“We can now accelerate our growth”

Have you ever considered the global annual consumption of toilet paper rolls? If you lined up all the rolls used in a year, they would stretch an incredible 22 billion kilometres. This is equivalent to circling the Earth 50,000 times! 

Leroy Ranglek (26) and Joseph Nickisch (26) were only in their early twenties when they came up with their idea for sustainable toilet paper made of 100% bamboo. Meanwhile, their rolls hang in many catering establishments, shops and offices. “We started Bamboi in our attic room, then relocated to an acquaintance's warehouse, to now professionalise further with Kuehne+Nagel”, says Leroy. “Because they are now our partner for supply, fulfilment and distribution, we can think ahead and accelerate”.  

The start

Leroy has always been passionate about making a positive impact on the planet while also creating a product that resonates with everyone and building a successful business. Drawing inspiration from his Thai heritage, he conceived the idea for Bamboi. “I convinced Joseph, whom I have known since high school, and has a business background. One business model later, our company was born”. 

Holding something special 

For the first year, Bamboi sold mainly to individuals, primarily through online marketplaces and was relaying on word for mouth. “After an article in de Volkskrant, predominent Dutch newspaper, we sold all our stock in one go instead of ten boxes a day. Then we thought: we have something special in our hands. We then invested heavily to develop our brand awareness”, says Joseph. Bamboi now sells mainly B2B, for example to facility and cleaning companies. 

Not a number 

This growth was also the reason Joseph and Leroy sought collaboration with Kuehne+Nagel. “We were storing our stock in a warehouse belonging to a friend's father”, says Leroy. “That was not sustainable. It was time for a more professional solution”. The two knew Kuehne+Nagel as a major player in logistics. “On the one hand, that gives trust: things are arranged well and quickly there. On the other hand, we expected it to make us feel like a number. But that didn't happen at all. We were surprised by the service and personal contact. For instance, our regular contact Paul Aerts said: have faith that your business will grow, we are here to support you. That gave us the trust to outsource both fulfilment and distribution and later on, sea freight for the supply”.  

Transparent about CO2 emissions 

There was another reason to choose Kuehne+Nagel. Joseph explains: “Sustainability is important to them as well. Thanks to the seaexplorer platform, we can optimise our supply by sea depending on CO2 emissions and see exactly how much our cargo emits. This allows us to be transparent towards our customers”.  The two say they are on the eve of a bamboo revolution. “Our mission is for bamboo products to become the standard. We therefore hope to conquer the global market. So, by working with an internationally operating partner like Kuehne+Nagel, we are opting for the long term”.