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After installing its smart drinks dispenser units in the offices of major multinationals in Australia like Databricks, Uber and Docusign, Sydney-based startup Refilled has announced its first overseas expansion into Singapore where it now has its first installation and is looking for a local distribution partner.
Refilled's first Singaporean customer is The Working Capitol, a co-working space with 800 members in the city state.
"We encourage our members and community to adopt more conscious behaviours right where they work," says The Working Capitol co-founder and CEO Ben Gattie.
"With sustainable partners like Refilled, who champion the circular economy, we align with the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
"This initiative to reduce landfill waste by 30 per cent by 2030 is a crucial goal as Singapore ranks first in Asia for single-use plastic consumption. As neighbourhood builders, we believe that by shaping habits at the workplace, we spark a ripple effect across and shape a better, more sustainable city."
Founded by Ryan Nelson, Refilled has built a BYO-bottle vending machine - often offered by employers for free - that can pour hundreds of flavoured still and sparkling drinks with optional boosters such as caffeine, vitamins and electrolytes
The company raised $1.3 million in late 2023 through a seed round led by Melt Ventures with backing from Cyan Ta'eed and Collis Ta'eed, the co-founders of creative assets platform Envato.
At the time the company said the funds would be used to manufacture 100 Refiller stations at its Penrith factory by the end of FY4, which it claimed would have been enough to eliminate one million single-use bottles in 2024.
Refilled may have fallen short of those goals with the manufacture of 50 Refiller units since then, 42 of which have been installed keeping an estimated 400,000 plastic bottles from landfill, but Nelson is positive about achievements to date.
"A year on from our seed funding, our mission to unbottle the Australian beverage industry and save 100 million single use plastic bottles from landfill has gone from strength to strength," says Nelson, who previously co-founded Foodbomb which merged with hospitality technology platform Ordermentum.
"I still pinch myself every time someone asks, but our first 20 customers are some of the biggest and most recognisable companies in the world," he says.
"Now our machines are proudly displayed in their headquarters, encouraging the return to office movement and sustainable consumption. What we’ve offered them is a way to keep employees happy, reduce workload for their office managers and save money on beverage costs."
The founder adds more units are pre-ordered with another 50 on the way.
"We want to be at 100 units in the market by Christmas, which should enable us to eliminate over one million single-use plastic bottles or cans a year," Nelson says.
"Manufacturing is hard, especially when your product is Australian-made. It has taken a little longer than expected, but we're still making a positive impact with customers.
"The business has been growing rapidly since its launch and is approaching profitability, which is pretty remarkable for a hardware startup within three years."
Other customers on the startup's books include Meta, Asana, Frasers Property, Qualtrics, the Greenhouse Climate Tech Hub, WPP and Aspire Airport Lounges.
"As Australia’s largest dedicated climate tech hub, having Refiller units at Greenhouse feels like a natural part of our sustainability journey," says Greenhouse Climate Tech Hub general manager Suz Miller.
"It’s a small change that’s making a big impact, and we’ve saved over 30,000 single-use plastic bottles to date. Every time I give a tour at Greenhouse, people are always impressed by the Refiller. Some have told me that this perk is one of the reasons they decided to join."
Eva Milbank, an office manager in Australia with global advertising agency WPP, says businesses can make a huge difference to the planet by encouraging employees to refill their bottles.
"Having a Refiller has directly supported our sustainability initiatives," she says.
"As the office manager, Refilled has significantly benefited my role too. It’s saving us money and I'm spending much less time ordering, stocking, and lifting heavy cases of drinks."
Having taken on a couple of angel investors since its seed round, Refilled is now pursuing a strategic investment round designed to scale its international growth and accelerate its global environmental impact. Its longer-term goal is to prevent 100 million single-use bottles from ending up in landfill by 2030.
The company says customers are adopting the Refiller stations for many reasons including employee wellbeing amidst return-to-office mandates, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and reducing operational costs as keeping an office vending machine or fridge in stock is costly and time-consuming.
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