Father-Daughter Duo Create Condom Business Marketed To Women

From Sustain's wedsite.

From Sustain's wedsite.

Condoms are for guys, right? They’re all butch and masculine and Trojan-warrior-with-his-shield-and-magic-helmet and spear! The unsubtle image of the spear! I shall spear you with my latex-sheathed member of manliness!

Um, about that. Turns out, 40 percent of condom purchases are made by women. Even more women are buying lube. And that is why Meika Hollender and her father, Jeffrey, created Sustain — a brand of sustainably produced, fair trade condoms and lube, marketed to women.

While this may seem an odd undertaking for a parent-child business partnership, it makes sense to the Hollenders. Jeffrey is the founder of the Seventh Generation line of eco-friendly household products. Meika remembers when her mother Sheila pushed the idea of organic tampons over a decade ago. Her father had hoped to move into the sexual health market but never made it materialize. Meika saw an opportunity and partnered with her dad to create Sustain.

Since the introduction of the Sustain line two years ago, the brand has spread to over 4,000 retail outlets nationwide, including some Whole Foods and Target locations. The Hollenders hope to double their reach to 8,000 outlets in 2016.

To make the brand even more awesome, the company follows in the Seventh Generation’s charitable footsteps by giving 10 percent of profits to charity. Sustain focuses on organizations that support women’s sexual and reproductive health, including Planned Parenthood.

I don’t know about you, but I know what brand of lube I’m buying from now on!

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