This morning while on my way out of a meeting at work I received a newsletter email from Blueberry founder, Margarita. The newsletter started with the title Honesty, Transparency & Customer Appreciation.
In the newsletter, Margarita addresses the move that the Blueberry brand is making to take their manufacturing to Mexico. Known for its locally sourced and produced products for the last 10 years being made in the USA, it is a big change for the consumers and retailers of who support Blueberry. While the email is long, it addresses the concerns many of us have; ethics, quality, safety, labor laws.
While reading through the email, I wanted to be upset and angry. I chose to keep Blueberry in my collection of ‘Keeps’ because it was American made, and it was supporting the American economy. I wanted to support USA brands, and now Blueberry, which makes one of my all time favorite All-in-One cloth diapers, is no longer going to be a USA brand. However, while continuing to read the email, Margarita has answered and calmed all of my concerns, and given me little reason to want to give up on the amazing brand.
They have tried, they have sourced, and they are doing it to be able to continue bringing the quality of product, at higher quantities, for the same price. I have seen brands grow too quickly, and their product quality had suffered because of it, and here we have a brand that has been around for a decade, has supported smaller brands build, supports the community that keeps them going, and has put the effort in for months, to make sure that this change would not affect the quality of their product.
They have done all they can to work with USA factories, they have done all they could to try and keep in local, but at the end of the day, I, the consumer have to choose, do I want the product available to me at the great price and quality that I am used to, or do I want it to be made in the USA and have to chase down the fast finger stockings, and sacrifice having enough diapers.
Blueberry has done it all to reach out to several factories, they have run tests, and they have tried to make it work. However, an increase of 10 fold in production can put any company in strain, and if spending months testing production in a new facility isn’t enough to prove their dedication to keeping their quality standard, I don’t know if I could be considered a reasonable human.
Margarita has proven to be a ingenious business owner with great ideas and a continued dedication to bringing high-quality products and designs to consumers at a reasonable price. She continues to make products that keep us engaged and excited and I can’t thank her enough for taking the time to find the facility, but also test run it.
A company’s transparency in a product I am investing astonishing amounts of money in means a lot to me. I have seen companies change their manufacturing locations, change the countries where they produce, and even change their product in the 5+ years that I have been following cloth diaper and baby-wearing, without ever sharing that information with their customers. If my reason behind buying a product from you is because of a certain fit, production standard, or material, and you change it without telling me, how am I supposed to react aside from disappointed and frustrated?
Blueberry’s continued dedication to their consumers is what keeps them going. Their products changing to fit the needs of the modern parent. Their product evolution, fitting the new baby-wearing, cloth diapering, on the go parent who is in love with Harry Potter, is a great reflection of them listening to their retailers and consumers and giving them what they want.
Blueberry has promised to keep their same Quality standards, and try and source as much from the USA as possible, and I can’t help but be thankful to them for trying to support local business as much as possible. While there will always be hiccups and growing pains in any business that grows whether it be cloth diapers, music, food, or even a non-profit, we should applaud the companies that are trying to keep it transparent, keep it honest, and do their best to accommodate.
I am so thankful for the Blueberry company’s willingness to be transparent and honest as they continue to grow, keeping with the mentality of a small mom-and-pop business, even if one day they grow into a monumental company.
Blueberry is definitely amongst the leaders of a new kind of business that is working alongside their consumer. I am definitely glad I keeping Blueberry on my short list, and in my keep pile, because a leader in transparency is always a winner in my book.
Thank you Margarita and the Blueberry Family team for continuing to keep a high standard of quality, and even higher standard for communication and customer service.
The Jayne Project 