Reminder - double check your surveys and addresses
almost 4 years ago
– Mon, Jul 20, 2020 at 05:52:35 AM
Hello friends!
I am excited to announce that our Wagashi toys have finally arrived!
Matt and I have been inspecting and packing your toys and will be ready to start shipping out your rewards this week 🤩
Please check the previous update for information on how to find your backerkit survey - if you need to make any final changes to survey responses, notes, addresses and add-ons. 🐾
We will be finalizing the surveys on Monday!
If you have any questions please let me know. Thank you all!
Natalie & Matt
Munchiecat Wagashi - Latest Mews 🐾 ETA to ship in June!
almost 4 years ago
– Mon, May 11, 2020 at 09:16:37 PM
Hello Munchiecat Family
It's already past our initial May 1st ship date and I was hoping to have a firm completing ETA and completing date for this update, but I don't have that yet! Due to the pandemic and massive demand for face masks and safety supplies, our manufacturer prioritized face masks and other orders ahead of our Wagashi set, understandably.
A lot has happened since our last update..... The exciting news is that ✨ our toys are currently in production ✨ (finally!) . Production began a little behind, at the end of April. To date, most of our toys are already completed! Unfortunately our Berry Cones were made in the wrong color 😣, so the manufacturer re-ordered our fabrics and is currently making the berry cones in the correct color this week.
For now, we are just patiently waiting to hear from our manufacturer and find out when our toys will be finalized and ready to ship to OUR house. From here, Matt and I will be ready to prepare and ship your orders 🤩 Fingers crossed there won't be additional delays.
In the meantime we've finally made a decision on packaging! I'll be busy working on the final designs and make sure the packaging is here before our toys arrive :)
One a personal note:
Yesterday was Mother's day and was a bitter sweet day for me. Holidays usually are for all kinds of reasons! But this season in particular's been especially hard because of the coronavirus and stay home orders. Everyone just feels so much farther away. We made the best of it by face-timing our moms and grandparents, and then some much needed "offline" time just relaxing with the kids and eating way too much pizza. I hope you also enjoyed a sweet day celebrating moms, grandmothers, aunts, and great friends who are like a mother figure in your life 🧡
If you need a good laugh
I could always use a good laugh! I don't know how or when Bored Panda starting coming into my new feed, but I am so glad because they have the silliest content and never fails to put a smile on my face :)
BORED PANDA PAGE 👈🏻 Click here for more
And apparently crocheting couches for kitties is a thing these days 👀
If you can crochet or if you've made a couch for your kitty, please please share photos! I'd love to see your creations 🧵
BORED PANDA PAGE FOR COUCHES
Thank you all for your patience!
I will be sure to post an update as soon as I hear from them or within 2 weeks, so you're not waiting! I've held off on processing any additional credit card charges or finalizing shipping addresses until I have confirmation that our toys are completed and shipped, on the way to our home for us to package and send out to you!
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out directly at [email protected].
Thank you as always!
Natalie & Matt
Latest Mews - Munchiecat Wagashi Toys
about 4 years ago
– Mon, Mar 16, 2020 at 12:03:28 AM
Hi Furriends
This update is long overdue! I'm sorry it's been a while since we last posted an update on the status of our Kickstarter and your Wagashi toy sets.
Unexpected changes in the last few months....
As I am sure you already know - recent events affecting work and travel restrictions and quarantines due to the coronavirus outbreak is causing major delays in production and manufacturing all over the world.
Originally, final designs would have been confirmed, materials would have been purchased, and production was scheduled to start right around this time so we can have your Wagashi set ready to ship to you by May 2020.
However, we DO NOT want to risk rushing through production just to meet our initial deadline on Kickstarter and compromise safety. Matt and I will need time to test the quality of your toys once they are delivered to us, and to receive the results from a third party safety testing and inspection process to ensure our toys meet international regulations and safety standards. Our commitment is to offer high quality, safe toys for your precious cats.
Although it may be possible to still begin production now and ship on time, if there are any delays during these uncertain times, we ask for your patience and understanding! We will keep you updated as we have more information.
Updates on Munchiecat 🌸
2020 Plans for Munchiecat. Every year, I dream "this will be the year we launch lots of new toys". I absolutely love designing and releasing new, original toys for cat lovers all over the world. It's something I am passionate about. We have SO many toys and ideas and exciting updates we hoped to share.... but with the uncertainty of the economy we'll be putting most new projects on hold until we see how this crisis unfolds. We've already stopped accepting wholesale orders and have just enough sushi and wine toys currently in stock to last the next couple of months for website orders and donations to local charities and fundraisers.
In the meantime..... we're still making improvements to our existing toys themes and working on a new partnership with a US manufacturer closer to us to produce new toy sets for us this year. I'm excited about the opportunity for Munchiecat to move all manufacturing exclusively to local businesses. It's been challenging to find a manufacturer that can make hybrid (mix of imported and US materials & labor) OR 100% US made toys, who are also willing to work with our budget and minimum orders. I'm hopeful this new partnership will be a great fit and a win-win for us, our customers, and the local community!
Packaging is always a project that takes time and it's hard to get "just right" the first time around. Neither of us are packaging designers! Matt and I are looking into earth-friendly (and budget-friendly) options that ensure your toys arrive un-damaged, in packaging that can be recycled or re-used afterwards and will keep your toys safe from extreme weather temperatures and moisture during transit. It's hard to find the all-in-one but we want to get this right too, so we're spending some time testing different packaging options :)
We've partnered with an amazing blog writer who will be starting in April! Our goal is to make improvements to our website content by proving quality blogs that are engaging and informational.
And we're upping on Facebook and Instagram game! Matt and I are both pretty private, introverted people and we're not on social media often which makes us slow to respond to inquiries. But we're breaking out of our comfort zones 😄 and will be online more this year. Our desire is to provide exceptional service and we thank you for your understanding and forgiveness while we learn how to navigate the world of e-commerce, growing a business, and balancing our work-life schedules.
On a personal note....
Above all, the most important thing to us is the health and wellbeing of you and your families. As parents, small business owners and employees ourselves, we share the same concerns about the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus and the impact it will have on our families. Most of us around the world are trying to find a new normal, adjusting to travel bans, restrictions, working from home or even unexpected pay-cuts and layoffs.
We've been struggling with flu season here at home over the last month and a half with high fevers, upset stomachs and lingering coughs. And during our last grocery run I experienced first hand the fear and worry that is taking over the community. The shelves were bare, we found less than half of what we had planned for the week, and there was NO TOILET PAPER ANYWHERE.....
In addition, the local school district just announced that school will be closed for several weeks so Matt and I will be juggling work and kids and adjusting to new schedules for our family.
It's a stressful time for everyone, but we're hopeful we'll all get through this difficult season.
Please take care of yourself.
Wash your hands.
Hug your kitties.
We're all in this together.
Thanks for reading! And if you have any questions please let us know. Stay healthy.
👩🏻🤝👨🏽🐾🐈❤️🌍
Natalie & Matt
