About us

More planet saving. Less seriousness.

At Hay Mate Bros. we're big on planet saving. Maybe not as big on saving it as Captain Planet. But we give it a red hot crack.

And while we're indeed big on continued human existence, we're also not heaps serious. Because, to be honest, it's pretty hard to save the planet if you're down in the dumps about it.

So at Hay Mate Bros. we've created a straw movement based on doing good for the environment, making it super easy for venues to do the same, and all the while keeping serious levels to a minimum.

But since you're here to learn more about us, it's time, my friends, to gather 'round close. Let us delve deeper into the birthing story of Hay Mate Bros...

Like most great ideas, it all began with curiosity.

It was curiosity on a hot summer's day by the beach in Newy.

Two brothers sat across from each other at a table at a cafe. In front of their very eyes they gave witness to the slow-motion soggy collapse of a paper straw into what was once a delicious iced latte. There was anger, there were claims of "eco-friendly biostraw". Curiosity was sparked.

Comments ran rampant between the brothers:

"Since when was cutting down trees to make straws "eco-friendly?"

"I heard most paper straws aren't even recycled."

"I'm not sucking through reusable straws that a dishwasher can barely clean"

"Surely plastic planet killers aren't the only good performing disposable straw"

"Ahh crap, did I pack a nappy?"

Ok the last one was a little off track, but the founder's two year old son soiled himself at the time.

Following that encounter it was a long and arduous search for answers. But with the discovery of a drinking straw made from the natural stem of a wheat plant, the Hay Mate Bros. journey was on its way. Something legendary was developing.

You see, it turns out that straw straws were the original drinking straw of the 1800s. But somewhere along the line we lost our way. We thought man made interference would improve things so we created plastic and paper straws. But we then forgot about straw straws! Oh mankind, how embarrassing.

But with plastic and paper straws, we've been having a giraffe, mate.

Plastic is literally killing our planet. And while paper is slightly better, it still involves cutting down trees. Paper straws even produce more carbon pain for the planet during the manufacturing process than plastic straws do!

But hay straws, they're simply a byproduct of an existing critical process - a wheat harvest. The grain of the wheat plant is harvested for flour to make bread and pasta. The harvester takes the grain and leaves the stem.

We resurrect and breathe life into these legendary leftovers.

Leftover stems that, had they not been resurrected as straws, are often burnt off into the atmosphere creating even more harm to the planet (It's called stubble burning, and it's really bad). It just so turns out that these leftovers make an exceptional straw and then simply break down like a leaf after use.

Now, when we saw that hay straws weren't just Mother Nature approved, but also didn't go soggy due to the natural stem rehydrating, this, my friends, was the certified game-changer. We knew we'd discovered the logical natural straw that quite simply had to be shared far and wide.

Then to cap it all off, we knew there was more to these little legends than just being amazing for the environment and great performers.

We knew our straws were good for business.

You see, our straws catapult eco-friendly reputations, creating hype and chatter and providing venues with a point of difference that launches them clear from the crowd, which means its good for their bottom line.

So if it's good for venues, it's good for consumers, and if it's great for helping save the planet in the process, it's a legendary cause. 

And while the local Newy region is currently squarely within our sights, the Hay Mate Bros. movement has only just begun...

Hay Straws. Legendary.

Head over to the product page now to get your hands on our little legends.