Kirsten Quiqley: Lunchskins Founder on Doing Good For People + Planet
Kirsten Quiqley, CEO & Founder of Lunchskins
BY MONIKA SAMTANI, CO-FOUNDER, AND EMILY MONTAGUE, SENIOR EDITOR, THE FEM WORD
When her 4 kids were young, Kirsten Quigley was in the midst of the typical frenzy that is mom-hood - packing multiple sandwiches for lunch in plastic bags, and hurrying to get the kids out the door on-time for school in the morning before starting her own day. And one day during a conversation, she recalls “sitting in my kitchen and hearing a statistic from one of my kids in elementary school that 20 million plastic baggies were thrown out every day during lunchtime.” That was the big ah-ha moment that started her on the journey to creating a hugely successful brand that is now distributed in grocery stores and natural food stores nationally nearly 15 years later.
Kirsten is the Founder of Lunchskins, an eco-friendly, reusable, affordable - and modern alternative to plastic baggies designed to reduce plastic pollution. She is also a Board Member of the Nature Conservancy.
The Fem Word co-founder Monika Samtani sat down with her close friend on Earth Day 2023 for a fun conversation on The Fem Word Instagram Live and went deeper into her story below about her childhood, building a business, and feeling more empowered than ever in her 50s.
Q: Your entire career, arguably the entire course of your life, has featured a deep dedication to ecology and the conservation movement. How did these values form for you? Who instilled them in you?
I’ve always loved being outdoors. When I was 5, my parents bought some land near Sugarloaf Mountain (MD) and we spent every weekend out there exploring the woods and creeks, digging in the dirt, fishing in a small pond, and taking care of farm animals people gave us. My parents gave us a lot of freedom and independence. As we grew up, we traveled to places like East Africa and Southeast Asia in a more rustic way that shaped my love of natural places and respect for the environment. [As a side note, my Mom is a birder so through her we’d learn about the birds in the region and my Dad is a gardener so he always noticed and appreciated the trees and plant life wherever we went.]
Q: We’re all concerned about our levels of consumption and waste, for example, but as individuals, we can often feel helpless when it comes to actually making a difference in how that consumption and waste is addressed. How do you share your conservation values with the next generation - and especially your 4 kids.
I think people are looking for ways to do good and feel good. In my case, I wanted to help my kids think about the small choices they make every day that can have a positive or negative impact on the world around them. Plastic pollution is so tangible and visible. We see plastic waste on our beaches, in our parks or even in our backyard and it creates a visceral response in most of us, young or old. It’s not just an aesthetic issue, we now know tiny plastic particles are becoming part of our food chain which affects our health, too.
Q: You’ve been building your company since the first discussion with your family at the kitchen table about plastic waste in 2008.
What was the trigger that made you step back and say, “hey, these lunches are creating a LOT of plastic waste, and I want to change that?”
I remember sitting in my kitchen and hearing a statistic from one of my kids in elementary school that 20 million plastic baggies were thrown out every day during lunchtime. That was my ah-ha moment. I didn’t really think it would turn into a brand that was distributed in grocery stores and natural food stores nationally nearly 15 years later.
Kirsten with family and friends in the early days of Lunchskins
Q: We can imagine, over the past 12+ years, it has taken grit, resilience, and determination everyday! If you had to pick one big takeaway that you’ve learned in your entrepreneurial journey about what it takes to build a company like this from scratch - what would it be? Is there someone you would credit for giving you the most support?
Yes, a lot of grit and optimism! Being an entrepreneur is like a contact sport. It’s definitely not for everyone. I’ve had incredible support from my family, many of whom are entrepreneurs as well. Both my parents started their own companies and know the challenges and risks that come with the territory. I’ve pushed myself to join local business groups to learn from others in different stages of their businesses. My husband has been a great sounding board on long walks as I struggle through production challenges or financial issues. My sister has jumped in and helped me several times when I needed extra staff at trade shows. And my brother has been a lifeline and gives me feedback on everything from branding issues to strategic questions.
Q: The mission statement of your company is “A Life Less Plastic’. Because of the nature of what you do and stand for, it naturally must be hard to not say something or come across as being judgy in social situations.
That’s not really my style personally and as a brand we veer away from language that sounds preachy. We all care about different things and can learn a lot from each other. We’ve been very intentional about creating a brand that is positive and inclusive and meets people where they are on their journey to use less plastic and be more sustainable. That’s how we hope to build a movement that people want to be part of and find their place in.
Q: When it comes to environmental advocacy, a big issue we’ve run into is the problem of accessibility. The people who shop at Whole Foods aren’t usually the same ones who are shopping at Walmart, for example.
How do you navigate the divide between making an accessible, affordable product that more consumers can use versus being a businesswoman and actually sustaining a profit margin that can fuel your company’s existence/growth? Adding on to this, how can eco-focused businesses work together to ensure that all demographics are targeted and considered on a broader, nation-wide level?
