The Cheeky Panda

The Cheeky Panda is a B Corp certified producer of sustainable bamboo-based paper products.

Founded in January 2016 by entrepreneurs Julie Chen and Chris Forbes, The Cheeky Panda believes bamboo is the ultimate eco-friendly resource.

The brand has a loyal following with many different points of sale including retailers Waitrose, Ocado, Booths, Boots, Monoprix (France), Bio-Planet (Benelux), Rite Aid (USA), Wholefood Merchants (Australia), Carrefour (China & UAE), and Amazon (Global); B2B wholesalers Lyrco (Europe), Bunzel (UK), and VOW (UK); and its own D2C websites.

Managing such a diverse network of retail partners has provided many challenges for a UK SME brand with fewer than 25 members of staff.

Having seen significant growth during the pandemic, the need to maintain momentum and ensure consistency in delivery to The Cheeky Panda’s retail partners and D2C consumers has been at the heart of its operations team during 2022 and 2023.

This has seen a maintenance of 95% stock availability while at the same time reducing inventory holding and consolidating global warehouse numbers to better reduce unnecessary transportation (and associated carbon emissions).

In addition, in the 12-month period the company grew annual revenue from £7 million in 2021 to £11 million in 2022, an impressive 57% increase.