business for good podcast episode 66 - melanie broye-engelkes

Pineapple Express to Disrupting Leather: Mélanie Broyé-Engelkes and Piñatex

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: [00:00:00] Today, we are the only vegan and sustainable alternative to lender that is available commercially available at scale on the market. Welcome to

Paul Shapiro: The Business for Good podcast to show where we spotlight companies making money by making the world a better place. I'm your host, Paul Shapiro, and if you share a passion for using commerce to solve many of the world's most pressing problems, then this is the show for.

Hello listeners, and welcome to your 66th episode of The Business for Good podcast. Before we talk about this episode's guest, let me first just say how overwhelmed I was by the response to the last episode with billionaire investor and author Jim Mellen. Listeners were very enthused that someone of such means is as passionate about saving animals as Jim is, and they were psyched to learn that he is helping finance the animal free protein space.

Lots of people had questions or even occasional disagreements with him about certain topics we discussed. For example, how quickly cultivated meat is gonna reach price parody with meat from slaughtered animals. And it's generated a [00:01:00] lot of good discussion and a ton of comments via our web form on the website business for good podcast.com.

So if you've not yet listened to episode 65 with Jim Mellon, make sure after listening to this one that you go back and check it out since it was a particularly popular one. And feel free, of course, to let me know what you thought. And while I'm talking about things that you should feel free to do, of course, please take a moment to give a five start rating to this podcast on whatever podcast app you prefer or on all of them.

Now, speaking of popular, it is often that we hear some really cool and promising new technology that's allegedly gonna change the game. But only once that tech is scaled and commercialized. In this episode, however, we are featuring a startup that not only has some cool technology, they've already commercialized it with hundreds of customers, including some very big names in the fashion world.

Melanie Bro Ekis is the CEO of Ana. Which makes Pena text. Now, for those of you who aren't fluent in Spanish, pena means pineapple and it was founded by a woman in Spain, which is why it's [00:02:00] called that. And it gives you a sense of what Melanie and her team were doing with their B2B material startup. You see, when it comes to weather alternatives, Most of them are made from fossil fuel derived plastics.

Aside from the obvious environmental concerns, there are functionality concerns, which such plastics do. We often hear about really encouraging new sustainable materials like so-called mushroom leather or cactus leather, or even leather from collagen that was grown in a controlled environment. But as promising as those solutions are, they aren't yet really commercialized in any meaningful.

Enter pen attacks. It is a weather alternative that's made from the leaves of the pineapple plant, which are typically considered an agricultural waste product. These upcycled leaves are converted into a functional and luxurious ceiling material that can be used for everything from shoes to handbags and more.

And indeed that is already what is happening today. Brands like Hugo Boss. H and m and hundreds of others are using Pex in their designs, setting an nsn m apart from many of the alternative materials makers out there. In this [00:03:00] episode, Melanie shares the company's origin story, telling us where they've been, where they're going, and more.

It's an inspiring tale, so let me get outta the way so you can hear it directly from her. Melanie, welcome to the Business for Good Podcast.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Hello Paul. Thanks for inviting

Paul Shapiro: me, . Hey, it is my pleasure to have you on. In fact, it's a great honor because I'm really impressed by the success that your company has had, um, primarily in that you are not only creating something like very.

Cool and sustainable, but that you've really already commercialized it with hundreds of customers. So we're gonna get into that later. But before we talk about how far you have commercialized pina Techs, let's hear, what is this? So, you know, when I first heard about this, I was thinking pineapple leather.

And I was first thinking, this must be the skin of the pineapple that we all throw out. And then I read notes, the pineapple leaves, and I was thinking, So this is like those top little spiky weaves that are at the top that we all throw out, but that's not what it is. So what is Penia?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes. Um, it's, it's very important to, [00:04:00] to specify that.

And, and thanks for, for starting with that. I mean, first of all would start with actually the company, um, Anas. Um, so the, the aim of the company is really to meet, um, uh, the challenges of our times, uh, by really developing products in which, um, commercial success is integrated, um, and promote social culture.

And ecological, um, developments. And, um, and Pex is, is the first product, um, that has been, um, as you said, commercialized already a few years ago in 2017. And Pex is, is an innovative, it's a patented, um, ethically produced material. It's a natural textile, um, that is actually made from the, um, pineapple leaf fibers.

