Hello 🤠
Here’s a much needed update to share a bit more on what’s going on behind the scenes. . Manufacturing is chugging along, the team is expanding, and a lot more fun stuff that we’re excited to share.
Hope you’re in a comfortable seat & have a nice warm beverage in hand - let’s dive in.
- The squad is growing + hiring a social media person👨🦰🧓
We're thrilled to announce the addition of two amazing members to our team; Kolton & Alex.
Kolton is taking the helm of operations & helping make sure everything from customer communications are handled promptly, email updates are sent out *more* regularly, and helping with our backend systems. Basically, he will be making sure that the terrashroom community is being informed regularly & in detail on what’s going on within the business & your pre-order.
Alex has joined us to use his background of mycology, startups, and tech to enhance our software & firmware grow control algorithms. Additionally, he’s been working on some truly groundbreaking AI functionalities that we'll be announcing in the coming months.
Social media help:
Lastly, if you’re interested in helping us grow - we are looking to hire a part time social media person that can help us create content at the warehouse.
If you’re interested, submit this form & we will get back with you shortly!
- Mass production batch + manufacturing updates
With the Chinese New Year wrapping up at the end of this week, manufacturing will be live again & at full speed. After spending 56 days in China, James was able to produce the first couple dozen of T1 samples in November.
Although these T1 models are great, there’s a few areas that we’re having to revise to prevent issues. So below is a look under the manufacturing hood & what we’re doing about it.
- Dome tooling got damaged.
What happened: The Injection mold tooling (steel molds that molten plastic is squirted into) for the polycarbonate dome was damaged by the factory during their loading process. This damage left large scratches in the dome & affected portions of the transparency (clarity).
What we’re doing about it: we are re-tooling this mold ASAP.
What this means for you: there might be very minor delays due to the retooling process - we will keep you informed with updates.
- Moving adhesives to snap-fits:
What happened: During T1 samples production multiple tests of components that required adhesives (epoxy resin) to fit together were failing (they would come unglued). Additionally, concerns were raised about the food-safety of the resin being considered, so we decided to reevaluate.
What we’re doing about it: We have modified the tooling of the injection molds so that we don’t need to use any adhesives for the manufacturing or assembly process.
What this means for you: There is slight delays for the injection mold tooling to be modified (which will be on a shorter timeline than the polycarbonate dome).
- Packaging:
What happened: We had some serious issues early on with breakage during the shipping process of our T1 samples so we evaluated & overhauled the product packaging.
What we’re doing about it: We’ve made some significant changes to the packaging design geometry, thickness, and have included some inserts to better insulate exposed parts.
What this means for you: The new reinforced & insulted designs ensure that your terrashroom gets to you safe & sound. The improved packaging is also sustainable, and is made from 65% recycled materials (yay earth!)
- Converting Your Pre-Order Deposit 💳
For those who've paid the $49 deposit, it's almost time to convert your pre-order.
On March 17, we will be announcing the outlined steps on our website to make the process as smooth as possible for you to pay the remainder of your deposit 🙂
(things get pretty crowded at the warehouse)
- Warehouse Expansion 🏭
Our team is growing, and so is our space. We've expanded our warehouse to accommodate our growing operations. This additional space will allow us to do further product testing, modifications, shoot content, and also provide us with a tiny-lab space to run our own mushroom experiments.
- Community Admins Initiative 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️
We're reaching out to a few standout individuals who've been exceptionally active and positive in our comments, DMs, and other online forums (i.e. Reddit). Selected community admins are invited to help us grow & foster the terrashroom community. Of course, this means exclusive perks, merch, and early product testing for future releases.
(be nice in the comments, we notice!!!)
(special perks with the community admins 😬)
6. We want to hear from you 👂
As we ramp up our efforts & get closer to launch, your input is more valuable than ever. We're eager to hear what you'd like to see from our team going forward.
-what content do you want to see more of?
-what content do you want to see less of?
-what would you change if you were running terrashroom?
Thank you for being an integral part of our journey. Your support fuels our mission to revolutionize sustainable agriculture with cutting-edge technology.
Sincerely,
Jared Steele | Founder & CEO