Geoffrey Wasserman, co-founder, and CEO of the American Bubble Company grew up spending weekends with his grandfather, Seymour Unterman owner of Admiration Foods/ Supreme Oil Company, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors along the eastern seaboard of dressings, mayonnaise, and cooking oils that serves the restaurant community.
After meeting his now-wife, Susan Kort, Geoff moved to the west coast and joined her at Imperial Toys after her father, Fred Kort passed away. At Imperial Toys, Geoff ran Operations until the company was sold in 2007. After a brief hiatus, Geoff returned to Admiration Foods/Supreme Oil Company until the company was sold in 2016. The biggest joy is spending time with his family, teaching them the importance of sustainability and finding ways to be more sustainable in their daily lives. Creating the American Bubble Company with his wife was simply a dream come true.
For over 70 years, bubbles have all been created equal until now. American Bubble Company and Bubble Tree’s mission is to create eco-friendly, sustainable products made in the United States.
FMM: The holidays are upon us. Tell us about the Bubble Tree’s sustainable bubble system.
Our first product, the Bubble Tree Refillable Bubble System, is truly bubbles in a box! Bubble Tree is American-made, sustainable, eco-friendly and its patent-pending refillable bubble system uses refillable aluminum bubble bottles, instead of one-time-use plastic bottles. Along with my wife, Susan, our goal when creating the Bubble Tree Refillable Bubble System was to eliminate one-time-use plastic bubble bottles that currently saturate the current market. Bubble Tree is the very first patent-pending, eco-friendly, and sustainable bubble system made in the USA. Our original refillable bubble system features the first manufactured aluminum bubble bottle and a refill box made of corrugated, entirely recyclable. Use the spout to refill all our bubble bottles and other bubble toys.
Bubble Tree features 3 different lines: the original refillable bubble system, the original refillable bubble solution, and aluminum bubble multi-packs. Their patent-pending bubble system uses refillable aluminum bottles that can be filled numerous times using its very own refillable system. The systems are portable and feature an easy-to-carry handle.
- The refillable bubble system features 1, 2, 3 liters of bubble solution in a box with aluminum bottles that are pre-refilled with 4 fluid ounces of bubble solution, a storage area for bottles, and a refill spout for easy dispensing bubble solution into aluminum bottles and other bubble toys.
- The refill bubble solution system features 1,2,3, and 5 liters of bubble solution and a refill spout for easy dispensing bubble solution into aluminum bottles and bubble toys.
FMM: Each year, more than 300 million one-time-use plastic bubble bottles are imported to the United States. How is your company a game changer in this space?
Each year, more than 300 million one-time-use plastic bubble bottles are imported to the United States. Many will contain bubble solutions from foreign countries with formulas and ingredients that often fall below the safety, sustainability, and quality levels that modern American consumers demand. We are aiming to enhance bubble safety and solve plastic pollution, waste, and the overuse of one-time-use plastic bottles.
Bubble Tree’s packaging is made from aluminum, the most recyclable and sustainable material on earth, and 100% recyclable corrugated. By eliminating single-use plastic, we are helping the environment reduce plastic pollution. According to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations, about 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced since the 1950s – the weight of roughly one billion elephants or 47 million blue whales and only about 9% of this plastic has been recycled, 12% has been burned and the remaining 79% has ended up in landfills or the environment. Our refill system, created from recycled corrugated materials, looks like a wine box, so the aluminum bottles can be refilled many times with our toxic-free bubble solution. This helps create less waste because our refillable bubble system allows you to get only the amount of bubble solution you need. Unlike the large plastic bubble bottles on the market today, our bubble in a box system is less messy and allows for less waste.
FMM: Please share a few customer testimonials.
Customers are embracing Bubble Tree and reordering from us because of the following reasons. The quality and quantity of bubbles a person receives from dipping the wand into the solution has far surpassed any bubble on the market. End consumers see the difference, feel the quality and gravitate towards our packaging. What we have found is that the consumer notices the difference and enjoys our differentiated product. In addition to kids using Bubble Tree, we have found Speech-Language Pathologists use our bubbles in their sessions, wedding planners are using bubbles as part of the wedding ceremony and celebration and adults have made our product a cute hostess gift in the Summer.
FMM: Bubble Tree has increased its retail distribution and has won awards for its refillable bubble solutions. What are you most proud of?
In the last year we are honored to have received accolades from the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), Mom’s Choice Awards, and IF and DieLine for our package design. I think Susan and I feel the proudest when we hear from parents whose kids loved our bubbles. They are surprised they don’t pop and last as long as they do and the parent loves the fact that when they run out of bubbles there is a way to restock.
FMM: Share your vision for 2022.
Our vision for 2022 is to continue to show consumers that most products they have used throughout their life can be turned into a reusable item. Conserving resources and reducing the waste stream is quite exciting. We never thought that we would be creating a new way for a person to blow bubbles, but now can’t imagine things being any other way. We encourage parents to buy things that can be reused and ask their kids to think about their own everyday items differently and more retailers to think about the impact their choices are making on the world. As a business, our vision for 2022, is to continue to grow our retail base and expand our product line.
