Loot Toy Co. was founded to make bath time a time for bonding between small kids and their carers. Since our founding in 2016, our goal has always been to make fun, skin-friendly and eco-aware bath products for the local toy and gift market. We realized that many children struggle with bath time, and many families would benefit from products that make bath time fun and enjoyable for kids and those of us who care for them. So, we worked on developing skin-friendly products that would work for all families and, in so doing, enrich the bonding experience between kids and their carers. When Bryan (loot’s founder) son Elijah was about 2, he developed eczema all over his body. Through trial and error with a whole range of products, Elijah’s family discovered that bath bombs really soothed his skin, and that almost any chemical-based cleanser aggravated his eczema. This experience launched the idea of making skin-friendly kid bath products. There was very little on the market, and what was on the market was usually imported and prohibitively expensive. Loot launched in 2016, initially as a side-line business. In late 2018, Bryan left his consulting life to focus 100% on Loot.
Question: How are you supporting other local businesses?
Answer: We always look to work with other small local businesses as a preference. For waste management and recycling, we partner with Recycling Alternative a local recycling firm, and do all label printing and stand-up packaging production via local lower mainland printers and package makers including BOND, Summit Labels and Glenmore Custom Print & Packaging. All our banking is supported by our amazing account manager (and now friend!) at Vancity. We use fragrances in our products and work exclusively with small, mostly family-based fragrance business to select and develop kid-friendly fruity scents. All fragrances are made in Canada or the US. We predominantly supply, and are supported by, small businesses. As a point of principle, we do not sell on Amazon or any mass market platform. For money to stay local, it should be invested in local small businesses. Our bookkeeper and accountant are local small businesses too!
Question: What social and environmental practices are you proud of?
Answer: Most importantly, the majority of our staff are immigrants like me. Loot works to help integrate new Canadians into the workforce, by helping them build local experience. Where financially possible we also support our staff through the process of becoming permanent residents. We come from 7 different countries and speak over 11 languages – a fact that amazes me and makes me proud to call Canada home. Our work as a team is based on a fundamental principle of trust and empathy. Our culture is collaborative, informal and super-friendly. We are a small company so we know the importance of looking out for each other and supporting one another. We offer above-average vacation time, flexibility for time off to attend to personal matters, as well as extended health care. In summer, we only work a 7-hour day to allow everyone to take advantage of the warmth and light.
We constantly strive to improve our environmental impact. Next year, we will finally be able to remove all single-use plastics from our production cycle. Our formulations are a minimum 99.5% natural ingredients, and we only use compostable materials.
We support a range of charities and often contribute to charitable events. We have just launched a partnership with Ronald McDonald House, donating 20% of all retail sales to support BC families who rely on RMH during times of medical stress and trauma. We also sponsor Growing Chefs through product donations for their fundraiser events. Numerous charities approach us for support; it is very seldom that we are not able to participate.
Immigrant/New Canadian Owned
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