Ken Kreafle’s Reduce celebrates 20 years in business!
Buckhead resident Ken Kreafle has been in the drinkware business for over three decades, including working for big-name brands like Disney and Starbucks. In 2006, he founded his company, Reduce, to help diminish the use of single-use plastic water bottles and bring a more stylish offering to the market. Since then, he estimates that the company has sold 10 million drinkware products at retailers such as Kroger, Walmart, Target and Costco, and he now employs 40 people at the company’s Westside Provisions District headquarters. Here, the CEO explains his journey and why keeping the company in Atlanta has been a smart business move.
What inspired you to create a drinkware brand?
My wife and I were living in a thirdfloor walk-up apartment in the early 2000s, carrying giant boxes of bottled water up the stairs every day. I created a product that was a set of five bottles in a tray. You would fill them up yourself, and they fit nicely in the refrigerator. You’d have bottles of cold water ready to go without the expense of buying bottled water, and it would be more eco-friendly. From there, I decided to make the bottles less utilitarian, and Reduce was born from that. I think our focus on fashion and product development has made it so that drinkware is more of a reflection of your personality and something worth keeping, which is what helped us succeed.
What makes Reduce different than other drinkware brands?
We use stainless steel, which is sustainable. We also use some recycled plastic, but we try to stay away from plastic as much as possible. Stainless steel is obviously more recyclable in general, and the manufacturing process is cleaner. Customers keep stainless drinkware longer, too. We want to have products that are really going to make drinking your coffee or water a better experience. For example, there’s Hot1 with a slider that allows drinks to cool off when they’re too hot to drink. You can also adjust your flow to drink faster or slower. There’s also Saltini, a lidded margarita glass. You can salt the lid and drink directly from any side without spilling. We have over 20 patents and unique collaborations such as with Vera Bradley, which launched in Target in March.
Why have you kept the brand Atlanta-based?
I came to Atlanta when I was working for another drinkware company. I’ve been here since 2001. It’s important for us to be connected locally. We want every customer who buys our products to feel good knowing they’ve made a difference by not choosing bottled water, but also that they are supporting local efforts, like Chattahoochee River Keeper. My wife, Ilene, and I have worked with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper for years. They are doing amazing work keeping our waterways clean. We’re happy to support them with product and financial donations, but our Reduce team especially enjoys the annual Sweep the Hooch clean-up day where we can see the impact up close.
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