Mr. Turtle, a Cal Poly startup founded by three alumni, is helping students shell out less plastic waste with a new sustainable soap and detergent dispenser on campus. Installed Monday at the Poly Canyon Village Market, the machine offers a waste-free alternative to single-use plastic containers.
The dispenser allows customers to purchase liquid laundry detergent, dish soap and hand soap by the ounce. To buy, customers place a reusable container under the dispenser, fill it up and pay with a credit card or contactless payment, said Michael Hennessy, Mr. Turtle co-founder and a business administration alumnus. The company is also looking at implementing dining dollars in the future.
“We’re hoping to provide students with more convenient access to laundry detergent and keep it affordable, too,” said Colin Brown, co-founder and an economics alumnus. “We’re trying to bring in that low-cost option and really provide something great for students.”
Agricultural business freshman Drew Markovich appreciated the laundry detergent option from the dispenser.
“It’s been easy to get regular hand soap and I have dish soap in my dorm, but I definitely like it for the laundry detergent,” Markovich said.
After purchasing hand soap from the dispenser on Monday, mechanical engineering sophomore Nate Wollenweber said he appreciated the machine’s convenience. However, he suggested the team consider installing dispensers inside campus laundry rooms to increase student usage.
From a senior project to a successful startup: Mr. Turtle’s journey
The idea for Mr. Turtle began in November 2023 when co-founder and a business administration alumnus Benjamin Arts tossed an empty laundry detergent jug into the trash and considered how much waste single-use plastic creates. Determined to find a better solution, he took his idea to Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Startup Launch Weekend and teamed up with Hennessy. Brown joined the team around the same time.
Mr. Turtle’s name was inspired by the connection between reducing plastic waste and protecting sea turtles, Arts explained.
“We formed around sustainability,” Hennessy said. “We were all super passionate about the environment and we really wanted to see if we can make a difference. We’ve been working on it ever since.”
With Arts and Hennessy’s business expertise and Brown’s passion for engineering, the team constructed their wooden refill station to launch their business.
“As an entrepreneur and as a startup, you have to go in and learn a little bit of everything,” Arts said. “You wear every hat.”
This is Mr. Turtle’s fifth installation, with machines already in place at the local Swish and Swirl, SLO Food Co-op, Harbor Laundry and a refill store in Silverton, Oregon. Bringing the dispenser to Cal Poly was especially meaningful for the founders.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Brown said. “We had this idea in school as a senior project, and seeing it turn into fruition, it’s just a dream come true.”
The company sources their soaps from Wallowa Valley Cleaning Products, an Oregon-based cleaning product company. Their soaps are eco-friendly and plant-based, making them a great partner, Arts said.
So far, the founders have invested $10,000 into the company. Their only outside funding came from a $1,000 prize for winning first place at Startup Launch Weekend, Brown said.
Beyond their involvement with CIE, Arts also gained mentorship and experience through the Cal Poly Entrepreneurs (CPE) club.
“My experience in Cal Poly Entrepreneurs was absolutely pivotal to my career,” Arts said. “The mentorship I received and the opportunities I was given proved invaluable to me. I would not be where I am today without all that I learned in CPE.”
Looking forward, the team is a finalist in CIE’s annual pitch competition, AngelCon, and will compete in May in hopes of winning $100,000 in funding.