We made a very conscious decision from the beginning to be inclusive and try to engage everyone….That was the big shift that happened about six years into our business. We’d been successful with a beautiful reusable product in boutiques and specialty stores but it was not the right fit for mainstream grocery stores where the volume of plastic baggies are sold. We wanted to meet consumers where they were – and recycling has been the gateway into being green in US households—so we created an eco- disposable product that was convenient, affordable and also planet-friendly. Partnering with Target, Walmart, and Kroger (in addition to Whole Foods) helped us scale more quickly and make Lunchskins affordable and available to everyone . We’ve put a lot of energy into our relationships with these key retailers as they’ve leaned into sustainability. It’s been a big driver of our brand growth and visibility.
Q: As the founder of Lunchskins and a Nature Conservancy board member, you’ve experienced conservation through both a profit-based and a non-profit-based business model. You chose the model and balancing act that works best for Lunchskins, but are there other, different models that might work for other businesses out there?
I’m sure there are a lot of different ways to have an impact. I was drawn to mission-driven business model when I started LunchSkins because it brought me back to my roots. My first job at 24 years old was with the Nature Conservancy in their worldwide office in DC and that sense of purpose and impact definitely influenced my professional path. At Lunchskins, we just earned our BCorp Certification and it was such a huge win for our small team. The process was incredibly rigorous but also empowering to really get under the hood and understand our supply chain, partnerships and business practices. It puts us in great company with brands like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s as a business that’s intentional about ‘doing good for people + planet’ in addition to profit. It feels right and reflects our values and commitment to the environment.
Q: Do you think your business and production model will change as new technologies become available? How do you picture the product now versus ten years from now?
Just another kid enjoying snacks out of her Lunchskins
Innovation is key to any successful business. Lunchksins is no different. We’re always thinking about new products, new processes and new sustainable materials. There are some really cool things happening in the packaging space with different materials, like seaweed, that mimic plastic and could potentially change the way we create and dispose of products in a more planet-friendly way.
Q: There’s an ancient cultural connection between women, food, and nature, and that connection appears in cultures all over the world.
Occupying that intersection, do you ever feel those connections on a personal level? Put another way, what do these connections – food, nature, women – mean to you?
Honestly, the connection between food, nature + women feels very instinctual and grounding to me. All three things nourish us and bring incredible joy, and happen to be central in my daily life. I have an herb garden and a back yard full of trees that I spend a lot of time in. We’ve raised a bunch of foodies, both our boys and girls, and now they’ve surpassed us in terms of creative cooking. Food is at the center of what brings us together, we spend a ridiculous amount of time talking about food and planning trips that take us out West to hike and also into more remote parts of the natural world. Last summer we spent time hiking together up in the arctic on the Lofoten Islands (Norway). Food + nature have been a great connector for my family.
The Fem Word Co-Founder Monika Samtani with Lunchskins Founder Kirsten Quiqley
Q: Which is your favorite or most successful design so far?
I love so many of them, but always come back to the shark bag. It was one of our very first designs in 2009 and to this day is still our top seller. Sharks are pretty cool. As a top predator, they depend on healthy populations of other fish to survive and their broad migration patterns cover so much territory that they are a great indicator of overall ocean health.
Q: Is there a country or region of the world that inspires you in the way they handle environmental issues or are super eco-friendly in their day to day culture?
I recently dropped my daughter off in Copenhagen, Denmark and was so impressed with how naturally they integrate sustainability into every day life. People walk or bike everywhere, public transportation is virtually free and accessible to everyone. I didn’t see any plastic water bottles in the cafes or hotels. People sit and have their coffee or drink in a glass container. Most of the ‘to-go’ packaging for street food or flower is paper-based as opposed to plastic. On our bike tour, we learned that Copenhagen is generating a significant amount of their energy from wind power and moved away from dependence on fossil fuels in the 1970s.
Q: What's the first thing you do or think about when you wake up in the morning?
My dogs! Then green tea. But somewhere in between all of that I try to envision my day. If I’m lucky and mapping out a perfect morning, I’d walk around in the yard or garden barefoot with my cup of tea and just take it all in. As a list-maker and someone who can be over programed, I’m trying to slow down and notice little things that bring me joy and gratitude. This little routine grounds me and helps me think more clearly before diving into the day.
Q: We close all of our interviews with the same essential question. When have you felt truly powerful?
I feel most powerful (and inspired!) when I’m exploring. Exploring new places, landscapes and cultures feeds me in a way that I can’t quite explain; it fuels my creativity and makes me feel strong and connected to the world around me. I also feel more powerful now in my 50s than ever before. I’ve settled into myself, experienced a lot, feel more confident, less apologetic and very focused on where I’m going and how I want to make a difference.
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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the interviewee, and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Fem Word organization. Any content provided by our interviewees are based on their opinions and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.