Zach Lawless is the CEO and co-founder of Good Goods, a company that is inventing the circular supply chain for wine bottles by introducing reuse into the experience. He is a serial entrepreneur and passionate social impact creator with professional experience across the fields of sustainability, finance and food and wine. His passion for reusable products and sustainable solutions led him to build two companies – Good Goods and Fresh Bowl – that prioritize the user experience.
He started his career working in finance as an acquisition analyst at a private equity investment fund in NYC. During his tenure, he invested in social impact oriented businesses and gained an appreciation for businesses that value profit and impact including across commercial real estate and community impact investments.
Motivated to find a solution to growing global plastic waste and recycling crises in 2017, he started his own businesses to solve some of these challenges.
In 2017, he launched Fresh Bowl, which provided grab-n-go food served in reusable containers in New York City. Through deals with large partners like Aramark, Compass and the MTA, Fresh Bowl expanded quickly across the city. Fresh Bowl designed an innovative model for engaging and incentivizing customers to return, collecting 85% of its packages back and demonstrating proof that customers can and will participate in reuse.
In 2020, he launched Good Goods to introduce reuse as service to the U.S. wine industry. By partnership with retailers, distributors and wineries, the company takes a two-pronged approach: They pick up, sanitize, and resell existing bottles to producers building reuse into the wine life cycle, and 2) create standardized reusable branded bottles and provide them to wineries across the U.S. With each purchase, Good Goods manages a customer loyalty program that incentivizes future purchases, collecting valuable customer data and building relationships in the process.
Zach holds a degree in mechanical engineering from San Diego State. He is a native to Kansan with an unhealthy addiction to all KC sports and BBQ. He spends his free time surfing, free diving, and playing basketball and squash.
