You both have always been good to us – and honest. And you get back what you give.
Thanks for creating a great product and brand.
Stay awesome!
January 28th, 2024 | by Robby Ringer
I remember the day so vividly.
The day Bivo almost imploded before it even began.
It was August 21, 2020 – the day before we were set to launch Bivo to the world. After 18 months of being "all in" on product development, teaching ourselves marketing (hadn’t done that one before, OMG), building a website with zero budget, and navigating the height of COVID, our emotions were at an all-time high. During COVID, we’d made the snap decision to hop on a red eye to Carina’s parents' place in Western Massachusetts where we ended up staying before moving to Vermont.
Needless to say, I can’t put into words how much emotion and excitement was already pumping through Carina and my veins with less than 24 hours before launch.
I remember the day so vividly.
The day Bivo almost imploded before it even began.
It was August 21, 2020 – the day before we were set to launch Bivo to the world. After 18 months of being "all in" on product development, teaching ourselves marketing (hadn’t done that one before, OMG), building a website with zero budget, and navigating the height of COVID, our emotions were at an all-time high. During COVID, we’d made the snap decision to hop on a red eye to Carina’s parents' place in Western Massachusetts where we ended up staying before moving to Vermont.
Needless to say, I can’t put into words how much emotion and excitement was already pumping through Carina and my veins with less than 24 hours before launch.
Our barn office and wine cellar bottle storage room in Western Massachusetts, right before launching Bivo!
Our barn office and wine cellar bottle storage room in Western Massachusetts, right before launching Bivo!
Carina and I were running on adrenaline, working from an old 1800s barn on her family’s farm—a converted dairy farm turned winery. Our workspace was makeshift but endearing. We had set up a couch, bed, and our daughter’s crib in the new section of the barn, a beautiful patchwork of old and new structures that I’ve now come to know is proudly called “New England style.”
Just days before, our first batch of 2,000 Bivo bottles had arrived safely and were stashed across the road in another old barn. There are five old barns on the property. The place is magical and using the outdoor shower as far into the winter months as you can is a contest I have learned to love (most of the time).
Carina and I were running on adrenaline, working from an old 1800s barn on her family’s farm—a converted dairy farm turned winery. Our workspace was makeshift but endearing. We had set up a couch, bed, and our daughter’s crib in the new section of the barn, a beautiful patchwork of old and new structures that I’ve now come to know is proudly called “New England style.”
Just days before, our first batch of 2,000 Bivo bottles had arrived safely and were stashed across the road in another old barn. There are five old barns on the property. The place is magical and using the outdoor shower as far into the winter months as you can is a contest I have learned to love (most of the time).
Our first batch of bottles arrive at the winery in Western Massachusetts!
Our first batch of bottles arrive at the winery in Western Massachusetts!
To be honest, I thought we had done it at last as I sat prepping for our launch the following morning. Tomorrow was the day … until it wasn’t. At 10:13am a friend forwarded photos from his friend (who I think felt bad sharing given the timing) that showed our beautiful bottles peeling like an orange. Like really peeling. I remember frantically running across the street to see if all the bottles are like this. I think you know where this is going …
Yes, all the bottles lacked the required manufacturing process to bond our silicone to our bottle. The nice handfeel and grip we know many of you love was in tatters with a simple run of the finger over the edge of the silicone. Leaving our beautiful bottles and launch dismantled and abandoned.
We cried and fretted a whole bunch. We had put all our life savings into a dream and worked for 1.5 yrs to find out it may implode before it had a chance to begin. It was devastating to say the least.
We shared the bad news: we halted the launch and let our early believers know…we’d need a few more months to make things perfect.
To be honest, I thought we had done it at last as I sat prepping for our launch the following morning. Tomorrow was the day … until it wasn’t. At 10:13am a friend forwarded photos from his friend (who I think felt bad sharing given the timing) that showed our beautiful bottles peeling like an orange. Like really peeling. I remember frantically running across the street to see if all the bottles are like this. I think you know where this is going …
Yes, all the bottles lacked the required manufacturing process to bond our silicone to our bottle. The nice handfeel and grip we know many of you love was in tatters with a simple run of the finger over the edge of the silicone. Leaving our beautiful bottles and launch dismantled and abandoned.
We cried and fretted a whole bunch. We had put all our life savings into a dream and worked for 1.5 yrs to find out it may implode before it had a chance to begin. It was devastating to say the least.