Plant. So it's, it's not the, um, fruit itself. Uh, we're really looking at the plant, um, which actually becomes a waste, uh, once the pineapple has been harvested.

Paul Shapiro: Mm, okay. So just for [00:05:00] folks who are as unfamiliar with this as I was, uh, prior to a few days ago, so I, I had to google anatomy of a pineapple plant in order to figure this out, and so maybe you listener will want to do that as well.

But we're talking here about, Leaves that grow at the bottom of a pineapple that the customer never sees. So you see a pineapple with these spikes on a top. That's not what we're talking about. These are leaves that grow at the bottom. And when the pineapple is harvested from the field, those leaves are left in the field.

And that's what we're talking about here. But Melanie, tell us what would normally happen to those leaves, um, if they weren't becoming penia.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes, absolutely. So normally, um, these leaves, um, are, um, I mean after two cycles of growth, um, then the, the, the plant, um, and, and then the, the leaves of that plant, um, actually are waste.

And so there's several, um, things happening. Either it's left to simply rots in the fields or in the worst case scenario, it's being burnt. [00:06:00] And obviously, as you can imagine, that releases harmful substances in the, in the atmosphere. Um, And if it's left to rot, it actually takes, um, a lot of time to decompose.

Because what prevents it actually from decomposing efficiently is, is the fiber that is still in within the leaves. Um, and this is where. Our technology is, um, is creating all these vir circuits, I would say, because once we extract the fibers from the leaves, um, the, the biomass that is generated and that's left, um, can then be efficiently used, um, as, as compost and as fertilizer, and going back into the fields.

Paul Shapiro: Interesting. So what's the origin of this? Like how did somebody look at these leaves that are just generally considered like an agricultural byproduct of the pineapple industry and think, ah, we could make that into leather.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes. So first of all, um, uh, that technique of extracting fibers and using the fibers has already been used for centuries in the [00:07:00] Philippines.

Um, so they're manually extract the fibers and, uh, use it for, um, very delicate woven material. Um, and, um, they produce, um, Beautiful, um, shirts and, and, and dresses, uh, that are used for, for ceremonies like weddings or, um, important, um, uh, events. Uh, but it's a rove and it's very delicate. And, um, our founder, Dr.

Carmen Hosta, um, was actually, um, a leather expert all her life. And she had, um, several brands, uh, leather brands, uh, and. In the nineties, um, she was sent to the Philippines to, um, work and then help improving the, the, um, leather production, um, by consulting work. And, um, so she, she obviously visited, um, Tanners, but she also, um, uh, discovered, um, this, this ancestral technique of extracting [00:08:00] fibers and making a rove and material outta that.

So, so she had, I would say, a. A double inspiration. First of all, she was obviously really made aware by the working conditions in the Tanners, in, in the Philippines, and obviously other developing countries back then in the nineties. Um, obviously the harmful impact on the environment, also, the, the, um, social, uh, the working conditions that were not, um, as good as they're probably today.

Um, but also then the inspiration. The use of that fiber, what you could actually do out of pineapple fiber. So by combining those together, um, she thought to find a way to create an industrialized way, um, to valorize these fibers into a material that could be strong enough. To be an alternative to leather, and her idea was to develop a non-war material that could actually match the properties, I mean, as close as possible, [00:09:00] match the properties

Paul Shapiro: to a leather.

Interesting. So she already had that background in the weather industry, so she was perhaps primed to be thinking about leather and, and leather alternatives, uh, just because of, of her background. So is she still involved with the company now, Carmen?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes, absolutely. So she's the founder and she's still, um, uh, obviously heavily involved as the, um, I mean obviously our brand ambassador of course, but also, um, still, um, looking at, at, um, the aesthetic, the design side.

She's still heavily involved in the innovation process. Uh, she's always the one, um, foreseeing new trends, um, years in advance and, um, and triggering new ideas and triggering innovation. Um, but, but she's also more and more involved now in moving into, um, developing our social projects that we're gonna, um, uh, do far more.

Um, and yeah, so she's, she's still very much involved. Great. Um, and, uh, yeah, and big inspiration for everyone in the team.

Paul Shapiro: Ha, I I, I can imagine. So. [00:10:00] The product though is not only pineapple leaves, right. And so you, you do add some other things. So tell us what is, what else is in pina tech aside from those pineapple leaf fiber?

