton and is therefore longer suitable for use. It naturally eliminates already 70% of all bacteria and moulds and is odourless. Because there are no pesticides and insecticides used to produce bamboo the possibility of allergic reactions is much smaller than when producing products of cotton.
Where is Coolhands Today?
Our goal is to deliver the world an environmental friendly, antiseptic, bamboo wipe. After our first experience with the rolled wipe we decided to start with product diversification. We are now producing folded wipes as well, and have developed travel packs for travelers. We started to investigate the use of multiple production facilities to be more flexible and have different production locations over the world. We want to be able to deliver quickly and have short shipment terms.
In the meantime we are developing our product portfolio. As mentioned above we started with our rolled premium bamboo wipe. Now we are also able to produce folded wipes, with the same high quality as the rolled bamboo wipes. Both wipes are 100% natural, contain a natural bacteriostatic liquid and have a natural nice fragrance. Another development we are working on are cooling wipes, with a menthol smell. These wipes will give you a cooling sensation and they are suitable for events, hot summerdays and warm countries.
We have the possibility to deliver private label bamboo wipes. Of course this can only be realised for larger quantities.