Anna Brink is the founder of Bebe Trek and designer of their multifunctional magnetic sun covers and baby sun suits. She is committed to providing families with top-quality products that enhance outdoor experiences while keeping little ones safe and comfortable. Using the natural UV protection properties of bamboo, their products are designed to protect babies from harmful UV rays, allowing your family to explore the world together safely. Here Anna talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about what inspired her to set up her business, her biggest breakthrough, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
The inspiration for Bebe Trek came during a four week spring road trip around Queensland with our newest baby aged 2.5 months and our 2.5-year-old toddler. We often went on long hikes and walks. It was hot, the sun was strong, my baby was always in the carrier and I was constantly worried about her getting sun burnt.
Being under six months, she was too young for sunscreen, it was too hot for regular full body clothing and I resorted to using what every mum has in her nappy bag – muslin swaddles – to shade her exposed limbs from the sun.
But the swaddles were awkward to keep on the carrier without some Houdini-style wrapping and knotting and when I researched alternatives, not only couldn’t I find anything suitable, but what I did learn terrified me. Muslin swaddles aren’t sun protective, they let through too much UV rays and one can still get sun damage and even sun burnt through them.
I’d been using muslin wraps as sun protection for both my children. Thankfully they never got burnt, but I was still worried. How much invisible sun damage had I unknowingly exposed them to?
So on that road trip, I decided to come up with my own solution and almost a year and half later, launched Bebe Trek with two new innovative products – the multifunctional magnetic sun cover and UV protective sunsuits.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
The road to launch took longer than expected and was full of experimentation and prototyping on my dining room table, all while juggling a baby, toddler and motherhood in general.
With my sun cover idea, I had a lot of boxes that needed ticking – it needed to be UPF 50+, lightweight, breathable, air-permeable, versatile, multi-use, simple, easy to use, safe, secure, durable, comfortable in hot weather, useful in cold weather and wouldn’t fall off baby carriers or prams.
The first challenge was finding the correct fabric, but after many samples and lab tests, I found the perfect lightweight stretch bamboo blend that had that all important UPF 50+ rating (to block over 98% of UV rays) while still scoring highly for air-permeability.
The next challenge was the design itself. Wanting simplicity and ease of use, I eventually turned to magnets, and wanting extra versatility, I added an adjustable strap and loops. What a game changer. Suddenly I had a product with so many uses and applications. Realising nothing else like it was on the market, I quickly moved to get it design protected in both Australia and New Zealand.
With our UV protective sunsuits, I had the perfect lightweight UPF 50+ fabric but wanted a unique design that really solved parents’ baby sun protection dilemmas. Traditional onesies are tight fighting and not comfortable in hot weather, plus while babywearing, they often ride up exposing lower legs and feet to dangerous UV rays.
The solution – a more loose fitting full-body zip suit for added airflow and an extra long leg that covers to the toes, but can be rolled up and secured to ankle length. The added bonus of the design? Babies don’t grow out of them as quickly as traditional onesies – after the relaxed fit stage, they just become more snug like traditional rompers. My 20-month-old still fits our 3-6 month size!
Once launch day came, I was a nervous. After all, we were an unknown brand with two unique new products. Thankfully we had customers from day one and have been growing ever since. We’re now planning our next stock release for later in the year and looking forward to a strong spring/summer season.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Discovering parents genuinely love our products and receiving amazing feedback has honestly been the best breakthrough. I didn’t get a chance to do much market research before launch due to the confidentiality requirements of getting the designs protected, so I was taking a massive gamble. But it was one that paid off.
Since launching to an Australian-only audience in February, we now have customers in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, as well as a Singapore distributor. We also had an incredible time at the PBC Expo in Brisbane in July and looking forward to the next Brisbane and Gold Coast ones over summer.
I also love seeing the new ways of using our magnetic sun covers parents are coming up with – some are very creative and it just proves how versatile they are.
Another big breakthrough was reaching the finals of two prestigious awards – the AusMumpreneur and She-Com Awards. For our products and business to be recognised among hundreds of other applicants was truly humbling and a testament to the hard work and dedication I’ve put into Bebe Trek since that spark of an idea on our road trip almost two years ago.