Yes.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Um, I mean, it's mostly pineapple belief fibers in, which is quite unique in the, uh, alternatives, uh, in the sustainable alternatives industry, I would say. So, um, the first step is to create, um, I mean this non mesh, which we call a substrate, and that is composed of 80% of pineapple belief fibers. Uh, and then we add to that, um, pla, so polylactic acid, um, that helps as a binder.

Um, and, and that's at that stage we obtain a hundred percent biodegradable. Substrate. Mm-hmm. .

Paul Shapiro: And the POA is from corn?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes, absolutely. It's, uh, it's corn based and it's, Yeah,

Paul Shapiro: absolutely. And so those who aren't familiar, so corn POA is a, um, it's a fermented plant starch from, from corn that is essentially, if you ever see like, you know, biodegradable cups or plates being sold, typically those are made out of corn poa.

[00:11:00] So, so basically what you're saying, Melanie, is, you know, you got 80% pineapple leaf fibers and then I presumably 20% corn poa. Exactly.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: So this is what we then, um, call our failed, pina failed. And then from then onwards, we have several options to, um, apply different types of coatings and finishings, um, to, um, produce our Pia techs and, and produce it in, in different, um, uh, product lines.

Um, that would then match the different properties that are required, um, to enter.

Paul Shapiro: Market. Interesting. Well, I wanna talk about those properties, but just real quick before we do, Melanie, uh, you know, how many plants do you need to do this? Like how much, uh, pineapple is needed in order to start making actual pina tax leather?

Yeah, look,

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: I mean, we use about 25 kilos of leaves per, uh, square meter of, of p. So, um, so it's about 460 [00:12:00] leaves roughly .

Paul Shapiro: Okay. That, that, that's more helpful for me. Okay. So 4, 4 60 weaves. And, um, from looking at my, um, completely non extensive research on, uh, pineapple plants, I guess is, that's like around 15 plants, Is that right?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes. It really depends on the, on the, how many actual, um, leaves you can use. Um, Roughly you can use about 50% of, of the leaves of the plan because we try to really focus on getting the longer sleeves, um, the ones that are not too damaged. Um, so yes, roughly it's about that. So

Paul Shapiro: Melanie, what is the cost difference here for PIA Tax?

Like, let's say you're comparing it to a luxury leather. Um, is PTECH gonna be cheaper than it cost competitive, more expensive? Like where are we right now on trying to reach cost parity with

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: leather? Yes. I mean, compared to luxury leather, uh, we would. Be, uh, significantly more cost effective because our target is to, uh, [00:13:00] be equivalent in, in price, uh, to a premium, to, um, um, medium size, um, quality leather.

And, and what is also important to take into account is when you buy leather height, you have up to 40% of waste. Uh, whereas when you purchase, um, uh, a square meter of of P attacks, um, you can use all of that because in comes in rolls. And, um, and it's a continuous roll so you can just, um, purchase as many meters as you require and you can use the full widths of it.

Paul Shapiro: Fascinating. And so that waste presumably, is because cows very stubbornly do not grow in the shapes of car seats and shoes and wristband wa uh, wristbands and so on. Is that that's what a lot of the waste is from, or are there other reasons for the waste in the weather?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yeah, no. So it's, um, when you, when you actually get a leather height, um, you would, um, to have really a uniform square meter out of a height, so you would have to cut off, um, everything around.

Um, it comes not in a, in a [00:14:00] square, rectangular shape. Um, whereas us being delivered as, uh, in a role, um, uh, you, you can, I mean, there's no shape limitations. So you can use, use the full width of the material that is being.

Paul Shapiro: Very cool. Yeah, And I think also, you know, cows might have, uh, you know, either scars or insect bites, or maybe they've been branded and there's a, you know, there's a whole bunch of other reasons you might have imperfection in the hide of a cow that presumably would not be the same with penia X.

Is that right? Yeah,

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: absolutely. But on the other hand, um, what we say, I mean, typical is our, um, original line. We call it original because the first one that has been created, um, it has, um, I mean it is, it comes in different colors, in, in and, um, and, uh, finishes. But we have one, um, um, line with our natural, um, colorway, which actually comes without pigments.

