At a Glance

Seed & Sprout started because Sophie couldn’t find a good plastic-free lunchbox for her son to take to school. It has grown from grassroots funding into an award-winning company that is re-thinking everyday items in ways that are environmentally aware and reduce our reliance on single-use plastics. The goal is to make sustainable, ethical options more accessible, and as you read her story, you’ll see how she uses her own life to not just reflect but amplify the environmental responsibility that is the driving force of her company.

Who is Sophie?

Meet Sophie Kovic, founder and director of Seed & Sprout

About Seed & Sprout

Founded in 2016, Seed & Sprout provides customers with eco-friendly options for everyday products, combining environmental awareness with a higher design aesthetic. It’s a formula that gives customers the option to make sustainable choices that actually look good, too..

Sophie’s entrepreneurial journey

Sophie Kovic first had the idea to create Seed & Sprout in 2016 after she was faced with a problem that she couldn’t find a solution for. She just couldn’t seem to source one very particular school supply for her son. “I was really struggling trying to find a plastic-free lunchbox,” Sophie says, “because that was the rule at the school. Everything had to be plastic free.” She used glass jars. She bought different types of tupperware. She tried expensive products. Eventually, she realized she had found a void in the market. So she designed a plastic-free lunchbox, which she then sold in the U.S. on Amazon as a test of sorts. She wanted to see if there was an appetite. ​

”It went pretty well,” she says. Next came a Kickstarter campaign to make the lunchbox available in Australia where she lives. After the grassroots fundraising, she moved the operation home to Australia began looking for other everyday items that could be re-designed to make them more environmentally conscious. The timing was fortunate. The world was becoming increasingly conscious about the long-term damage from single-use plastics. Shopping markets began charging for plastic bags or prohibiting them outright. “It just expanded from there,” she says. “Looking at all the different things in my life that I needed and knowing that the environmentally friendly solutions that were on the market weren't really very aesthetic. They didn't look very good.” Today Seed & Sprout offers everything from  cooking utensils to storage containers to compost and cleaning kits.

Seed & Sprout’s team structure

Seed & Sprout previously had a central office its employees worked out of, but the company terminated its lease during the pandemic. The team has worked remotely since then, which has turned out to be incredibly beneficial. “A lot of our employees have families,” she says, “so we're able to provide a much more flexible work environment.” Seed & Sprout rents out co-working spaces for team events, and while the company may use an office again at some point in the future, Sophie says the plan is to maintain a flexible work environment. “That's very important to us,” Sophie says.

Connecting to the company’s ethos

Sophie wants Seed & Sprout’s customers to connect to more than just the products. An essential component of the company’s approach is getting people to engage with the underlying mission of sustainability. “We want to create a customer journey that really welcomes people into the why of our company,” Sophie says. That goal is reflected in the purpose-led welcome flow of the company’s website as well as the minimal, plastic-free packaging that products are delivered in. Even the company’s responses on social media strive to connect with the customers at a personal level. “We really thrive to convey that authenticity,” Sophie says. “That comes very natural to us because the team really does live and breathe our why. We really focus on that personal connection.”

Seed & Sprout recently received a $2,000 order from a first-time customer. Sophie called the customer personally to offer her thanks not just for the purchase, but for the choice they were making in prioritizing sustainability. “It was great to connect with them,” Sophie says. “And it also helps us have insight into the customer. What are their goals? Where can we find them?”

Organic marketing

From the beginning of her founder’s journey, Sophie used Instagram to let people follow the process in real time. She wasn’t just telling her story, she was sharing it, offering a raw, behind-the-curtain view. “The early years were very organic,” Sophie says. ”There was no paid media or anything like that.  It was just simply a grassroots community movement that built the whole business.” Today, Sophie uses her Instagram and TikTok accounts to share moments from her off-grid life whether it’s posting a picture of her dog or the chemical-free swimming pool.

Advice to other entrepreneurs

Research is essential, Sophie says. “Read books,” she says. “Listen to podcasts, validate your concept.” But ultimately, you have to take the leap, and plunge into the market. “Don't let your ideas die in the graveyard of overanalysis,” she says. “And also do something positive for the planet.”

Tech stack

Asana