March 31st, 2016 is a day I’ll never forget. Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino honored me, Priska Diaz, founder and CEO of Bittylab LLC in a recognition event hosted at the Westchester County Center.
My invention, Bare® Air-free baby bottles made it to the shelves of Babies “R” Us in February of this year, an invention I have worked on for several years at my kitchen table. The Bare® concept was born out of necessity and frustration as a new mother and morphed into the First and only Air-free baby bottle in the world. With a syringe-like design, this new technology allows the user to expel the air out of bottle before feeding the baby, and the sliding Air-plug® moves all by itself as baby drinks eliminating the need of air-vents and effectively preventing air-swallowing while feeding.
“This is such a great American success story,” said Astorino. “Priska made the most of her gift for design, took the leap of faith into entrepreneurship, and now she runs a million-dollar company. Women and minority-owned businesses in Westchester are really on a roll.”
Bittylab LLC now offers two lines of air-free baby bottles; one specifically designed for breastfed babies, and the other for those who are solely bottle-fed. The company expects to reach its goal of one million units sold in 2016.
“When you have a dream that starts with a solid idea, the only thing between an entrepreneur and success is hard work,” said Diaz. “I’m grateful to County Executive Astorino for the honor, and his support small businesses run by women like me.”
