Pura Vida Bracelets is a La Jolla, California-based company that sells hand-crafted bracelets online and through boutique stores. It was founded in 2010 by Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman, who discovered the bracelets while on a vacation in Costa Rica. After a number of celebrities were spotted wearing the product, interest increased, and the company has since sold over 2 million bracelets. Pura Vida partners with a number of charities, producing bracelets in those charities' colors and donating a portion of those bracelets' sale prices back towards the partner charities.
About
"Pura Vida" means "pure life" in Spanish. Pura Vida Bracelets is a retailer that sells bracelets that are hand-made in Costa Rica. The company, which is based in La Jolla, California, was founded by Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman in 2010. Thall and Goodman traveled to Costa Rica together on vacation after graduating from San Diego State University, where they met a pair of bracelet makers and purchased 400 bracelets for $100 to bring back to the United States. The pair sold their original stock at small stores in the Malibu, California, area. After a number of celebrities – including reality television personality Lauren Conrad, soccer player David Beckham, and musicians Rihanna and Skrillex – were seen with the bracelets, Pura Vida saw an increase in web traffic and sales. By late 2013, Pura Vida had grown to a dozen US-based staff and 50 Costa Rica-based staff. By the end of 2015, the number of Costa Rica-based employees had doubled to over 100. As of March 2015, Pura Vida moved 125,000 bracelets a month through 3,400 physical retail outlets and through their website. As of February 2015, over two million bracelets have been sold. Pura vida means "pure life" in Spanish; in Costa Rica it is said frequently and has many meanings. In an interview, Thall and Goodman called the term "the slogan of Costa Rica, just like the word 'aloha' from Hawaii".
Pura Vida also creates bracelets for charitable organizations, as a cause marketing fundraiser; bracelets are produced in a charitable organization's colors, and a portion of the sale of those bracelets goes to that charitable organization. As of November 2015, over $600,000 has been donated to charitable organizations; over 175 charities have been the beneficiaries of this program. In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Pura Vida sold a memorial bracelet and was able to provide $30,000 to the memorial fund. In addition to producing its own line of products, Pura Vida produces bracelets for the MyIntent Project.