We are spending more and more time on our devices; whether that is a mobile phone, tablet or laptop, chances are you have a certain amount of attachment to your screen.
There is a little more to finding a decent case or vinyl or protective skin than you would originally imagine. It’s not as simple as a trip to Amazon to find a great looking, easy to apply and more environmentally friendly case. We spent hours and hours talking to designers and manufacturers to find the absolute gem that is WOODWE.
Back in 2017, we had the chance to interview their CEO Matas Pajarskas in order to find out a little more about this elusive and innovative company. Link here.
Now he’s back for round two:
3 YEARS LATER
WoodWe has grown from a promising start-up to an industry leader in the premium case sector; how are you managing the growth and what difficulties have faced along the way?
The main challenge is our identity. Only now we are formulating who we really are and what we want; why is that and where is our focus?
Our main focus right now is to create & develop products which challenge the norms of mass market. We are always searching for partners in sales, marketing and product design fields who want to change the status quo and bring more natural solutions.
We are starting to think not only about the products we are going to create, but also about left over materials which can’t currently be utilised. We are also evaluating how our supply chain works, are they as friendly to the environment as they could be, could we help them to become better?
We recently entered into a partnership with ‘Trees for the future’ and have already donated 10.000 trees to be planted in Africa.
What is your mission and vision for the future of WoodWe?
To change the status quo in mass markets of tangible products. From non-eco-friendly, environmentally toxic materials to sustainable, natural and biodegradable solutions. We hope to inspire people with our unique design.
We want to be a true example and to show that anything is possible. To show that we can change the negative and bring about positive impact.
WoodWe provides unique products, with a key focus on natural materials; how do you balance quality, sustainability and price?
Quality is our priority. First, the product must be practical, it must possess quality for long-term usage.
We are also a value driven brand, we focus on materials which are sustainable, natural, more expensive and our pricing does reflect these morals.
We want to ensure the customer can see and feel the high quality, unique design and natural material mix. We have dreams to lower the price point of our products by optimising the manufacturing procesees, which we currently complete entirely in-house. This will happen in due time and we are working towards the future each and every day.
It has been three years since we last had you with us for an interview, how has your role within WoodWe changed at all?
At the beginning I was focusing on random solutions in e-commerce. Now I am focusing entirely on the vision of WoodWe. I seek out and explore all business opportunities personally, in order to clearly communicate my vision with the team and partners.
The world is currently in a strange place, with a global pandemic hitting the economy, how has WoodWe been affected?
Of course, the first 5 weeks was bad, our sales dropped by around 30%. However, after this we reached a new high. We believe this is thanks to consumer patterns switching to online purchases instead of brick and mortar retail stores. So this pandemic actually helped us in a strange way.
With the majority of your products being manufactured from real wood, how do you balance the impact on the environment? (Do you have any initiatives in place to counteract the footprint of your products?)
We work with Decospan, which has FSC and PEFC certificates, which shows that our raw material come from forests which creates social, environmental and economical benefits. As mentioned before, we have donated 10,000 trees to be planted in Africa.
What has changed since we last spoke? Have you introduced any new products which you feel particularly proud of?
Product wise, we have introduced some new materials: ‘Sea shell’ & ‘Real Hay’. We also introduced a new ‘Protective Macbook Case’ and ‘wooden wallet/card holder’.
During these past three years, we have worked on all kinds of projects, not just related to “WoodWe. For example, we helped to manufacture “Redbull Organics” bar accessories. We also applied real stone onto their products, managing the whole process. We loved that project!
Finally, if you work with any human being from history, as your brand ambassador, who would it be and why?
Elon Musk – he is not afraid to change the status quo, has incredible ambitions for the planet and our species in general.
Vegan Life & Living 