Photo: Courtesy Hello Bello
But less than two years after launching, the couple was on hand in Waco, Texas, on Tuesday as they cut the ribbon on a 312,000-sq.-ft. diaper factory designed to keep up with their incredible demand.
“We literally were overwhelmed when we pulled up,” Shepard told reporters at the event.
Courtesy Hello Bello
“It’s just nice to see your friends succeed,” Bell added.
Bell, 41, and Shepard, 46, are the ones really succeeding, though: their company continues to grow and expand into bath and body care products for bigger kids in addition to clothing, sustainable home cleaning products and even stuffed animals. And it all goes through rigorous testing — in the form ofBell and Shepard’s daughtersLincoln, 8, and Delta, 6.
“We test everything on them” Bell said. “When we get samples, we’re like, ‘Time to hop in the bath!’ ‘Do you like this smell?’ ‘Do you like this lather?’ ‘How does your hair feel?’ "
From the start, the pair — who work with co-founders Sean Kane, Jay McGraw and Jennifer Pullen — wanted to focus on “products you would want out on the counter,” Shepard said. “No sterile babies floating on clouds, but products … that you think spice up your nursery.”
“We hear stories from mothers who are wringing out diapers to be able to use them again during a week. It used to be one in five families who needed help buying diapers, then it was one in four, now it’s one in two,” Bell said. “It’s such a huge need.”
“If I were in charge, we’d have nothing. We’d manufacture it and give it all away,” she continued. “I’d give everything away if I could.”
source: people.com
