Out of love for our son
Is there anything more beautiful for parents than knowing their child will lead a happy, confident, and healthy life?
Like everyone, we hope that our son and his generation will live in a peaceful, free world - with the same privileges we have.
Shortly after his birth, we found out what happens to disposable diapers after they are used. This started a journey with many ups and downs that we had never even dreamed of before.
It all began with Nele's question, "Have you ever thought about using cloth diapers for Fiete"?
Cloth diapers??
My reaction when Nele asked if I had ever considered cloth diapers for our son.
-
Leon, 2020 in Munich
Little did we know...
Half a year later, Nele and I were to launch a startup that produces cloth diapers.
I still remember the concerns I had in my mind. Isn't it unhygienic? Do they really hold up? Isn’t it incredibly complex?
But first, our son was born - and it was the most wonderful thing that could happen to us.
We initially used disposable diapers ourselves
But the daily bag of used diapers was a heavy burden to bear.
Then we watched a documentary which showed what happens to discarded disposable diapers. To keep it short: They can't be completely incinerated. The remaining toxic mass is disposed of in former mines.
We felt sick.
We researched cloth diapers and ordered a rental set with many different types.
To keep it short again: That didn’t work for us either. The diapers were complicated to use, often leaked, and weren’t particularly stylish.
Shall we start?
Nele comes from the fashion industry, and I (Leon) was already an entrepreneur. So we said to ourselves: Let's give it a try, it could work really well. Nele is building up our operations (procurement, logistics, product development), and I (Leon) am diving into marketing. And our drive was and is huge. It is incredibly fulfilling to know how much plastic waste parents have already prevented with Judes. It is a wonderful feeling to know how many babies have fabric instead of plastic on their skin. We felt this even back when Judes didn't even exist yet.
Our Goal: To develop the world's most easy-to-use cloth diaper.
I (Leon) am the creative one out of the two of us. I'm also the one who is not good with their hands. For me, it has to be so simple that no instructions are needed.
Therefore, I was the benchmark for our diapers. If I can operate them, then they are simple enough.
We looked at just about every diaper brand in the world and let their best features inspire us.
We launched a campaign during development where our parents could pre-order at a fixed price. Through this, our first parents helped us with the financing.
But then something happened that was not supposed to happen.
We were on the brink of bankruptcy.
We had developed a fabric that was exceptionally thin, very soft, and at the same time extremely absorbent.
The development of this fabric was complicated and cost us a mid-five-figure sum.
As we came to realize, even for renowned fabric manufacturers like our former supplier, it is not easy to create a diaper in our design. It turned out that we couldn't use the fabric for our diaper because the manufacturer demanded too high a price for releasing the fabric to us.
This phase caused us quite a few sleepless nights.
Never
did we think at that moment that we would soon become the most recommended cloth diaper in the German-speaking world.
Perhaps it was for the best. Because it meant we had to search again, find a truly good manufacturer, and establish proper quality management.
Over the past three years, a lot has happened
We've received a lot of feedback and learned a tremendous amount.
Every month we make a small improvement to our diapers, and there is still a long list of optimizations to be made in the coming months and years.
At the same time, we have stayed true to ourselves. We have created a finely-tuned, well-coordinated system, resulting in significant added value for our parents.
Those who want to combine our diapers with other diaper systems should consider a different brand. We cannot not guarantee that Judes diapers would function optimally in that arrangement.
Those who commit fully to Judes will find that Diapering sustainably can be very easy and even enjoyable.
Nevertheless, we can hardly believe that...
...now over 20,000 parents use Judes and we receive lots of enthusiastic feedback every day.
We have no investors, nordo not plan to. We want to build a sustainable family business - always with the goal of developing the simplest cloth diaper in the world.
We are glad to be independent and this has allowed us to have our son with us for the past three years and spend a lot of time with him.
During this period, Nele and I worked 4 hours a day each. While one worked, the other spent time with our son.
We would have never managed this without the initial support and all the helpful and vital feedback from our parents and our wonderful team.
Judes is the most recommended cloth diaper
in Germany and Austria since 2021.
Why Choose Judes?
Simple in Daily Life
Changing is as easy as with disposable diapers, thanks to sewn-in inserts and flexible hook-and-loop fasteners.
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Diaper-Free Sooner
Babies become potty trained almost 1 year earlier with Judes.
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Slim Fit for your Baby's Bottom
Clothes fit in standard sizes, thanks to our fabric innovation.
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Healthy Skin
Breathable, velvety soft organic cotton instead of plastic on the skin.
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1 Ton Less Plastic
The truth about disposable diapers is shocking. With Judes, there is hardly any waste.
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How does it work? Simple.
In three steps, you save 1 tonne of plastic waste.
Change like with disposable diapers.
The Judes Poo Paper is disposed of.
Wash hygienically with the Judes Wet Bag.
Which Set is Right for Me?
And how much plastic, CO2, water, and money can I save with Judes? To find out, start the Set Finder: Answer a few questions and we will tell you what your impact with Judes is.
What Sets Judes Apart from Other Diapers?
Find out here. In 5 minutes, you’ll know if Judes is right for you or not.