And um, and here you can really see the natural fibers and sometimes there are just some we call flex, which is just part of, um, [00:15:00] nature. And, and so we always, um, uh, explain to our customers that, um, from batch to batch, there might be slight variations in the tone and of this natural color way. And, but this is really inherent to, it's, to the fact that it's a hundred percent natural material.

Paul Shapiro: Wow, that is really cool. Well, I've, I've looked at photos of it online and it certainly looks like a beautiful material and, um, I wanna talk about where people can get it. But first in terms of its functionality. So, you know, let's say I am a fashion designer and you all send me some samples of pina techs and I'm accustomed to working with leather.

Like, what will I find different or will I find it identical to working with? Yes.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: I mean, first of all, the good news is it's, it's, it's quite, uh, easy to use. It's, it's fairly identical to leather. Um, as always, you need to adjust, um, to any new material. But you can, you can make out of it anything, pretty much anything that you can do with leather as well.

You can, um, uh, [00:16:00] you can cut it, use it in normal, um, um, uh, stitching, uh, um, equipment, uh, you can print on it, you can emboss. Um, so there. Almost nothing you could not do with p which is, which is really the beauty of it. And, and we are very, very excited to work really very closely with all the brands that use and have new ideas and um, and actually discover together.

New potentialities for the product. And so we learn a lot and we have accumulated a lot of, I would say, best practices and, and know what you can actually do with ptech. And we happily share that with other brands that, um, then actually, you know, as a q and a, so we can share everything we have already accumulated in terms of knowledge and obviously save time for others who join.

Paul Shapiro: Nice. Do you have plans to, um, put out your own products or do you plan to just to be a b2b, uh, essentially fabric supplier to other companies for them to replace their own leather.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yeah, that's, [00:17:00] um, that's a good question. I think for now we really want to concentrate on, on, um, on, uh, I mean b2b, um, expanding our range of materials, um, you know, working on this continuous, uh, improvement, um, And, and, um, potentially what we might do at some point is, is develop, arrange test, but as, just as a benchmark to, to give, uh, brands, um, uh, more of an, um, a visual interpretation of what you can do with the material.

But we would not, uh, at that stage, uh, plan to commercialize. Uh, no, no. And as always, you know, we're growing young business, so we have to, uh, prioritize and for now we work on b2b, uh, developing our. Yeah,

Paul Shapiro: well, I wanna talk about that young business because, you know, Melanie, a lot of times we hear about these really cool technologies, people who want to, you know, replace, um, uh, animals from the food supply chain or from the fashion supply chain.

Um, but [00:18:00] oftentimes those companies, While they have a really cool technology or a cool product, they spend years before commercialization, if they ever commercialize, some of them, you know, are around for a decade before they sell anything, or they have symbolic commercialization like with one product in one store.

Um, but that's not what you all are doing. Uh, you all have actually had pretty substantial market penetration. So I'm eager to hear how and when that started happening. So if you don't mind, Melanie, just take me through the. Birth of the company to how long it was before there were products on the market, and then who some of those partnerships are with.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes. No, thank you. That's a great question because you really put forward what's, what's so strong about us? I would say, um, yes. I mean, um, first of all, it all started really when I, I said, you know, back in the, in the nineties when Carmen had this, um, um, major inspiration and insight on, um, Creating and having this, um, idea of, of, of developing, um, uh, a non-woven material of canopy fibers.

And obviously it took a few years then also for her [00:19:00] to, to, I mean, she was in her late fifties back then, um, to completely change life and to really drop her, her previous life in, in the leather industry. And she decided to. To dev, develop this material, but together with the, um, by while doing a PhD at the Royal College of Art.

Um, so the. Business got incubated at Royal College of Art, and then this is where I'd say it's really the best place where it's all really started to, um, be shaped into an actual, um, I'd say proof of concept from an r d point of view. Um, and, and then really, um, it reached the stage of, um, I'd say, um, between 2000.

13 between, and then 2017, it was really the time when, um, the company and was created when PTECH had been, um, developed, uh, and the supply chain had been put in place, um, to actually be able to [00:20:00] commercialize the product. And then since 2017, um, it was all about, um, scaling, um, that supply chain to produce, um, every year, um, double, um, the volume we we produced the year before.

Uh, and at the same time continuing working on improving, um, the material properties and keeping the right balance in, um, um, improving its sustainability credential.

