North Van dad turns baby-feeding frustration into viral success

When Garret Senez's daughter was born, the North Vancouver father found most baby feeding products on the market were unsafe, inconvenient, or poorly made. "I was using a lot of stuff that was just really expensive and poorly made," he said, citing issues like low-grade plastics with leeching potential and materials that wouldn't survive the dishwasher.

In 2021, Senez partnered with Victoria-based friend Justin Gurinskas—also a new parent—to launch Quark Baby, focusing on thoughtfully designed, safety-tested products that solve everyday feeding problems. Their breakthrough was a portable milk warmer that heats formula or breast milk to a preset temperature, eliminating guesswork and airport hassles.

"We were the first ones ever to make this thing back in 2022, which was just super exciting for us," Senez said. The product proved TSA-approved and convenient for travel, whether camping, flying, or driving.

The warmer landed Quark Baby on the hit CBC show Dragons' Den, where Senez pitched the Dragons. The company gained unexpected visibility when viral YouTuber MrBeast featured the product while being buried alive in a coffin for seven days.

To date, Quark Baby has sold more than 250,000 products and reached more than 4,000 retailers worldwide. In July, the company is launching the BuubiBottle Portable Milk Warmer PRO, an upgraded version with revised features and full-day battery life.

Despite being a first-time CEO competing against massive consumer conglomerates with far larger budgets, Senez credits local retailers—West Coast Kids, MommyPow, and London Drugs—for taking a chance on the company. "We're not just taking crap and putting it on the market," he said. "I've spent a lot of time from a material science and engineering perspective to make sure that what we're bringing to market is safe for parents."