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Upcycle Hawaii

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Upcycle Hawaii is a Big Island brand and line of products made ENTIRELY from materials that are diverted and "saved" from local landfills.

Since 2016, our company has been diverting "trash" in Hawaii and turning it into treasure.  We work with lots of materials but the main items that we process are thin sheet plastics used as packaging, retired rubber innertubes and we even utilize pieces of marine debris nets and rope collected during beach cleanups.  Our products include Jewelry, Zipper Pouches, Wallets, Small Accessories and our newest item; the "Bring Your Own" Upcycled Cutlery Pouch that has fast become a best-seller.

In fact, did you know that there is no recycling for plastic bags (or most plastics at all) on Hawaii Island?  Upcycle Hawaii is motivated by such problems and we have actually diverted nearly 10,000 square feet of plastic in just the last 22 months!

During 2019 Upcycle Hawaii has been experiencing rapid growth and moved into a production studio located in Hilo and even recently hired 2 part-time employees.  Our products can now be found in 15 locations on 3 Hawaiian Islands and we will be launching into the Japanese market early next year.

We have doubled our sales in 2019 and have big plans (and opportunities) for 2020 but we can't do it without your help!  We are asking for $10,000 which we will use to immediately increase our production.  Upcycle Hawaii has several opportunities to get larger buyers but it will require that we purchase larger quantities of supplies and increase the hours worked by our employees.  We know that we can secure an additional $50,000 - $100,000 in sales next year with just this small cash infusion.

Your donation will go directly towards supplies needed for manufacturing and employee wages and will indirectly allow Upcycle Hawaii to grow our sales and divert additional materials from local landfills.

We are finding it hard to get a loan from a bank as a new small business and that is why we are asking you for your help.  We have boot-strapped it this far but we won't be able to take it to the next level without additional support.

I grew up in Holualoa, am an active member of my community and founded this business in 2016.  The Big Island of Hawaii is my home and I am dedicated to growing and building my business here.  We can assure you that your donation will not only benefit Upcycle Hawaii but will have a positive impact on our community for time to come.

You can learn more about us at www.upcyclehi.com

Mahalo for your time and consideration!

Fundraising team: Upcycle Hawaii (2)

Mattie Mae Larson
Organizer
Hilo, HI
Toni Sykes Ivey
Team member

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