Paul Shapiro: What was the pitch then? You know, like, what, what is the argument to the producer? Let's say, you know, I am a, you know, shoe manufacturer, and you come to me, Melanie, and say why I should switch from leather to pen attacks.

What are the arguments that you're

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: using? Yes. Uh, I think today we are, um, the only vegan and sustainable alternative to lender that is available, commercially available at scale on the market. So

Paul Shapiro: tell, tell me what type of, when, [00:21:00] when you say the only vegan alternative that's sustainable presumable, you're referring to, you know, plastic based leathers like, uh, polyurethane and, and other so-called tethers that are out there.

Is that right?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Exactly. Yeah. Because vegan is is, doesn't mean it's sustainable. And so we have, um, both.

Paul Shapiro: Okay, well that's great. So is that what is compelling? Let's say like for example, you are partnered with companies like Hugo Boss and h and m is the sustainability argument, what's compelling to them? Do they agree that there's a problem with leather?

Like what is it that's leading them to make that switch?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes. So. Yeah. First, all of the, uh, p or PVC material has been, um, uh, up to a few years ago. The, the only alternative, um, for, for non-animal, um, lead alternatives. Um, but companies like H m Hugo Boss and, and the hundreds and hundreds of really su, I mean vegan and sustainable fashion brands out there, um, they are, um, Seeking obviously to find the best, [00:22:00] um, best material that can answer both words.

I mean, first of all, there is a real, I mean, important vegan, uh, demand out there and started obviously in the food industry and now it's going very much all into the materials industry. Um, so, so that trend has been building up over the years, but I think in addition to that, and that has really, really, um, increased over the last 24 months is, is to actually.

Make sure that the vegan alternative is also, um, as sustainable as possible and is, um, uh, addressing, um, all the elements that you can measure in terms of carbon footprint, in terms of, uh, water to usage, in terms of energy usage, um, and also the understanding of what goes actually into that material. What are the resources, the raw materials that go into the material and, and what is its end of life.

Um, and I'd say. Over the last, as I said, 24 months. Um, I think the [00:23:00] awareness, um, uh, I'd say from the end consumer to start with, the end consumer has, has really, really increased from that side and has also automatically put more pressure on, on the fashion companies, um, to, to come up with better solutions.

Um, but also the fashion industry is obviously put on a lot of pressure and there is a lot of, um, Say movement now from their side, um, to develop, um, long term, uh, sustainability strategies, uh, to completely review, um, their material sourcing, um, that is, is, is one of the main causes of, um, why the fashion history is so polluting.

So, so there's not a lot of, lot of momentum into kind of really tightening the, the problems that they root. And this is where we bring this, um, solution that really takes all the boxes. And in addition to that, and again, we're the only ones to provide that, is to provide, [00:24:00] um, a social impact as well. Um, first of all, we, um, we can measure, um, um, the positive impact we, um, create.

For instance, now in the Philippines, um, we, we measure how many jobs we create and in deprived rural communities, um, we measure the additional turnover that is, um, uh, given to the farmers by. The collecting the waste and extracting fibers out of it. So it creates new opportunities in, in these, um, uh, communities.

Um, and we have a fully transparent supply chain, so we can really measure and share, um, key, uh, KPIs, um, from, uh, leave farm level all the way up to the finished material when we. Wow.

Paul Shapiro: Well, let's talk about the fashion industry to which you're referring. Let's say Melanie, that you know, somebody wants to, somebody who's an individual consumer like myself, wants to get some Pena Tech shoes.[00:25:00]

Where would I go? I know you're partnered with a lot of big name brands, so what are some of the brands that you're partnered with that people can buy? Pena Techs from?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yeah. So I mean, it depends. So if you're an end consumer, you want to buy product, uh, made from Pex, um, then, uh, yeah. So then, um, obviously we, we are not specifically, we don't have any exclusivity agreement with any brands, so we work with.

Many brands out there. Um, as, as you can imagine, we work with hundreds of brands. Um, so, um, one way to, um, find out, uh, where Pex, where you can purchase PEX as non-consumer within a product is to actually go on our website where we list, um, We try to keep an updated list of, of, um, all the brands using Pex, um, following of our social media Instagram accounts.

Um, we promote on a regular basis all the, especially the smaller brands using pex. Um, and um, [00:26:00] and then obviously the brands themselves, they're advertised, um, usually a lot about the fact that they use peanuts. They consider pentech to be really a, a brand material that comes with a, a really high level of credentials in terms of low environmental footprint, positive social impact.

