The Lipzi® Story
I was in my teens when I began drinking diet coke. Fanatically. I rarely drank from a bottle or a can. I drank fountain soda pop, exclusively. Why is that important? Because…for over 40 years I have been sipping from a straw; 32 ounces at a time, and often two or three each day. And to be perfectly transparent, I still do.
AS FEATURED ON
A few years ago I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror while sipping my soda pop. The creases; the creases in my lips caught my attention. I took my straw out of my fountain drink. I turned it sideways. I placed it across my lips horizontally. I sipped. My lips didn't move. The creases weren’t apparent.
And, an idea was born.
That very day I grabbed some copper tubing and created a proto-type in my garage. A few nights later, my youngest daughter arrived home from college on a Friday evening. She and my wife were talking about her week and having a drink at the kitchen table. Randomly I said; “hey I think I have an idea for a product that’ll keep people from getting lip wrinkles.” My daughter said “let’s hear it.” I ran to the garage and returned with the original straw. My wife’s first reaction was "hey you might be onto something here." My daughter said; “everyone will want these, dad!” The next day my two other daughters came for dinner and were intrigued when they tried it out as well. Everyone became instant fans. And the concept of a straw that stabilizes the lips and prevents lip creases went from an idea to a potential future reality that very weekend. My son TJ and I went straight to work.
After months of research and development, TJ and I landed on the current flute-style design.
We located a manufacturer, filed our patents and the Lipzi trademarks, and began assembling our straws in the living room as a family. We hired one of TJ’s friends and they worked daily to keep up with the demand once we began selling on Amazon.
We are so appreciative of all the amazing support as we have continued to grow our small business.
Tim & the Lipzi Team
