October’s disrupter of the month goes to GRAYL, the one-press purification system.
Think about a French press that purifies water from any source – travellers rejoice! The environmentally-conscious brand goes further than any before them, now, they’re leading the industry and solidifying their inclusion in every hardcore traveller’s backpack.
GRAYL was founded in 2012 by
two self-confessed travelling junkies, Nancie Weston and Travis Merrigan. The pair has long declared their concern for the global plastic epidemic – eager to reduce their footprint while exploring the four corners of the globe.
“Purify water. Anywhere.”
It sounds amazing, right – but how does it work?
GRAYL works through a unique FILL, PRESS, DRINK system. You simply fill up the bottle with your questionable water, press down on the filter and drink your now purified water. Magic? Perhaps just innovation. The guys over at GRAYL state that the bottle can be used all over the world, from dirty streams to questionable hostel tap water. The innovative system removes 99.99% of viruses, bacteria and protozoan cysts – okay, we don’t know what that means either, but sounds like something we definitely don’t want to be drinking.
But the big headline? This is a sustainable way to travel. It’s no secret that buying plastic bottles is causing drastic and irreversible damage to our planet, do we hear…epidemic?
This buying habit is accelerated when travelling in countries with unsafe tap water. Stock up on a few plastic bottles of water and you’re golden, right? GRAYL don’t think so. Our personal favourite fact about the brand? ONE cartridge replaces 300 plastic bottles – that’s a statistic we can definitely get behind.
The marketing bit.
GRAYL are doing a great job of utilising social media platforms to reach those individuals actively seeking out ways to travel sustainably across the globe. The brand’s key hashtags #fillpressdrink #purifywateranywhere #thegrayl act as a great way to get their name out there. The company’s official Instagram (@thegrayl) boasts a collection of picturesque and binge-worthy travelling shots, all featuring the innovative GRAYL ultralight system.
Their Youtube channel? You guessed it. Videos from across the globe that showcases the GRAYL ultralight in action, and also makes us want to hop on the next plane.
GRAYL have truly positioned themselves as a lifestyle brand, opening doors for new inventions and developments on their original design. The brand has a huge collection of user reviews that speak volumes on the claims of purifying water (hint – it’s frequently rated 10/10). The company is a CLEAR – excuse the pun – fan favourite, with many users inclined to sing praises of innovation. Did someone say word of mouth marketing?
In 2016, the founders started a new Kickstarter campaign to help them re-design their product. The result? The GRAYL ultralight. When initiating the campaign they specifically targeted adventure seekers, and the result? The first three days saw them exceed their $25,000 target. Talk about knowing your audience.
Innovation is what comes to mind when we think of GRAYL, not only for their unique design but their attitudes towards sustainability and passion for their product. The brand boasts many marketing lessons, focused around knowing your audience and not being afraid to go back to the drawing board.
So, as an essential product for any serious traveller, we’d say they’ve certainly achieved true innovation in their field.
Congratulations GRAYL – our disruptor of the month!
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