Uh, it has been made an ethical way, and, and that's really the, the creation of a strong brand. Um, that has been one of our priorities and remains obviously our top priority. Going forward is to maintain this really, really value driven ecosystem so that brands are really obviously proud, um, to partner with us, to use the brand name within their communication.

Um, and um, and obviously to indirectly benefit also from all the, um, positive impact we generate. .

Paul Shapiro: Right. Well, that's fantastic. Melanie. You know, you, you indicated earlier that Carmen was the founder of the [00:27:00] company, that she was really the inventor of this type of a technology, and I know that you were not with the company at the beginning, right.

That you came on a few years ago. And so tell me just a little bit about your background prior to Penia Techs and what was it that led you to leave that life and go to the life of a small startup?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes. So I started, um, uh, first of all for my career point of view, I was started 10 years at, um, lv, lvmh, um, working with the French, um, perfume, cosmetic brand gala.

Um, and, uh, and then after 10 years, um, I decided to completely change and, and, and actually go more the entrepreneurship world, um, and set up my own, um, Uh, food business and, um, and, uh, and then from then onwards, um, I worked, um, with, with many. Startups or, or growing SMEs, um, to, to help them actually, um, structure themselves, uh, and to be, um, and to grow.

And I [00:28:00] think this way used, um, the, the combination between 10 years of really, I mean luxury corporate background. Um, and, and then, um, I'd say the, the own experience to, um, set up a business, um, which has really. Um, open up a lot of, um, I, this deep understanding of what a phone or what an entrepreneur goes through, um, and to combine both.

And then, um, Actually then build on that and, and build a growing, um, system and company that is built on, you know, more structures, um, um, um, developing and integrating more and more people and, and really staying all the way, um, really respectful and, and loyal to the original vision, um, to the values. Um, and, and keep that connection to the founder to make sure that, um, the business is growing, uh, but in the right way.

Paul Shapiro: [00:29:00] That's great. That's really great. So what then, Melanie, was the transition, like for you, like going from a. Large corporate background to coming to a small company. Like if you look back now that you're a few years in, what was the most remarkable thing that you have experienced in terms of that type of a change in your career?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yeah, I think the transition was really, um, over, over quite a few years. So it was not as, I would say, abrupt, so it was not. Literally going from a, a large corporation in, into a small startup. So it, it kind of stretched over a few years. Uh, but I think, um, I, I was only always kind of already preparing myself to that because even within my 10 years in a, in a big corporation, um, the moments I, I enjoyed the most was when I was on.

Uh, I had several positions and one of the positions I had when I was back at, um, uh, gal I was on, um, on a very entrepreneurial, um, project for, for a couple of years, um, that was functioning as a startup, but within, um, the [00:30:00] structure of a, of a larger corporation. And, and I enjoyed these years so much and, and that was actually the first trigger towards, actually I'd like to do something like that.

But I think then it's just a combination of, um, you know, where the stars align from your, you know, your personal professional life, you move on and that you find the right opportunity. Um, and I think it's, it's just also then you make this journey and then, and then at some point you're ready. Um, and, um, and then suddenly you realize that all the skills and all the experience you have accumulated all these years actually have you prepared, um, for that new c.

Yeah.

Paul Shapiro: Nice, Nice. So you've been in the company for a few years now, and I know that it's grown a lot under your leadership. So, um, like what type of. Uh, revenues are you guys bringing in now? How many people work at the company? Just give us a sense of the scale of this company now.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes, so I joined in, uh, March, 2018, So it's [00:31:00] just three years now.

Um, so turnover, I can't give you the turnover, but I can give you a sense of the, I mean, multiplied by, um, I mean five we could have done more, but last year's, um, uh, obviously with the lockdowns it slowed down a little bit of our production, but, um, but still we managed to have a even, um, still. Deliver growth on in 2020 versus 2019, which, which really shows the resilience of the, uh, company, but also it has actually increased the demand.

Um, so, um, so yeah, uh, we, we are growing. I mean, we've been doubling every year. Um, and, um, in terms of, um, um, I mean gross, we, we we're actually heading towards the next chapter of the company, which is, um, now that we've proven. The business model, um, the commercial, um, uh, uh, functioning of that, we have a product that, that there is demand for.

