Matthew Hansen
University of Guelph
Ruben Burga
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Grosche’s latest innovation is the Oasis infusion bottle, which allows the consumer to see the family that their purchase has provided safe water to. The Oasis infusion bottle provides the buyer with a code that when entered online connects them with the people whose lives they have affected for the better. The product itself acts as a conduit that connects the consumer with the good they have done through purchasing this product. Many companies have give-back programs, but with the Oasis infusion bottle, you are given the chance to see how you are giving back to the world.
In addition, the Oasis campaign to give safe water allows the customer to give additional days of safe water by simply sharing a picture of the bottle through Instagram or Facebook using #MyoasisGivesWater. Every time the customer shares a photo, GROSCHE will record that and add one more day of safe water for someone in need on their behalf. This innovative way of allowing the customer to help someone by doing something as simple as sharing an image is a unique way to connect people with the change they make.
The idea for this innovation came about 3 years ago from Helmi and others in the Grosche team. It emerged from their core goal of providing people with safe water through the funding of their products. The goal was to come up with a way to connect consumers with the beneficiary in a unique way. A core team of five people set out to come up with the messaging, the product design, the logo, as well as database software that connected the bottles to the beneficiary. With the Oasis infusion bottle, consumers are able to see the water that is being provided to people in places like the Philippines, South Sudan, and other areas around the world in need of safe drinking water.
Through this innovation, Grosche is targeting the UN sustainable development goal six: clean water and sanitation. Like all of their products that fund safe water provisions around the world, the Oasis bottle connects people to the difference their purchase has made to these beneficiaries, making the consumer help tackle the sustainable development goal of clean water and sanitation as well. Grosche tackles UN sustainability goals of No Poverty and Climate action through supporting a living wage for their employees, as well as finding environmentally friendly business practices that have helped create a negative carbon footprint. Grosche’s innovation of the Oasis water bottle and other products it sells have contributed heavily to making the world a better place for people in need of clean water.
For Helmi Ansari, starting Grosche and the funding of safe water projects around the world came from years of working for big corporations and seeing their disregard for the environment and the betterment of society in their pursuit of profits. “There was a lot of frustration in me just to see corporate greed run through society and decide what our future is.” For Helmi, being apart of the one percent of top management in a large company was not enough for him to ignore what corporate greed was doing to the planet. Seeing the creation of waste destroying our planet and creating a large carbon footprint for the generations to come made Helmi want to run a business that was about making a positive difference to the world. Unfortunately, while traveling overseas, his 10-month-old daughter suffered from cholera which almost took her life. It was a difficult time but fortunately, she did survive and is healthy today.
This event would be the catalyst for Helmi to start Grosche with his wife in 2006. His wife ran the company full time for several years while he worked part-time. The company started in their basement and over the years grew to the point where Helmi could work full time and has been doing so now for the last 4 years. Helmi knew that after his daughter became sick that he wanted to spend the rest of his life giving back to the world, instead of taking from it.
The Oasis infusion bottle and the other products sold by Grosche have done a lot to impact people around the world. The products sold help fund up to 50 days of clean drinking water for a family. Through this, Grosche has been able to provide over 114,000,000 days of clean water to over six different countries around the world. These six countries include South Sudan, Uganda, Malawi, India, Pakistan, and The Philippines.
Not only does Grosche provide people with clean water, but they also give them a sustainable water source through the installation of Biosand filters. Made from cement, sand, gravel, and clay, these filters require little maintenance. They last up to 30 years with no electricity or chemicals and are ideal for warm temperature climates. These filters are also made locally to support the creation of employment and skill development, on top of safe water.
The status of the installed biofilters can be checked on Grosche’s website, as the company stands behind being transparent and providing updates on current progress. The evidence of Grosche’s impact is also there when you purchase an Oasis infusion bottle as you are connected directly to the family you are funding safe drinking water too. Overall, Grosche and the Oasis infusion bottles have made an impact on providing people with clean drinking water and making the world a better place because of it.
Grosche is a company that is one with its ethos and mission, and in doing so has put the funding of safe water before the simple pursuit of wealth. Consumers are looking towards buying products from socially responsible businesses, and the right consumer will see that Grosche, and products like the Oasis infusion bottle are making a positive impact on the world. This ethos-based culture is really what differentiates Grosche from its competitors and has been the reason for its success as a company. Doing business the right way is expensive for companies in the short run. However, Grosche has found that their socially responsible business practices have made them very successful in the long-run and given them the ability to ride out tough times better than their competitors.
Grosche is benefiting society by helping fund sustainable water sources for people around the world in need of safe drinking water. The Oasis bottle connects people with the beneficiary that their purchase is supporting, and all other products support safe drinking products around the world. Grosche doesn’t stop there, the company also does a lot to help the local community. These initiatives include packing food hampers, delivering food supplies, and working with Habitat for humanity.
Grosche also impacts the environment in several positive ways. Not only does it sell products like the Oasis infusion bottle, which helps reduce the number of plastic water bottles used, the company also has a 91% landfill avoidance and uses 100% renewable energy. Grosche has achieved producing a net negative carbon footprint because of the way they run their business. The company has also partnered with Trees for the Future, planting 10,000 trees in Haiti and Africa so far.
Grosche prides itself on its environmental and socially friendly business practices that have set them apart from there competitors and many other companies. From providing safe water to cleaning up the environment, their products and business practices have made an all-around positive impact on the world. When choosing Grosche products, you can be sure that you are making a difference by supporting a company that is trying to leave behind a better world for generations to come.
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Helmi Ansari, CEO
Grosche is a company that sells coffee, tea and hydration ware that supports safe water projects around the world. Based out of Cambridge Ontario, Grosche is proud to be a company that does things the right way by providing its employees with a living wage, having a negative carbon footprint, and providing people internationally with safe sustainable water sources through the sale of their products. Starting back in 2006 selling loose leaf tea door to door, Grosche has shown companies that they can be successful by being a socially responsible and striving to do things the right way.