Ruby Cup, along with our suppliers, works hard to make a product that is safe, sustainable, and of the highest standard.
It is very important to us that all Ruby Cup products are of the highest possible quality. We want our customers, and the people we donate menstrual cups to, to receive a product that is comfortable, effective, long-lasting, and, above all, safe. To achieve this, we had to first find partners who could produce items to the standard we needed. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it!
Speaking to medical-grade silicone experts
When we started Ruby Cup, as three students at Copenhagen Business School, we didn’t know much about silicone. So we went to a company that did and asked for their assistance: Coloplast. Coloplast is a Danish company, and a world leader in intimate health care products. They invented the first-ever adhesive colostomy bags, which they still make, along with catheters, wound dressings and more. Coloplast is an authority on the use of silicone for medical devices, and their silicone and injection molding experts guided us in producing the first Ruby Cups.
Our requirement: make a seamless, soft, high-quality menstrual cup for absolute comfort
One of our closest advisors was based in China, working for Coloplast, and he helped us develop the product and find a supplier and manufacturer. Finding the right one was crucial: silicone is like water, and will flow along the path of least resistance, so any tiny cracks or unevenness in a mold will lead to inconsistent results.
Subsequently, it is tricky to make silicone products that are absolutely smooth, without lumps, bumps or seams where the mold parts meet. This seamless finish is part of what makes our menstrual cups so comfortable. The manufacturer we chose is experienced in making delicate and complicated devices that must work exactly right—including oxygen masks for children and blood pressure air pumps—which is how we knew our cup production would be in good hands
Trialing with European manufacturers
Later, we tried to move the production to Europe, so that our cups would be made a little closer to home, and spent nearly two years in product development with a European manufacturer. We never found anyone who could match our original manufacturer in China, both in terms of silicone smoothness and overall quality.
So we stayed put. The advisor who originally put us in touch with the manufacturer has since opened his own company in China and provides technical support, quality assurance and development to international companies. Together with our manufacturer, he has been on board since day one and this relationship with trustworthy partners means we can provide a top-quality menstrual cup.
This is how our menstrual cup is made
There are 30 people employed in the company that makes our products. Production happens on a small scale supervised by skilled craftsmen working with a high level of precision. Liquid silicone rubber—sourced from a leading raw material supplier—is processed and injected into specially made molds.
The finishing touches are added manually, every cup is tested visually and each batch is tested for quality assurance. The result is a product made of medical grade silicone which surpasses safety standards, and is built to last.
Ethical practice every step of the way
Just as we care that our products are well made, we also care that the people who make them are treated well. We take worker rights seriously, and everyone involved in making Ruby Cup products is paid minimum wage or above, has social security insurance, and has a cap on how many hours they can work.
Buying a Ruby Cup can make your period easier, help the environment, and change the life of a girl without access to menstrual products. It’s our responsibility to make sure that purchase is ethical every step of the way.