Uh, we've proven it through really high profile, [00:32:00] um, brand collaborations. Um, we are not really heading towards accelerated growth and, uh, we are gonna be fundraising this year to now heading towards multiplying actually our production capability and hands our turnover, uh, by 10. By the, by next year, .

Paul Shapiro: I, I hope that happens, Melanie.

So, I, I presume that the company has received some investor funding in the past. That's correct.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes, it has. It has, Yes, indeed. Yeah. Um, Business Angels, uh, um, a venture capitalist and, um, uh, really, um, uh, uh, you know, family offices. Um, but what's always been very, very important for the company is to work with investors.

Obviously in a, on a long term perspective, um, and investors that are totally aligned with our values and how we see how we want to develop the business moving forward. Um, so, so that has always been a very, very important point for

Paul Shapiro: the [00:33:00] company. Nice. And with this upcoming funding round, how much are you thinking that the company may be seeking to bring in, in new investment that

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: we will, uh, announce very soon.

So it's just matter for a few more weeks. .

Paul Shapiro: All right. Well, for any of you investors or venture capitalists who are listening, keep an eye out and, and on the, uh, Pia tax website and, and you can see what, what the options are available to you. .

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes.

Paul Shapiro: Perfect. So, Melanie, you've done a lot in your life. You've seen a lot in your life.

You have, uh, had, you know, really a few different chapters of your career. So looking on all the things that you have done, I want to ask you if there are any resources out there that have been helpful for you. That you think somebody who is looking at you and is impressed by what you've accomplished and really loves P Tech or they wanna do something good in the world, are there any resources you would recommend for them to check out that have been useful for you in your own career?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yeah, there's really several types of, of, of, of resources. I'd say. [00:34:00] Um, first of all, it's always try to get as close as possible to the actual entrepreneur or visionaire or, or inventor and, and always try to, I mean, if possible meet in person, I mean, it would happen again. Uh, go to, um, conferences. Or obviously, um, watch, um, YouTube, um, videos where, where these people might be, um, interviewed or speaking, uh, at, uh, different, uh, panels.

Um, obviously listen to podcasts. I think that's, that's really very, I mean, I really rediscovered that throughout the pandemic as well, because it's very, uh, nice and personal way to really hear directly from all these incredible people what, what they think, how they. The evolution and so on. And, and the last resource I, I personally, um, use a lot as well is also reading, um, biographies or autobiographies from, um, from, uh, entrepreneurs, but also from, from, from leaders, from [00:35:00] CEOs.

Um, I mean it, and it's a whole variety. I mean, to give you a few examples, um, the ones, I mean, just picked, um, this morning, a few that, um, that have, um, uh, you learn from all of them for. Um, I, I read about, when was it? Maybe, um, eight years ago. The, um, um, um, from she Sandberg Lean in. So that was really typically also the woman.

That was a really good wake up call back then. It was when I was really starting my entrepreneur journal as well, to say, Look, I mean, there's no limit out there, It's just the, the limits you put yourself. Um, and that was so useful to really, I'd say, um, just stop. Constraining yourself and, and just to go for it.

So that was, that was really a good, um, uh, good resource for that. Um, and um, another one which was really, um, very interesting is, um, a shoe dog from Fair Night for the founder of Nike. Um, that really taught me everything about. [00:36:00] Um, never give up and always keep going, whatever people think. Um, and then recently I read the, um, autobiography from, uh, Robert Iger, um, who was CEO of, um, the Disney Corporation.

And um, and I think that was really, uh, interesting from a point of view of, um, growing, uh, big corporation. Um, preserving the heritage and, um, uh, and the history of a company like Disney, but then opening up to, you know, new digital, new, new innovation and, um, and the importance of, of constantly, of the, um, having your long term strategy in mind, but being able to, um, convey it in three simple idea.

And continuously communicating with everyone so that everyone is aligned behind, um, the strategy.

Paul Shapiro: I haven't read, uh, Bob i's book, although I want to. But I did read Cheryl Sand's book, which I, I really appreciated. [00:37:00] And, uh, Shoe Dog also was a particular favorite of mine. I, I took away from it also what you just said, the, you know, the desire to never give up, but what also was remarkable to me, Was how Phil and Knight, this founder of Nike, just the company, almost died time and time again.

