E93: The Jean Wu (que Bottle) Interview

Hamilton Perkins Collection

Jean Wu is the co-founder and CEO of que Factory in Emeryville, California. Along with her husband and co-founder Kevin Shen, she created que Factory in 2016 after noticing the overwhelming amount of single-use plastic water bottles being discarded everywhere, especially after large events and while traveling. With the mission to reduce plastic waste by creating a practical and stylish alternative that can be taken anywhere you go, the company’s first product was born—que Bottle, the first collapsible, plastic-free reusable water bottle. At launch, que Bottle raised more than $600,000 in crowdfunding. In her role as co-founder and CEO, Jean is responsible for finance, logistics, wholesale, and business operations. She earned a Master’s degree in TV Production from Boston University. Jean and Kevin are also repeat entrepreneurs who have previously founded startups together.

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In 2014, Hamilton Perkins founded Hamilton Perkins Collection, an independent brand, designing and producing unique and award winning bags and accessories from recycled materials.

Hamilton Perkins Collection exists to create timeless limited edition bags made from recycled plastic water bottles, pineapple leaf fiber, and billboard vinyl. The result is that no two bags are ever the same.

Our first design, the Earth Bag Premium, was created so that our customers would not only carry a bag that was stylish but carry a bag they could be proud of. We surveyed more than 1,000 consumers to obtain their thoughts and feedback for each component of the Earth Bag Premium, which soon became one of our most popular designs.

Perkins was the winner of the Virginia Velocity Tour hosted by the Governor of Virginia, and the recipient of a HUD Community Development Block Grant. The non-profit B Lab honored Hamilton Perkins Collection as a "Best for the World Overall" B Corporation in 2017.

Hamilton Perkins Collection has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Money Magazine, and The Washington Post.

The brand is currently offered in nearly 100 leading department stores and specialty stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe.