Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Robyn McLean, co-founder of The Hello Cup.

This week on Business is Boring is one of the co-founders of The Hello Cup. They’re a company changing how periods are talked about and dealt with, using humour, great product design and honesty. And it’s leading to massive success, with the cups now sold at Urban Outfitters and online retailer iHerb.

Menstrual cups are an egg cup-shaped devices that replace sanitary pads and tampons. Although pads and tampons have been the norm for decades, they’re often expensive, environmentally destructive and in some cases made with toxic materials. On the flip side, the menstrual cup is reusable, holds three times the volume of a tampon, and is becoming a symbol of a new conversation about periods.

Menstruation is a subject that isn’t always easy for people to talk about. We have a lot of cultural growing up to do, and The Hello Cup uses engaging branding, storytelling and fun educational messaging to spread the word and sell their products. Robyn McLean was a late convert to menstrual cups who saw a gap in the market, and got old friend and registered nurse Mary Bond on board to launch The Hello Cup. Together they designed a New Zealand-made product, and are now on a journey to change attitudes towards periods worldwide.

To talk that journey, the benefits, and sharing the word, Robyn McLean joined Business is Boring.

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