It was like all these near death experiences that they narrowly averted. It was almost like, you know, reading a novel where the, you know, the hero is just, you know, just barely escaping death every time. And it was just, uh, it, it was particularly amazing because we think of Nike as this, you know, like monolithic brand now.

But, uh, there are so. Paths that it could have gone down, that it would've ended in flames. And so I really appreciated that because, um, he talks very frankly about so many of the failures that he and the company had. And it makes it seem a little bit more human to think that, you know, even the most successful companies have all these failures.

And so it, it, it. Made me feel a little bit better for my own failures, ,

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: and, [00:38:00] and that that is so important. And this is what actually also helps me a lot because you always hear just about all the successes and everything, but you know, running a growing business, it's all about the failures as well. And of course you, but it's all about how quickly you recover from them and what you learn from them and how it makes you grow as a team.

And, um, and, and that's I think the beauty and, and typically, Happened, I mean, one year ago, uh, we were in such a different situation. You just felt that the world was collapsing around us. And, and reading these books, when you're in these darkest hours, when you have to completely rethink, uh, your short term midterm, but also long term strategy, just a matter of weeks, um, it is incredibly helpful, um, and give to this reassurance as you say, it's like you're not the only one and people have gone through much, much worse and it's totally normal.

And, um, that is I think, very anchor.

Paul Shapiro: It's certainly encouraging for me, I'll tell you that. So , I gotta read Bob i's book down note, but we'll, we'll include, um, links to all three of those [00:39:00] books in the show, in the show notes for this episode for anybody who wants to check them out. So Melanie, let me just ask you then finally, because you're doing something that's really good for the world, you're trying to help improve sustainability and reduce our footprint on the planet by displacing leather with this plant-based sustainable alternative penia.

Presumably you have ideas for lots of other things that could also be good for the world that you don't have the time to do because you're too busy running Pena Techs. So tell me like, what are the ideas that you have that you hope maybe somebody listening to you will be inspired by and will want to do themselves and do some, make some positive contribution in the world as well?

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Yes, I was, I was thinking about that a lot. And, um, there, there are already so many ideas out there and I was actually thinking, you know what? I would like to appeal to everyone out there, everyone of us, uh, to become actually their, um, own entrepreneur for sustainable lifestyle. Um, [00:40:00] you don't need to actually build a company or have a crazy innovative idea.

I think if you already aim it as a responsible consumer, uh, as a woke consumer, um, just realize, uh, and, and, and think. How you live your life, how you consume, how you purchase, and, and to actually open up, um, to learn, um, to, to challenge the status quo, to challenge, um, um, probably the brands you, you used to purchase all your products from.

Um, and to, to act to really be an active member. Uh, your community, the community in which you live, um, that's, that's I think would be to me. So, um, so important because obsi, we, through companies, we, we try to move mountains every day. Um, but I think it's, it's can only work jointly when [00:41:00] every individual out there makes this journey due towards a sustainable, uh, lifestyle.

Towards kind of really understanding, um, what it means to be sustainable in your everyday life, and then maybe, um, understand better what companies that are engaged in this past are trying to achieve and then also connect and support. These companies. So that would be a fantastic

Paul Shapiro: journey. Indeed. Well, I personally, Melanie, look forward to connecting with and supporting Pina Tech.

I'm going to, uh, include a link on the show notes of the website to the page on your site, which shows many of the brands that include Pia Techs and their products. So if you want to be wearing a really cool. Pair of pineapple weather shoes or have a pineapple weather handbag, go to business for good podcast.com and we'll have that link on there.

You can check out all the great places where you can get products containing Penia Techs, and you can fulfill Melanie's wish to support companies that are out there trying to do good [00:42:00] in the world by helping to reduce humanity's footprint. On the rest of the planet. So Melanie, thanks so much for all you're doing.

We're really impressed and we are hoping for your continued growth and your continued success. And look forward to enjoying more p and Techs products out on the market soon, and we'll be following your journey closely.

Melanie Broye-Engelkes: Thank you Paul. Thank you so much and thank you for this fantastic, um, uh, platform to share, um, all these ideas and vision.

Thank you so much. Thanks

Paul Shapiro: for listening. We hope you found use in this episode. If so, don't keep it to yourself. Please leave us a five star rating on iTunes or wherever you get your podcast. And as always, we hope you will be in the business of doing good.