25/08/2025
🎁 Happy birthday Pete! 🥳
Pete has been part of the Flow Vessel story from the beginning… 🤓
STORY TIME 🖤
My mission to find the best water bottle began when I was having lunch with my friend Pete. Pete has cerebral palsy and always brings his own straw to help with drinking. Our conversation shifted to the challenges people with disabilities face when it comes to straws and bottles. We realised that the perfect bottle—one that was both functional, eco-friendly and aesthetic—didn’t to exist. This was also around the time when the War on Waste and No Plastic July were trending. As someone who loves the beach and nature’s waterways, I was also really passionate about keeping our oceans and planet clean and free from plastic waste 🌊
I took on the challenge of creating the ultimate water bottle. I spoke with a range of users about what they wanted. For Pete, it needed to have a straw with a button-press lid, a handle for ease of use, and a lid that kept the straw covered. Everyday users wanted a vessel that could keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot. Many also asked for something durable enough to handle everyday knocks. Active individuals needed something easily portable ♿️
After several design iterations and a pre-launch crowdfunding campaign that raised over $10,000 — Flow Vessel was born! Customers loved that the bottles kept drinks at the right temperature, was easy to use, simple to clean, and fit into standard cup holders—including wheelchair drink holders. Once launched, the product quickly gained popularity. HBF even invested and ordered 500 bottles for their clients. We also won funding from RAC to help us grow our vision. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and every time we received happy feedback we knew we’re on the right track! 💖
Had to include the pic of repping his Flow Vessel at my wedding, what a champ! 📸
