The Surfrider Foundation is excited to highlight an ocean-friendly brand and long-time partner, Sand Cloud, known for its commitment to protecting our ocean. Founded by three surfers in San Diego, CA, Sand Cloud creates soft, ultra-absorbent Turkish cotton towels, blankets, and bedding, while supporting marine conservation by donating a portion of their profits to organizations like Surfrider. Their efforts go beyond products, reflecting a shared passion for preserving our coastlines and marine life. As we ring in the new year, Surfrider sat down with co-founder Bruno Aschidamini to explore what ocean and marine conservation means to Sand Cloud and how they continue to inspire change.
Surfrider: How did the idea of Sand Cloud come about?
Bruno: The idea for Sand Cloud was born when my co-founders Steven Ford and Brandon Leibel came up with the concept of a beach towel with a built-in pillow, which in a sense, would allow beachgoers a way to sleep on a "cloud." I was one of their first customers and, after trying the pillow-towel, I asked to get involved in the company. At that time, no one else was making towels with built-in pillows. However, after walking the beach and realizing there wasn’t a lot of interest in the pillow towel, we decided to go in a different direction. That’s when we developed a lightweight, sand-resistant, and absorbent towel made from Turkish cotton.
Surfrider: What role did the ocean play in shaping your vision for the brand?
Bruno: As an avid surfer, I’ve spent countless hours in the water, watching marine life up close from my surfboard. Spending so much time in the ocean made me realize how important it is to protect our marine life. Originally, Brandon suggested we donate a portion of our profits to help save dolphins, which eventually grew into a broader mission to protect marine life. Since our company was founded on the beaches of San Diego, it made sense to align our brand with ocean conservation.
Surfrider: Why is marine conservation so important to you personally?
Bruno: Marine conservation is important to me because marine life needs a voice. These species don’t have the power to advocate for themselves in the face of human impact and I believe it's our responsibility to protect them.
Surfrider: Where does the #savethefishies come from?
Bruno: The #savethefishies tagline came from one of our customers, who was also a brand ambassador. We noticed her use the phrase in a comment, and it instantly resonated with us. It captured our mission to protect marine life, and we were able to use it to rally our community around ocean conservation.
Surfrider: How does Sand Cloud contribute to marine conservation efforts today?
Bruno: First and foremost, we amplify the voices of our nonprofit partners who are engaged on the frontlines of animal care and environmental policy. Through our emails and social media platforms, we highlight their incredible work and help raise awareness about the importance of protecting our oceans.
In addition, Sand Cloud strives to always be sustainably responsible. We manufacture products and use packaging designed to have minimal environmental impact. This commitment to sustainability has remained at the heart of our company.
And of course, we continue to be committed to donating 10% of all profits toward marine conservation.
Surfrider: What challenges do you face when trying to balance sustainability with running a successful business?
Bruno: Our business is closely aligned with our mission to protect marine life, and the more we can donate and support our nonprofit partners, the more successful we become. That being said, there can be challenges when sourcing sustainable materials, which can sometimes be more difficult and costly to obtain. However, our commitment to creating a positive environmental impact is at the forefront of our business, and we work hard to stay true to our mission while growing the company.
Surfrider: What do you hope to see in the future for marine conservation?
Bruno: I hope to see a united effort among nonprofits, working together to create a more sustainable ocean and make a lasting impact.
Surfrider: How do you envision Sand Cloud’s role in that future?
Bruno: At Sand Cloud, we strive to lead by example and become a brand that others look to for inspiration. Our goal is to continue supporting our nonprofit partners and the impactful work they do to protect marine life and preserve our oceans for future generations.
Did you know? For the last three years the Surfrider Foundation has collaborated with Sand Cloud on an exclusive organic cotton Turkish towel collections with designs inspired by our mission to protect and enjoy our ocean waves and beaches for all. All proceeds from sales support our ability to grow our network. You can check them out here in the Surfrider Shop and here in the Sand Cloud website.
To learn more about Surfrider's marine conservation initiatives, visit the link here.