Hi!
Quit or continue.
That’s the choice Lotte and I have been facing.
Nine years ago, we started Nooch with one stubborn belief: the world doesn’t need more sneakers — it needs better ones. No plastic. No toxins. No exploitation. Shoes that are kind to the planet and to the people who make them.
And somehow, we did it. We built the world’s first fully plant-based sneaker, clean from start to finish. Without investors, without ads. Only you — our community. Together, we sold out two full batches, made on demand. No overproduction, no waste.
We proved that change is possible while riding a rollercoaster of emotions — from huge joy at the top to strong frustration whenever things seemingly went downhill into a deep slope:
- Production setbacks
- Delays
- Suppliers collapsing
Disappointment after disappointment. One hitting harder than the other.
The hardest part?
Having made a promise — and not being able to deliver on it in time. It has been eating away at our energy more than anything else.
Just talking about quitting, sometimes brings relief. Space. Pride even — because — hey — at least we tried. However, then there’s the other side of that medal: Frustration, almost despair because we know how close we are. We have the knowledge, the network, and we’re actually in the best position to make this work. After all: if we don’t do it, who will? That’s what’s fuelling us to keep going in spite of any setbacks.
That sense of responsibility can feel heavy, though. Especially as, at this point, we feel both stronger than ever — and weaker than ever.
Stronger, because we’ve learned so much, found new partners, and are now working with next-generation materials that make us excited again — lighter, more durable, more natural than anything we’ve used before.
Weaker, because one of our key suppliers has gone bankrupt. The upper and sole materials we used are no longer available. Even though everything was already ordered and produced, it’s now frozen — trapped in a legal game between lawyers, curators, and creditors.
A game we refuse to play.
So instead we focus on what we can control:
- Rebuilding
- Innovating
- Staying true to why we started.
We have always been honest with you and that’s why we won’t pretend to have all the timelines locked in.
Nevertheless, we’re sure about one thing: we’re continuing. With more drive than ever before. Why is that? For this reason:
Today, Nooch feels both tested and alive. We can see the path ahead — a steady, fair and transparent supply chain that will finally give us the stability we’ve been fighting for. That milestone will change everything and we are getting there. We just need more time. So we’re crossing our fingers here that you’re still with us for the journey and the impact Noochies can have in the long run.
We also want to be completely transparent with you. Your money is safe. We’re keeping all pre-order funds securely stored and will only start production once we’ve fully solved the supply-chain challenges. If at any point we can’t deliver, you’ll always get your money back.
Your trust is what makes accomplishing this mission possible. It gives us the scale, the confidence, and the energy to move forward — and to restart production the moment everything is ready.
Are you still with us?
With love,
Lotte & Stefan