#1
#1 out of 1
business1d ago
I never expected to sell pencils. The brand I've built has grown into a $1.7 million sustainability business.
- SproutWorld grew from a student project into a global pencil brand after Stausholm licensed the rights in Denmark and later Europe.
- The business pivoted from schools to corporate clients, with Ikea as an early major client before branding was aligned.
- Brand integrity guided decisions, including turning down Ikea branding initially to protect SproutWorld's future.
- Today SproutWorld reports high global reach with over 85 million pencils sold and about $1.7 million in annual profit.
- The pencil serves as a sustainability symbol, aiming to persuade broader behavioral changes beyond a single product.
- Stausholm credits the MIT students for the original invention and maintains ongoing contact as the brand grows.
- SproutWorld’s core strategy blends sustainability with market demand, balancing natural materials and commercial scale.
- The firm’s revenue mix remains about 80% commercial customers and 20% direct-to-consumer sales.
- SproutWorld passed on a branding constraint with Ikea to protect the SproutWorld identity before later collaborating with them.
- Couple of months after the Ikea encounter, SproutWorld secured work with a high-profile New York agency and Michelle Obama.
- The brand’s mission centers on inspiring global change through sustainable, everyday products.
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