The tide is changing, so let’s make it for the better.

Ocean & Company started with a vision. A vision of taking better care of our oceans, and of clearer communication about what is and is not part of the solution. In 2018, Founder and CEO Gerard Ecker was doing his research around the paper straw movement, and found a lot of contradicting information out there. On one side, people claimed that recycling is enough, and on the other, that extreme change was necessary in order to make any positive difference at all. In reality, a lot of the plastic we try to recycle goes into the ocean, but there are a lot of little changes we can all do to make a difference. Gerard thought that something needed to be done, and decided to take a risk and see if he could be part of the solution. He found that conservation research was one of the biggest pieces to address, and looked for ways to support that.

Ocean & Company started with a Sea Turtle Tracking bracelet and a dream of supporting ocean conservation and research. We were blown away by the response to the first bracelet, and it confirmed for us that people are looking for an outlet to support conservation research and awareness. Since then, the Ocean & Company team has been striving to find new ways to raise awareness and works closely with Mote Marine Labs to fund research about sea turtle and shark movements. A portion of proceeds from every purchase goes towards this research, which helps inform what needs to happen and where legislation needs to be changed to protect these endangered species, and subsequently, our oceans.

We seek to create a space where people can learn about what is and isn’t helping to address the ocean plastic problem, and to be an outlet where people can support that conservation. We work to provide facts rather than opinions, and provide a space for people to share changes that are working in their lives.