About Us

Clockwise from top left: Suzanne,  Sandra, Goni, Madeleine & Marie-Geneviève

• About Lunapads
• Herstory
• Life at Lunapads  
• Community
  • Joins us on Facebook
  • Spread the Love Campaign!
• Media
• Photo Gallery
• Resources

About Lunapads

Lunapads International is a women-owned small business based in Vancouver, Canada.  Our mission is to help women have healthier and more positive experiences of their menstrual cycles, and by extension, their bodies overall.  Our team is made up of a passionate group of gals who believe that using natural menstrual products is a creative and empowering way to honor and care for ourselves and the planet. 

Lunapads offers a diverse selection of products designed to meet the unique needs of women of all ages.  All our products have been created or chosen based on our own needs and lifestyles (in other words, we use them ourselves, and have done so for years), and we are confident we can find a solution that will work for you.  We are completely committed to customer service and want to ensure that your experience with Lunapads is a positive one.  We love to hear from our customers, so please let us know how we can better serve you or how Lunapads has made a difference in your life.

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Herstory

L-R: Suzanne & Madeleine

Since 1993, Lunapads has been making their signature collection of menstrual products, Lunapads and Lunapanties.  Lunapads were created and designed by Madeleine Shaw, a fashion designer who realized she needed something to solve her own health concerns about using disposable pads and tampons.  Switching from tampons to cloth pads brought her the unexpected benefit of discovering a deeper connection with her body, and she set out to bring this gift to other women in the form of starting a business.  She wrote the first business plan for Lunapads in 1994, and in 1995 opened a store and small production facility.  By 1998, Lunapads were available in health food stores across Canada.

In 1999 Madeleine met Suzanne Siemens, an accountant, at a Community Leadership course they were both participating in. Realizing that they shared a vision for better health for women and the planet, they combined their skills to fully develop Lunapads' potential. Lunapads are now used by thousands of women all over the world.  Click here to see our story in photos!

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Life at Lunapads

Aiden playing with Genevieve

Along with the satisfaction of being able to provide women with products that genuinely improve their lives, one of our greatest joys of working on Lunapads has been creating a business that has allowed us to integrate having children with working. When Suzanne had Aiden (July 8, 2002) many people asked us how we were going to balance the demands of motherhood and running a growing business. At the time we weren't entirely sure, but started off with Suzanne being back at the office as soon as she felt like it, with Aiden in tow.  Working with a baby in the office changes the atmosphere in such a beautiful way, serving as a reminder that “home” and “work” don’t necessarily have to be as rigidly separated as they typically are.  For us, this kind of flexibility is a solution to the perpetual “work-life balance” question.  Aiden now spends his days at kindergarten and part time daycare.  Madeleine’s daughter Genevieve (April 10, 2005) came next, followed by Suzanne’s second baby Garret (August 28, 2006), who can still be found hiding under our desks!  So, while we are not a traditional WAHM (Work At Home Mom) business, Lunapads is a hybrid of moms working at home as well as bringing home to the office.

L-R: Sandra, Marie-Geneviève & Goni

 We would not even come close to managing the business, however, without the able help of our fabulous co-workers, Sandra, Goni, Lisa and Morgan.  You can learn more about us, as well as the most up-to-date goings-on at Lunapads on our blog.

We are grateful for the support of:

• the Lin family, our production partners
• Renewal Partners and Duncan and Pat, our business partners
• Tim, Dave, Craig, Aiden and Garret, the “men of Lunapads”!
• Emira and Lauren, our invaluable friends and endlessly talented web designers at Raised Eyebrow.
• Our customers — we wouldn't be here without you!

Thank you for your business, and for making positive choices for yourself, your family, and the planet.

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Community

Here at Lunapads, we know the importance of building and supporting our community, both locally and globally. 

Locally , Lunapads contributes time, money, and/or products to the following organizations: La Leche League chapters across North America,  Vancouver Women Against Violence Against Women , the Surrey B.C. Women's Centre, numerous College & University Women's Centers as well as organizations supporting women and girls in developing nations.

Suzanne volunteers as a board member of the Georgia Strait Alliance , a not-for-profit marine conservation organization and Sandra is a veteran volunteer on the Lantern Committee of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival . 

Now that we have our own fabulous new space, starting in 2008, the Lunapads office will be playing host to natural prenatal " birthing from within " classes with lunabirth.com as well as a MamaRenew gatherings. Mama Renew is an organization that " seeks to create a safe space for mothers to reconnect, reclaim and seek balance between the many ways that mothers give and learn how to give to ourselves ".

Join us on Facebook

Join our facebook group called "I heart my Lunapads" to be a part of our online community.  Ask questions, share your stories, discuss what you love about natural menstrual products, and hear about exclusive offers for facebook members only.  Recently we had a fabric naming contest and also gave away a batch of Liners (in a yummy new fabric) as part of our research and development efforts, so don't miss out!

Spread the Love Campaign!

We love our customers here at Lunapads, and we're lucky enough to know that lots of you love us too! In fact, it is your spreading of the Lunapads word that is one of very best forms of advertising and has helped build the success of this company.  Telling your friends also helps build greater community among women who share our values. With that in mind, we have a campaign to reward all you lovely Lunapads enthusiasts.  Help us spread the word about Lunapads and receive a SURPRISE GIFT PACKAGE from us!  Here's how:

1) Got a blog or website? Post a Lunapads.com ad button, link to us, and write about your experience with our products. Click here to view our selection of buttons and post it on your blog or web site with a link back to Lunapads.com. Once you've posted it, simply email us with your blog's link and your mailing address. To post one of these images on your web site with a link back to Lunapads.com, simply copy all of the code in the field below the image you prefer and paste it onto your blog or web site.

2) Don't have a blog? Come blog with us! Be a guest blogger at the Lunapads Blog . We want to hear your Lunapads story - who you are, details about your lifestyle and interests, how you heard about Lunapads (or the DivaCup), what got you interested in trying them, and what your experience has been like using them. Email your submission plus a photo of yourself to blog@lunapads.com . We reserve the right to edit or decline your submission, but if we do post it to the blog you will receive a free Lunapads Gift Pack.

3) Get creative!  Customers have promoted Lunapads at health fairs and women's events in their communities, as well as other more "guerrilla" marketing efforts such as putting up a Lunapads poster in full view of the passengers on Chicago's "L" train.  What's your idea?

In each case, to receive your free surprise gift package, you'll just need to let us know what you did (you must provide a link) and then send us your mailing address. It's that easy! In exchange, you'll receive a thank you package of goodies from Lunapads within a few weeks.  Thanks again for all your support!

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