Fuzzibunz Cloth Diapers began selling their products in 2000 after Tereson Dupuy patented her diaper design. It seems that depending on the day you ask there is a different answer to the question “What’s going on with Fuzzibunz?” As of March 2015 it seems the company is back with Tereson Dupuy after a brief year or two under the management company CRG. Tereson sold the company and the new owners redesigned the product and found a new manufacturing plant. Fuzzibunz went from hundreds of retailers down to just 5 when CRG decided to focus on product development and improving the reputation of the company before re-expanding. At this point it is anyone’s guess on the outside why things seem to have switched again and we won’t know what the next design of Fuzzibunz will be.
Manufacturing History: The Global Travels and Troubles of FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers
- FuzziBunz have been made in various plants including facilities in the US (their original source for years) until they couldn’t keep up with the demand. They started outsourcing to 3rd party manufacturers in 2006 including a NAFTA approved company in Mexico. Lots of the diapers from Mexico had faults.
- In 2007 production was moved again to Arkansas. This is when the square tab was introduced. The quality was still an issue and that facility couldn’t keep up with demand.
- In 2008 production was once again moved, this time to China The quality improved overall however there were some known delamination issues (appears to have been one large batch) that were resolved. They brought back the accessory line at this point. They stayed in China until the end of 2010.
- In 2011 FuzziBunz bagan manufacturing in Turkey. This time they left not because of quality issues but because the plant began manufacturing a competing line of cloth diapers. The move was to ensure no other new products or innovations henceforth would be exposed. To combat the past manufacturing problems FuzziBunz instituted a “Lifetime Warranty” that protected the life of snaps and PUL.
- In 2012 Tereson appeared on the reality show Shark Tank to pitch her company and receive funding to keep the business alive. The show aired and the overall impression of viewers was negative. Tereson blamed “IP Squatters” and manufacturing issues on the decline of her business.
- In 2014 Tereson sold Fuzzibunz to CRG LLC and the diapers were redesigned, issues with inconsistent products were addressed, and the new One Size Large and One Size Small were released.
- In 2015 it appears that CRG is no longer the owner of Fuzzibunz and that Tereson is involved again with the company.
For more about Fuzzibunz on Shark Tank see the original post from 2012.