Northern Glasses
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:
Mitch: Northern Glasses
Photo by: Poly Mendes Photography
Northern Glasses invests money into bringing safe + clean water to developing nations through the sale of unique drinkware and gifts printed with bold designs for every occasion and style. We invest 7% of all sales into our Glasses for Gallons initiative. The company is the product of founder Mitch Reaume's trips to Haiti in his previous job as a pastor, and the unsettling of seeing the difference that access to clean water makes in the life of communities.
Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?
We're proud to be based out of Minneapolis, MN and working on creating jobs right here in our own backyard.
What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?
A lot of our designs are inspired by Minnesotan's favorite landmarks and symbols, things that resonate with those of us who call Minnesota home.
What makes your business unique to the industry?
Our clean water investments, as well as the fact that we're creating our products here in Minnesota (versus pumping everything in from China) are the 2 largest elements of our brand that make us different.
What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?
Finding entrepreneurs to admire who work tirelessly but also have a passion for generosity and justice and believe in the companies they're building. Too much of the current climate around entrepreneurship is just about vanity and people wanting to get rich. It makes it difficult to find people who you want to learn from, when the things that many entrepreneurs are celebrating don't seem to resonate with who you want to be/what you want to accomplish. Fortunately, there is a really strong community of makers and business owners in Minnesota who I've been fortunate enough to be able to watch, learn from, and be inspired by.
Photo by: Poly Mendes Photography
How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?
Our business was built pretty heavily upon our wholesale relationships with stores and malls that were carrying our products. Covid-19 has forced us to re-invest in our direct-to-consumer sales through our website, as well as developing out some other brands.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
Seeing other businesses inspired to become more socially-minded, and seeing consumers come to believe that their everyday spending makes a difference. These 2 elements are at the heart of every brand that we build.
What is your *must do* local activity?
1. Enjoying the North Shore of Minnesota
2. Biking and making use of Minnesota's hiking and paved trails.
We don't want to tell people how to live, but if you're not doing these 2 things in Minnesota... You're doing it wrong. Sooooooo......
If you're not doing these 2 things... you're doing it wrong.
Where to find Northern Glasses:
Website: www.northernglasses.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northernglasses/
Facebook: facebook.com/northernglasses