Hippo Hug: Adapting to the marketplace

One Calgary company that is looking to diversify to meet the needs of the market is Hippohug. When regularly operating Hippohug makes weighted blankets to help people who suffer from sleep and sensory issues. Now, as COVID-19 has grown into a pandemic there is a shortage of important equipment to keep our medical professionals safe while they work. To help with the shortage the Government of Canada released a call to action asking companies who have established manufacturing capabilities to produce the important protective equipment that our health care workers need such as gloves, masks, and gowns. Hippohug is looking to answer that call. They are currently in the early stages of prototyping a mask that can go over the N95 masks to try and prolong the life of each mask to help cover the shortages. They are also designing their prototype with the hopes that it can be used as a mask to help prevent the spread in a community setting as well.

Currently, there are mixed reviews on fabric masks and Hippohug is doing their research to make sure that their mask proves effective. They are contacting healthcare professionals and government officials to be sure that what they produce serves the purpose they intend before they ramp up production. This is a great example of a company stepping up to answer the call in a time of need and being a first-hand example of getting through this together.