HOW LIVING ABROAD INSPIRED "MADE IN IRELAND"
The truth is that it wasn’t living in Ireland that made me want to make Pilgrim Hydration here…it was living abroad.
Since my early twenties, I’ve been relentlessly chasing the holy grail of adventure sport.
I became a surf instructor in Noosa Australia, relocated to Utah after watching Redbull Rampage and eventually emigrated to the legendary North Shore area of North Vancouver to live in epicentre of mountain biking.
What I loved most about living in these iconic sporting communities is that it was never about where you were from, what job you had or who you loved. The only thing that mattered was what you were passionate about and if you were a “half sound” lol.
But it wasn’t until 2018 when I entered the cannabis industry as an Education Specialist that I cemented my view that if I ever do come home and launch a product, it’s going to Made In Ireland be what may.
Although the roll out of legalisation in Canada wasn't smooth cruising, one thing that jumped out to me was a farming regulation that stipulated the following:
“If you want to sell cannabis legally in Canada, then it has to be grown in Canada.”
For me, that wasn’t just a regulation; that was a statement.
It wasn’t about nationalism or flags. It was about where you live. Supporting the place that you believe in. Being accountable to place you call home, not just your margins.
That’s why, when I launched Pilgrim Hydration, I didn’t default to outsourcing for the sake of profit.
I asked myself: Can I do it here? And if so, why wouldn’t I?
This is not a bash on things that are not made in Ireland. Not every product can be made locally.
But with Ireland being the land of big pharma, high quality production facilities are not in short supply. So I found a leading manufacturer along the West Coast of Ireland and got to create a product and open a business exactly how I want to.
It also helps that made locally does; reduce carbon emissions, create lower energy use in logistics (we use An Post to consolidate delivery routes), lessen packaging waste as again all our boxes you receive our sachets in are produced in Ireland so they require less protective packaging as they are not crossing oceans or borders.
It’s ironic, living in other people’s communities taught me the value of showing up for my own.
