Last month we caught up with Jodie Boyd, founder & CEO of Pic ‘n’ Mix Festival kits and asked her about the background to Pic ‘n’ Mix and her thoughts for the future:
Tell us how you started Pic ’n’ Mix Festival Kit, what was the moment where you decided this is what you wanted to do
I’ve been going to festivals for years and I remember one time I was on the way down to Bestival and, after dashing into Boots at Waterloo Station to try and buy my last-minute mini toiletries, I came out pretty much empty-handed. I realized at that point that festivalgoers need to be super organized and give themselves plenty of time (and money) to get all their festival essentials. There had to be a much easier and more affordable way to shop for festival stuff than going to different outlets or paying more than one delivery charge.
I launched Pic ‘n’ Mix Festival Kit in 2017. Our goal was simple – to offer festivalgoers and event organizers a choice of pre-packed festival kits or allow them to create a bespoke kit by buying only the products they need. A year later, we made the transition to offering plastic-free products only and launched the UK’s first plastic-free Eco Festival Kit.
In general what do you think makes an excellent glamping experience
For me, it’s a bit like the difference between flying first class and economy. Glamping should feel like the ultimate luxury VIP experience that you can only get when sleeping in a field. Not having to put your tent up or down is a bonus in itself and a comfortable mattress is key. But it’s the other little things that you don’t get with standard camping at festivals that make a difference for me such as luxury toilets, hot-running showers and pamper parlour tents with GHDs!
Even though I always bring my own toiletries, I always appreciate the pamper kits you often have left on your bed when you arrive. Not having to think about bringing your own towels, earplugs or toiletries are a big plus for me.
Glamping at festivals can be expensive so you’d expect a much more superior experience and I think it’s always worth the extra pennies.
What would you say sets Pic’n’Mix apart from other providers
What makes us unique is primarily our range of products but also the different ways in which we supply them.
We offer a huge choice of individual eco-friendly products including power banks, ponchos, glitter, toothbrushes, reusable bottles, sunscreen and much more. Our products are sustainably sourced and the materials and ingredients used are natural, organic and, in many cases, vegan. We only use sustainable packaging, such as biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable non-plastics.
We also offer a range of pre-packed festival kits and, for our larger customers, a service that allows them to create bespoke eco-friendly kits that can be branded for the ultimate customization.
What has been your proudest moment so far
Making the switch to supplying plastic-free products. Before we decided which eco products to buy, we talked to festivalgoers about what products they wanted in a festival kit and thoroughly researched our entire product supply chains before selecting our suppliers.
We’re so proud that when customers buy our products, we’re supporting local British businesses, contributing to charitable organizations, and helping win the fight against plastic pollution. Seeing photos and reading comments from people about how much they love using our products always give me a sense of pride.
What has been your most challenging moment so far
Last summer, we didn’t anticipate how busy we would get during festival season. Trying to run the business whilst on holiday and at various festivals was really hard work. We had a particularly busy few weeks where we had to assemble over 600 glamping kits for a customer at short notice. We had to find extra warehouse space to store stock and literally drop everything to get them packed up and delivered on time. I even had my kids helping out and they loved getting involved! Juggling that with regular incoming orders was pretty challenging but we did it without compromising on quality or customer satisfaction. Needless to say, we’ll be much better prepared for this summer!
How do you see Pic’n’Mix developing over the next 5 years
We’re in the process of rebranding and will soon have a shiny new name and website as well as some new products so keep an eye out for those things. We’re launching a new plastic-free travel kit soon under our new brand name, which we’re really excited about. We want to be regarded as the UK’s no. 1 sustainable survival kit supplier for events, travel, and hospitality and we’ll definitely be attending lots of festivals over that time!
Sustainability is becoming a big issue for festivals and events, how does Pic’n’Mix help with that
Festivals have a huge opportunity in influencing the products that their customers both buy and use at their events through prevention and education initiatives. To reduce plastic waste at events, they need to prevent or at least discourage people from bringing single-use plastic onsite and instead offer more eco-friendly alternatives that are accessible to everybody.
This is where we come in. Pic ‘n’ Mix Festival Kit works directly with festivals, which offer our products to their customers. For some festivals we partner with, festivalgoers have an option of purchasing an Eco Festival Kit or Glitterbug Kit when they buy their festival ticket and you may also see some of our products being sold onsite at festivals.
Many festivals have already banned plastic bottles and plastic straws, which is a great start. There’s a lot more that needs to be done though and we’re looking forward to working with more with events and hospitality companies as we grow.
We are 100% committed to helping festivalgoers and events organizers, as well as our other customers, to reduce plastic pollution.
To buy a Pic ‘n’ Mix festival kit head to Pic ‘n’ Mix Festival Kit
Use code PNMFERRET10 to get a 10% discount on purchases.