What if your morning bevie could help someone on the other side of the world gain access to clean drinking water? That’s exactly the kind of change Ellie McGovern and Dylan Rowe had in mind when they launched Project PARGO, an Aussie business with a mission to make a real difference,  one reusable cup at a time.

Since starting the brand from the back of a campervan, the couple have built a purpose-driven business that dishes up premium drinkware across Australia and New Zealand while also providing long-term access to clean water to communities that need it most.

The lightbulb moment for Project PARGO

Before launching Project PARGO, Ellie and Dylan spent nearly three years travelling through Indonesia, the Philippines, Central America and Mexico. Along the way, they noticed one constant: tap water wasn’t safe to drink.

“Consistently, everywhere we went, we or the locals couldn’t drink the water out of the tap,” says Ellie. “We knew that problem needed to be addressed.”

While they were travelling in the US, another observation sparked an idea. “We noticed everybody – and we mean literally almost every single person we met – had some kind of insulated drinkware product,” Ellie explains.

But it wasn’t til the couple discovered the Sawyer 0.1-micron filtration device through the charity Waves 4 Water that they realised they could combine the two ideas into something powerful.

“We realised we could create a brand with beautiful, reusable and durable products that, with every sale, helped someone in need gain access to clean drinking water. We knew we could really make a tangible difference.”

Big dreams from the back of a van

With an idea in place, Ellie and Dylan hit the ground running, or rather, driving. They set up the business from the back of a campervan, turning their tiny home on wheels into a full-time office as they travelled up and down the coast.

“It made it so exciting,” says Ellie. “We were in our little home on wheels and then it became our office. It made us believe we could set up the company to be remote and do it from anywhere.”

They spent their early days sampling products, testing them under extreme conditions to find the highest quality insulation.

“We took them to a very hot beach in Mexico that we had stayed at many times before,” Ellie shares. “We filled them up with ice and water and left them ALL DAY in the hot sun on the black sand to find out who made the best quality insulation.”

After narrowing it down to two contenders, they landed on a design with the lightest but strongest construction. From there, Project PARGO’s signature range of bottles and cups was born.

Project PARGO founders with some happy recipients of the business’s water purifier

Doing good with every sale

At the heart of Project PARGO is the commitment to give back. For Ellie and Dylan, clean water isn’t just a cause, it’s the reason they do what they do.

“We put giving at the top of the list for our business and making really epic products just under that,” Ellie explains. “We believe that putting giving at the top really makes us accountable and pushes us even harder to sell the products because we all know as a team that the more sales we do, the more filters we can donate and distribute to communities in need.”

The water filters they provide are designed to last.

“They are a gravity-fed physical barrier filter, the particle holes are 0.1 micron absolute, and they remove 99.999999% of all bacteria, protozoa, E. coli, and all the nasties you don’t want to be ingesting,” Ellie explains. “They physically stop the bacteria, any sediment, and 100% of all microplastics from passing through. They just need to be backwashed to remove the caught debris and bacteria.”

Even better, they require no electricity, just a bucket. “You can install them literally anywhere around the world!” says Ellie.

The real reward

The impact of PARGO’s water projects is impossible to overstate. For Ellie, seeing the difference firsthand is one of the most rewarding parts of running the business.

“It’s hard to describe, but it’s probably the best feeling you can feel,” she says. “Being able to provide something so valuable to a community that has never had something like this and seeing the real happiness that clean water brings.”

Education is a key part of every project, with the team providing hands-on demonstrations and ensuring every recipient knows how to maintain their filter for long-term use. “

We teach every person who will receive a filter for their household how to use and, most importantly, maintain the filter,” Ellie says. “We also monitor the filters six to 12 months later with our partners on the ground to make sure they are still being used correctly.”

Ellie grabs a glass of water

Scaling with purpose

Scaling a purpose-driven business comes with its own set of challenges. For Project PARGO, managing stock levels and forecasting demand has been a constant learning curve.

“Learning how to forecast and not having best sellers go out of stock, as well as not over-ordering in colourways that don’t sell as quickly tying up cash,” says Ellie. “It takes a long time to manufacture our products. We are more like three to four months, not six to eight weeks like fashion.”

Working as a couple has required balance, too.

“Working on separate parts of the business and not doing everything together was the first step,” Ellie explains. “The challenge is going on holiday and taking both of us away from the business. But the benefit is getting to work alongside each other every day, building the life of our dreams and getting to help people together.”

What’s next for Project PARGO?

With over $2 million in revenue and countless litres of clean water already delivered to communities in need, the future for Project PARGO looks bright.

“We are so excited to increase our clean water giving projects,” says Ellie. “We have new products in the works, bringing on a team of ambassadors that can assist in these water projects as well as helping us tell the story to a wider audience – and looking to expand internationally!”

And if there’s one thing Ellie and Dylan hope other entrepreneurs take away from their journey, it’s this:

“Make sure there is a real need and you have real passion for it. Make sure your product stands up to people who don’t care about the give back. Make sure your price point makes it possible to give back – helping people isn’t cheap!”

Because, as Project PARGO proves, building a successful business and making the world a better place can go hand-in-hand.

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