We shared the bad news: we halted the launch and let our early believers know…we’d need a few more months to make things perfect.
Image One: The first production run of Bivos // Image Two: Fulfilling your first orders
Image One: The first production run of Bivos // Image Two: Fulfilling your first orders
This shocked us. Our relationship with each of you was new and very much off to a rocky start.
You all sticking it out showed us that Bivo is more than a nice bottle. That it is a community centered around shared beliefs. Sure, we had a new novel bottle that created some hype. But hype is shallow and short. You sticking with us hammered home that honesty (specifically around mistakes) is authentic and appreciated in the world of business. It is also something people cherish. I know we do in the relationships we love and the brands we admire. This struck a cord for us and left us in awe. Thank you for turning a few painful days into something we have carried forward to this day at Bivo.
These have become our rallying cries at Bivo. Of late, creating community and a fun personal touch when you connect with Bivo has been the center of almost all conversations between Carina and I. It gives us energy. It is also what you have shown us time and time again that you find meaningful from Bivo.
Sure, we love a good product and will always focus on delivering you products that we hope you love. But, we plan to continue listening to you all and making something bigger than a product. A community. One that we are all proud of and enjoy. Together.
So here we go 2025, let’s have some fun!
Robby
This shocked us. Our relationship with each of you was new and very much off to a rocky start.
You all sticking it out showed us that Bivo is more than a nice bottle. That it is a community centered around shared beliefs. Sure, we had a new novel bottle that created some hype. But hype is shallow and short. You sticking with us hammered home that honesty (specifically around mistakes) is authentic and appreciated in the world of business. It is also something people cherish. I know we do in the relationships we love and the brands we admire. This struck a cord for us and left us in awe. Thank you for turning a few painful days into something we have carried forward to this day at Bivo.
These have become our rallying cries at Bivo. Of late, creating community and a fun personal touch when you connect with Bivo has been the center of almost all conversations between Carina and I. It gives us energy. It is also what you have shown us time and time again that you find meaningful from Bivo.
Sure, we love a good product and will always focus on delivering you products that we hope you love. But, we plan to continue listening to you all and making something bigger than a product. A community. One that we are all proud of and enjoy. Together.
So here we go 2025, let’s have some fun!
Robby
Alan
January 29, 2025
You both have always been good to us – and honest. And you get back what you give.
Thanks for creating a great product and brand.
Stay awesome!
Tammy Ringer
January 28, 2025
Robby, you and Carina have built Bivo 💦on honesty and integrity since day one….it never surprises me the following Bivo has garnered over the years, once again I’m proud of you both💦💦💦
Mark Koenigsberg
January 28, 2025
Robby, what a fabulous post and kudos to you for your candor and honesty in capturing those “What the hell” moments. All startups have these and more than one of them. I was lucky beyond lucky to be working with you and Carina during those wild days and never once doubted that the two of you would pull it off – and wow are you doing it!
Mary Ann Richardson
January 28, 2025
I remember that! I still have my bold orange bottle and I love it! Continued success and boggling adventures to keep you a strong and in your toes!
Robby Ringer
January 28, 2025
Andrew – I’m so happy to hear your comment and love for the product. I seriously cannot tell you enough how much this matters. Thanks for the support and make sure to tell your wife the same thing! I’ll definitely reach out if we have some product testing in the future. I’m always looking for eager Bivo lovers to beat up and test new stuff.
Thanks again – Robby
Andrew BikeGuide
January 28, 2025
Incredible support for an excellent product. I wasn’t a pre-launch adopter as I hadn’t heard of you that early however I found Bivo after my wife went on a hygiene and anti-plastic bike water bottle rampage and I won’t use anything else now (coming up to two years I think). I will always be titanium curious so if you get an itch to explore a titanium version send me an early adopter or product tester sign up.
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Charles Sallade
January 30, 2025
I’m proud to be one of the owners of a bottle from the original successful production run. I use it every day. My only regret is that I wasn’t given the opportunity to buy one of the faulty ones with the bad finish. I would’ve bought one or more of those as well. It’s inspiring to see what can be done if you set your mind to it, and keep your chin up. I recently read a quote by Shane Heath, “No mud, No lotus.” No further explanation necessary. Not only is your company aspirational, but so are the people behind it. Keep up the great work, and don’t forget to look beyond the mud.