I founded Vapur, Inc. in 2009 with the mission to make hydration incomparably portable and convenient. Each year more than 38 billion single-use water bottles end up in U.S. landfills. Though the adoption of reusable water bottles has grown rapidly over the past few decades, it has done little to stem the flow of plastic bottle waste. At Vapur, we believed that a key reason for this gap was the inconvenience of toting a bulky rigid water bottle around on a daily basis. Our team set out to design a water bottle that was so convenient, attractive and affordable that consumers would be compelled to change their behavior and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle that keeps them hydrated everywhere.
We launched our flagship product, the Vapur Anti-Bottle, as the first foldable, collapsible and reusable water bottle designed for active, environmentally conscious consumers. The Vapur Anti-Bottles were designed to use less energy to manufacture and transport than traditional water bottles, and produced significantly less waste in our landfills. These novel and sustainable water bottles launched to rave industry reviews and appealed to a broad range of consumers around the world.
Shortly after launching the flagship product, we began exploring ways to radically improve our design to appeal to the needs of athletes and more technical users (runners, backpackers, climbers, etc.) who had come to appreciate the foldability and lightweight nature of our product. Specifically, we needed to develop a larger size, a more functional and user-friendly spout and a more durable clip. In addition, we were committed to designing and manufacturing the entire product in the United States, which posed considerable sourcing and cost challenges.
We launched our product development process with an open innovation session with our key partners and suppliers. As a part of this several month process, we interviewed current customers, reviewed competitive sets, explored a range of new materials and processes and brainstormed possible solutions. After an initial set of about 10 ideas was selected, we began the process of rapid prototyping and user testing to refine the final design. All said, the end-to-end development process lasted 12 months.
The result of this process was the new Vapur Element, the most versatile water bottle on the planet. The Element is a foldable, reusable, freezable, washable, and highly-durable alternative to disposable water bottles. Like all Vapur bottles, the Element was 100% BPA free and 100% made in the USA. About 87% lighter than typical rigid water bottles, the Element stands when full, but can be rolled, folded, or flattened when empty – making it easy to stash and go. The Element featured a unique, patented carabiner-style top that served the dual purpose of attaching to a bag or garment, while also securing the bottle when folded. Offered in a range of sizes, and with design-forward graphics, the Element was sold across in stores across the U.S. including REI, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, Academy Sports and more.
Vapur’s patented Element water bottle went on to define the company’s brand, and became the industry standard, for supremely portable hydration on-the-go.
