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Interview with Bagnetic.com

How many times have you gotten ready and into your car to do groceries only to realize you forgot your bags and have to run back into the house? Or even worse you do all your shopping and your bags are at home or in the car? I've done all the above. I've also went into the store with a huge mess of bags as I knew I needed to buy lots of groceries and didn't want to buy any plastic bags.

I decided to google Eco-friendly shopping bags one day and came across a Great Canadian site called Bagnetic. This company is based in the Toronto area of Ontario (Brampton) and offers Eco-friendly grocery and produce bags to their customers, along with a GIANT hook to keep them all on and hang up or carry your groceries with.

I had the opportunity to interview Steve Loureiro from Bagnetic. Hope you enjoy the interview and please enter the giveaway for a chance to WIN your very own family pack of Bagnetic bags.

Who is Steve Loureiro and Ryan Bautista?

Ryan Bautista and Steve Loureiro are long time Best-Friends and partners in Bagnetic Bags. 

Ryan Bautista is the President and inventor of Bagnetic Bags, Steve Loureiro is the Vice President and business partner to Ryan.  

How did one come up with this idea of a magnetic shopping bag?

Bagnetic was founded in 2009 by a young entrepreneur, Ryan Bautista. Having traveled extensively, he noticed that litter from plastic bags was commonplace in most countries. Research into the plastic bag dilemma revealed that less than 1% of them are recycled worldwide.  The vast majority end up in landfills, oceans or as litter, costing tax payers millions of dollars and harming valuable ecosystems. Inspired by Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth", Ryan felt it was time to contribute in reducing our carbon footprint. Ryan devised a way people can reduce their plastic bag consumption-all while adding affordable convenience to their shopping routine.  

Research into the plastic bag dilemma led bagnetic to divise a plan to revolutionize the reusable bag industry by creating and easy to use bag, which is durable and easy to clean.  Bagnetic also wanted to create a bag that would not cause clutter, thus the magnets, allowing numerous bags to neatly stack together through their magnetic connection, allowing the bags to slide onto the existing grocery stand hooks found in many grocery stores.

Why are eco-friendly products so important to you?

In today's day and age we all need to do our part for the environment whether it be small or large, and Bagnetic has allowed me to become  part of something large.  Form a young age, I was instilled social responsibility from my family, and because of the knowledge gained threw them, I feel it is my duty to help educate others on the importance of doing the little things for our environment, and ridding of plastic bags once and for all is more than a little thing.

Why should consumers use Bagnetic vs the leading grocery store (.99 cent) bags?

Bagnetic bags are easy to fold which makes the Bagnetic bag compact enough to fit into a your hand, a purse, a key chain or a car cup holder.  The magnetic connection allows you to attach it to your refrigerator for an easy visual reminder and also allow the bags to be effortlessly hook together with the Bagnetic Hook.  They are manufactured from high quality fabric, free of AZO toxic chemical dye, are 100 percent washable and are designed to last for several years.  Also, Bagnetic reusable grocery bags effortlessly connect to each other, making it easier to be hooked onto your standard grocery stand, making it easy and convenient to store and carry.  

The $0.99 totes often lose shape, absorb odor and do not last long and hold up lines at checkout counters by with crumpling and clutter.  Bagnetic bags eliminate all three common problems.  Some contain toxic dyes and they become unsanitary within a few uses due to the inability to wash. 
Here's one from my three year old daughter, Will you be introducing any new colors? Maybe Orange?
There actually is a few colours coming in the near future, one being pink, and surprisingly your daughter is the first person to request the colour orange, but we will certainly keep it in mind :)

What kind of guarantee/warranty does Bagnetic offer their customers?

As for our guarantee on our products, we completely stand 100 percent behind the design and durability of our products and will certainly offer a replacement for any of our products, obviously within a reasonable time frame and if abuse is not apparent.  We have had maybe 5 returns in 9 months and we have sold over 80,000 units this year.  All we ask is that the customer either pay for shipping to us or return in person and we will arrange for a replacement product, if it is a manufactures defect, we will cover the complete cost and we will send a product out right away.

Will Bagnectic be introducing new Eco-Friendly products other than grocery bags in the future?

We are also introducing a new eco friendly water bottle in the near future, we have some great ideas and it will not be your typical bottle, it will certainly have some bagnetic flavour to it.

Now that we know more about Bagnetic Bags let's get to know more about the creator, How do you like to spend your spare time?

I enjoy spending time with friends and family and believe that a balanced life is the most important thing for any person.  Something else I enjoy doing is volunteering in the local community with park clean ups and coaching and and playing sports.  I am an avid soccer player and golf enthusiast.

What else would you like to share with my readers that you free is important either for the environment or for the consumer to know?

The average consumer assumes that buying any reusable bag is good, and it is better the conventional plastic bags, but they must also do there research.  Many bags such as the .99 cent totes found in many stores today contain toxic chemicals in there coloured dyes.  These dyes and flashy bright colours which they create are what attract the consumer to these bags, when the reality is, they may be more harmful than good.  Purchasing a higher end AZO chemical free bag will in turn help save the environment and will also last several times longer than the conventional .99 cent tote.  Everyone forgets that when you purchase a .99 cent tote, not only do u get what you pay for, but these bags will also end up in our landfills, so why not buy a strong AZO chemical free bag that will last much longer and stay away form our landfills for years to come

One Thing I would like to stress to your readers is that although you may feel something you do for the environment is minor, the effects on the environment and the people around you is major.  Anything whether large or small has a tremendous effect on our peers and our children.  We at Bagnetic feel everyone can help save the environment by using a bag that connects us all, and one bag at a time!

~*Disclaimer: This interview was done with Canadian Coupon Mom and Steve Loureiro of Bagnetic.com*~

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