Australian drinkware brand Frank Green is launching a new generation of reusable bottles and cups following more than 100,000 hours of product development over three years.
The Melbourne-founded company will unveil its Edition II collection today, featuring redesigned bottles and tumblers with improved insulation, durability and leak-proof lids.
Frank Green founder Benjamin Young told SmartCompany the company had rebuilt its iconic drinkware range from scratch.
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“We’ve gone on a massive journey over the last three years and spent over 100,000 hours literally, there was a spreadsheet that calculates [time] working on, inventing and re-engineering an entirely new hydration range for Frank Green,” Young said.
“A tweak wasn’t going to cut it with what we’ve learned around advanced manufacturing techniques, how consumers want to drink, the colours, the customisation, the materials they want to see, the features, dishwasher-safe, all those different things.”
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Young said the company developed a 100-point checklist based on what it had learned from customers over the past decade.
The redesign required new manufacturing techniques, including four-wall vacuum insulation designed to keep drinks hot or cold for longer.
Young said the new bottles are 20% to 25% more effective at maintaining temperatures than competing products.
“If you get our Frank Green Edition II bottle, you put boiling hot water in it, and you also do the same to our competitors. After six hours, our bottle is at 72 degrees, and theirs is at 50, 53, 54, 55,” he said.
The bottles also feature a nano-ceramic lining, which Young said prevents the materials inside the bottle from affecting the taste of drinks.
Competing in a crowded market
The launch comes amid growing competition from new entrants to the reusable drinkware market.
Young said Frank Green’s years of customer research and manufacturing experience continue to give it an advantage over newer rivals.
“They haven’t spent the time in the trenches like us,” he said.
Young said Frank Green interviewed thousands of customers while developing its products.
“If we can dream it up, we’ll try and make it happen,” he said.
Young said balancing the development of Edition II with day-to-day company operations had been one of the greatest challenges.
“It’s kind of hard to run a business and our current products are epic, but then know that these new Edition II are something else,” he said
International expansion: a driver of growth
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Frank Green has also been growing overseas, with Young pointing to North America as a key market.
“That growth has really been outstanding,” he said.
International expansion is central to the company’s commercial ambitions, as well as its efforts to reduce reliance on single-use products.
“I’m a very proud Australian, and that’s why we do as much as we can in Australia, taking an Australian brand to the world,” said Young.
But Australia’s relatively small population makes international markets crucial to the company’s trajectory.
“If we want to deliver stopping the manufacturing and use of single-use products, well, that’s such a big problem globally, we need to be amazing on the world stage,” said Young.
Irresistible product
Asked what advice he had for other Australian consumer brands, Young said everything comes back to customers.
“Your customers are everything. Nothing else matters besides your customers, and you need to be able to create a product that’s irresistible!” he said.
“If customers aren’t using your product, it’s because you haven’t made it irresistible, and you need to take that responsibility.”
Young said businesses like Frank Green needed to continually refine their products to meet customer expectations.
“It’s that relentless pursuit of perfection in terms of delivering the perfect customer outcome. That’s what you’ve got to do.”
The Edition II collection includes bottles, cups, larger tumblers and a more durable Hero range, available in colours including Bubblegum, Graphite, Moss and Chrome Silver.
Other features include lockable lids, reinforced stainless steel and fully dishwasher-safe components.
The new range launches today, with a premium product price tag starting from $44.95.