Comfortable shoes for everyday, made from recycled and up-cycled materials. Our Bloom Algae shoes clean up to 30L of water. One product sold = One tree Planted.
Source: Heyfolks: It’s a Good Day! Conscious Comfort Shoes
In 2019 I drove down to Meridian, Mississippi for one reason, I wanted to learn about algae. The beaches along the Gulf Coast had been closed down with a warning about harmful algae. I didn’t understand it, but I had met Ryan Hunt, co-founder of Algix & Bloom Foam at the Footwear Innovation Summit and he talked about turning algae into sneaker outsole and insole foam:
Ryan gave me a guided tour of the facility and I was blown away (cue the Hamilton music). The company utilizes harvesting machines and they can clean the water, extract the algae, send it through what is basically a tornado chamber and then into an oven and the outcome are these granules perfect for combining with traditional foam to create a more sustainable sneaker, or boogie board, or a number of products. I told Ryan that anytime I ran across a product featuring Bloom, I would write and share information about that company. Enter Heyfolks.
Heyfolks is the type of startup I love to share. They are manufacturing their footwear in their home country of Canada. The shoes serve a purpose, without overstating how the shoe functions. Those of us with children understand how difficult it is to find shoes that are soft enough for our children to develop natural foot movement. In the developmental years for children learning to walk, parents are quick to place their children in hardbottom sports shoes from big name brands. Those shoes can hinder the natural splay needed for children to feel the floor or ground. We also know how difficult it is to run out of the house when we have to tie multiple shoes of kids.
- Jeff Penner and his wife founded their company out of their house in 2013, initially selling leather baby shoes at local markets and online. The company name was Minimoc.
- They started making children’s sneakers in 2018 with a focus on ease of use for both parent and child, comfort, and design that would allow children to move naturally.
- In September 2019 they launched the adult-sized version of the kid’s sneakers via a Kickstarter campaign under the sub-brand Heyfolks.
- In February 2020 they rebranded the company as Heyfolks to reflect a more inclusive brand and show that their shoes are for the entire family. At this time they also phased out the fringed moccasin style, out of consideration for the indigenous community.
- As a company, they’ve adopted a mission that they are here to help you have a good day. They do this by creating products that enrich life, with concern for people and the earth.
- They are now using recycled materials in our uppers, and insoles. They utilize Bloom Algae in most of their outsoles. By the end of 2021, all of the Voyageur sneakers will have algae in them cleaning up to 30L of water and 19 cubic meters of air per pair.
- They plant one tree for every product sold on the website.
- They also continue to make durable soft sole children’s shoes in the factory that they built in their hometown in Abbotsford BC Canada.
Heyfolks is a fantastic startup and utilizing Bloom is a great thing to do for a small company. It’s easier to begin a company with sustainability at the forefront, than it is to add eco-friendly options later in the life of company that has grown too fast. I definitely think Heyfolks is worth a look if you’re looking to support a new footwear company. Take a moment to visit the site to learn more.
Instagram: Heyfolks Lifestyle (@heyfolks) • Instagram photos and videos