bYo - the development of a yoga mat - part 3

With bYo we have been on the market for half a year and the first batch is completely sold out. We are happy to tell you today what obstacles we had to overcome before the start of sales and how we finally managed to bring bYo to the market.
Review: our project for a new yoga mat came to a halt because we couldn't find a suitable material that could meet our sustainability standards. We just couldn't make any progress and tested a lot of materials.


Which material is really sustainable?

natural rubber? No, because not a single supplier could or wanted to guarantee that 100% natural rubber would be used. In addition, the smell is perceived by many as unpleasant.

TPE? It's widely touted as being eco-friendly, but since it's a man-made material, that wasn't an option for us either.

Hemp? We find hemp to be a very exciting material, but so far we haven't been able to find a producer who can deliver a reasonable quality.

The concept of bYo

Our basic idea when developing bYo is that someone who does yoga or a workout should work with natural materials. Because a yoga mat is very personal and a retreat from everyday life. From our point of view, artificial materials do not fit in with this.

A combination of several coincidences brought us back to cork. Our market analysis showed that there are already many yoga mats made of cork, but they always have a different base, rubber or TPE materials. There is only a relatively thin layer of cork on the surface, so the term "cork yoga mat" is usually not appropriate.

Without going into too much detail, we found the idea of ​​launching a yoga mat made of cork on top and bottom very exciting.

After all, what can give our clients a better feeling than practicing on a completely natural mat? 

The first sample production was not entirely satisfactory. The flexibility of the mat and also the grip had to be improved so that it could become a #iamtreeletic product. We were all the happier that we were able to improve these two points so that we could say bYo is coming onto the market.

We are aware that the bYo has a little less grip than a plastic or rubber mat. In the test phase, however, we found that all exercises can be carried out safely and that the grip can be increased to the maximum by moistening the mat.

We also thought about the damping. The concept of the bYo yoga mat is to provide a completely natural training environment. The mat is rather firm, but with a thickness of 4mm it offers sufficient cushioning. And if you need more cushioning, simply put a non-slip blanket under your bYo.
We started with bYo shortly before Christmas 2020. Some of the first orders were delivered to our customers by express order. In the meantime, the bYo has become an integral part of the yoga community and is simply the original when it comes to a truly sustainable and natural yoga mat.
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