How Blumaka Revolutionized the Insole Industry

Stuart Jenkins, CEO and founder of Blumaka, credits his mother, Frances, for the simple yet powerful principle that inspired the company: "Do better. That’s what my mom taught me, and that’s what Blumaka stands for," Jenkins says.

When Jenkins saw the millions of tons of foam discarded while making athletic shoes, he was inspired to "do better." Jenkins had an ingenious idea: transform all that waste into high-performance insoles.

Jenkins knew that the foam left over from making sports shoes is actually some of the best in the world. But much of that high-quality foam isn't used in the shoes and creates tens of millions of tons of waste annually. Jenkins and his team figured out how to reuse the discarded foam to create insoles with unique functional advantages for athletes.

"Caring for athletes and the environment can go hand in hand."
- Stuart Jenkins, CEO and Founder of Blumaka

Today, Blumaka’s high-performance insoles are made of up to 85% recycled foam, produced with fewer chemicals, less water, and a cleaner manufacturing process. Reclaiming and reusing that high-quality scrap foam not only reduces environmental impact, it also creates opportunities to enhance athletic performance.

"We will not compromise the planet or performance," Jenkins emphasized. "We understand that good environmental policy is simply good business."

Why Athletes Love Blumaka

The cushioning properties of a Blumaka insole last 20 to 30 times longer than the ordinary insole that comes with an athletic shoe and also offer athletes better traction and enhanced stability. Increased ground reaction forces ultimately minimize injury risks and optimize performance.

"Cushioning is what protects your body," Jenkins explains. "Long-lasting stability reduces the risk of injury. The grip technology increases ground reaction forces for the life of the product. All this means athletes can perform at their best."

To prove this point, Blumaka recently had an independent biomechanical lab conduct an extensive test of their insoles. Nearly 200 athletes had their ground force and body movements measured with and without the insoles. The results were conclusive: Blumaka’s Konnect insoles give athletes a statistically significant competitive advantage compared to wearing the stock insole from the shoe’s manufacturer.

It's clear that athletes love the superior performance of Blumaka insoles on the playing field. Word-of-mouth has propelled adoption of Blumaka's insoles at every level of sports, from youth and amateurs to professional and collegiate levels. And today, Jenkins' vision for what insoles can and should be has been embraced by elite athletes across the NFL, CFL, PGA, LPGA, professional pickleball, and many NCAA sports.

Jenkins finds immense fulfillment in seeing athletes thrive with Blumaka insoles. "I was sitting in the World Series in the stands last year because some of the Texas Rangers had invited me because of our product. You look out there and you go, 'Oh that guy just hit a triple and he's wearing our insoles." Knowing that Blumaka insoles have contributed to their success is, as Jenkins puts it, "cool as hell."