Keeping Tabs with R/Labs — Caraway: Where There’s a Will, There’s a (Cara)way

Caraway is a home brand that uses ceramic as opposed to Teflon to create non-toxic, eco-friendly cookware. Their mission is to make the home and kitchen stylish & safe while also making cooking and decor more accessible.

People forget. A broad statement but absolutely true. Did I remember to lock the car when I left? Did I remember to schedule that Zoom meeting or respond to the email from yesterday? Usually, our forgettings don’t have severe repercussions, but what if a slip of mind could lead to toxic poisoning?

Before founding Caraway, CEO Jordan Nathan was cooking on a Teflon non-stick pan, just like any normal night. While cooking, he was distracted and accidentally left his burner on, with the frying pan sitting empty on top. 45 minutes later his apartment was filled with fumes. Jordan became sick and was likely exposed to Teflon poisoning — something he didn’t even know existed. After doing some more research, he couldn’t “wrap [his] head around how something used to cook food could be tied to cancer, lower sperm count, and behavioral issues.” Before this incident, Jordan never really looked into cookware materials, but he felt like this was an opportunity to create a brand that focused heavily on safety. Given his background with Ecommerce, and being CEO of a direct-to-consumer kitchen brand, Jordan was the perfect person to take this on: enter Caraway.

Jordan mentioned that using ceramic is not something new, it’s something that “sat on retail shelves for the past decade but no customers knew what it is or why it exists.” Caraway puts an emphasis on the safety factor and advantages of ceramic — they share their testing reports with consumers and care about transparency. Their blog is focused on home decor and design, as well as lifestyle, in comparison to many cookware brands that focus on recipes. They “preach the easiness of home, don’t use words like ‘professional’ and don’t work with chefs,” proving that an organized, safe, and stylish kitchen can be accessible to anyone.

The first Caraway product, which launched in 2019, was a 100%, non-toxic and eco-friendly ceramic cookware set. Caraway plans on expanding to other areas of the home as well, with thoughtful design and storage solutions as well as other core kitchen products.

As COVID led many to increase their time at home, and we saw a rise in people who wanted to cook and be mindful of what they were eating, Jordan said that people shifted their spending to “spruce up their homes” instead of buying new clothing or paying for experiences. Because of this, Caraway saw a bump in sales, but even now they are still seeing a lot of growth.

One of Caraway’s biggest challenges has been consumer awareness of why ceramic is a better choice than Teflon. Many have forgotten or were never aware of the Teflon-related DuPont lawsuit (although the 2019 film Dark Waters definitely did some reminding), but Caraway is definitely “not in the business of doing scare tactics.” Their focus is on emphasizing safety and style in the home.

Looking forward to seeing how Caraway continues to innovate the kitchen and home to be safe, stylish, and eco-friendly!

Republic Labs is the advisor to clients which have invested in Caraway, nothing herein should be construed as investment advice.

By Elizabeth Olshanetsky (elizabeth@republiclabs.co) for Republic Labs.