THE STRAIGHT POOP!

Elephant POOPOOPAPER was conceived as a concept in 2002 but was truly born in 2005 when we realized that this crazy, outrageous concept we had been fiddling with for a couple years actually fulfilled almost all of the important criteria we had on our checklist for the next business we wanted to start.

We wanted to focus on something that was socially and environmentally responsible so we were contributing to the solution and not adding to the problem. We wanted to work with something that had more meaning to us, something we could be passionate about, and that possibly could have an important social statement attached to it. We wanted that focus to be on some sustainable product or service that was unique, interesting and special so we could leverage that uniqueness to help us grow a viable business that could sustain a future family. We wanted to work on something that stimulated our creativity everyday...something that was fun and happy so we could minimize the probability of monotony and keep the workplace fun for our employees. We wanted to pioneer and innovate if possible but also use the traditional handcrafting skills in my wife's hometown of Chiang Mai, Thailand. We wanted to ensure that our product or service had potential in many countries so we could travel and stay close to our families in Asia and North America

POOPOOPAPER was the answer. It was perfect. In all honesty however, it did take a few more months to get truly comfortable with the idea that, if successful, we'd be known as the poo people or other similar moniker...even despite the marketing possibilities! After all, what would our grandparents say? This discomfort faded fast.

THE FIRST REAL MOVEMENT

We first distributed our small original selection of sustainable products to a limited number of retailers in Canada and the US, who helped provide great feedback and believed in our unique, handcrafted items and the positive environmental friendly message POOPOOPAPER conveyed. After strong initial successes under our belts and some fantastic market feedback it was decided to push forward full steam ahead.

Fast-forward almost 15 years later, our POOPOOPAPER product line has grown beyond just our original Elephant POOPOOPAPER. We also have added Cow POOPOOPAPER, Horse POOPOOPAPER and Donkey POOPOOPAPER which help us uniquely highlight various aspects of sustainability such as recycling, re-purposing and upcycling.

We've also made fantastic strides technically with our papers as well and can now offer sheets, rolls and finished products using multiple grades of handmade and machine-milled papers of various textures and weights for both consumer and commercial applications. We have also adapted our paper making processes to allow us to produce a multitude of additional alternative waste fiber materials from agricultural waste sources which are marketed under our Alternative Pulp & Paper Brand name.

POOPOOPAPER is still managed by the same, original and idealistic founders and a dedicated team of fun staff and creative artisans. Our hope remains that you find our eco-friendly, recycled paper and stationery gifts and sustainable products to be inspirational, optimistic, happy, positive and fun. Our company is a family where we're proud of the message that our products hopefully convey and where a day doesn't go by without a smile reminding us that our very existence stems from the ubiquitous, simple, often overlooked piece of poop!

Elephant POOPOOPAPER park.

Elephant POOPOOPAPER Park is an eco-friendly, naturally built, outdoor museum park that introduces and explains the unique steps involved in making our much talked about paper products from elephant poop fibers! We think it is a wonderful example of sustainable tourism in which we strive to offer a genuinely innovative, entertaining, informative, eco-friendly experience to visitors - one that is uniquely Thai.

A commitment to both the planet and the people is at our core. We believe in pursuing the middle way - where we can balance care for the natural environment and the people and communities we work with, together, with our commercial pursuits.

If you are ever in Chiang Mai, Thailand, please come and visit!