About Us
Better Bearings, founded in 2014, is owned and operated by Kerryn Brownson, in Sellicks Beach, South Australia.
Kerryn is a passionate Skater, has been skating for over 35 years. She started at a very young and her first job, was at the local recreation center running the skate sessions after school, on the weekends, and during school holidays. Skating became her life throughout high school. Once Kerryn gained full-time employment she didn't have as much time for skating.
Kerryn rediscovered skating later in life with the resurgence of Roller Derby. She trained herself every day, tried out for Adelaide Roller Derby, and made it onto the Wild Hearses Team. Soon after Kerryn received the wonderful news that she was pregnant so she hung up her skates, and helped benched the team for a year until her son Harry came along. Being a single mum, Kerryn couldn't afford babysitters for two training's a week, plus bouts, etc so she had to quit the team.
Determined not to lose skating in her life again, Kerryn looked for a way to be able to earn an income whilst looking after her son full time. Kerryn got a casual job with Skate SA, running monthly events like come and try skating for local councils. This job came with the use of a skate trailer and Kerryn founded Skatescool Australia (now Skate Society). She started teaching one lesson a week, which expanded into lessons 4-7 times a week, she also taught school students as part of their Physical Education class, she taught adult fitness classes, called skatercise, she ran roller discos for local communities, doing weekly roller disco birthday parties, pop-up roller rinks etc. She then expanded into eCommerce and then open her bricks-and-mortar skate shop.
Here is look at her time at Skatescool
Kerryn’s completely committed to maintaining the reputation that Better Bearings earned by providing high quality, handcrafted, super tough bearings. She is also striving to make Better Bearings an environmentally sustainable company which fights for womens rights.
Better Bearings Products
Better Bearings donates 5% of profits to UN Women Australia.
In May 2021 Better Bearings announced that moving forward 5% of their profits will go to UN Women Australia.
UN Women Australia is a registered charity raising funds for, and awareness of, UN Women’s platform to accelerate gender equality worldwide. UN Women is the United Nations agency for women’s empowerment and gender equality, focusing on ending violence, ending poverty and increasing women's leadership.
Violence against women is a grave violation of human rights. It comes in many forms and its impacts are deep.
Women of all ages, race, culture and socio-economic situations experience domestic or intimate partner violence, sexual harassment and assault, female genital mutilation, trafficking, sexual violence in conflict and gender-related killings. In fact, it is estimated that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their life.
These forms of violence result in immediate and long-term physical, sexual and mental health consequences, while also preventing women from fully participating in society. Violence not only has negative consequences for women but also families, communities and countries at large.
While decades of campaigning has put ending gender-based violence high on national and international agendas, there is still not enough being done to prevent violence.
UN Women works to prevent and respond to violence against women across the globe by:
Expanding access to services, such as mental, physical and sexual health care, post-rape care and counselling;Implementing initiatives to address sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence in public spaces;
Improving knowledge and providing guidance around implementing laws, policies and programs; and
Advocating to end violence against women through the Secretary General’s UNiTE to end violence against women campaign.
Your purchase from Better Bearings helps to support the world’s largest movement for gender equality, ensuring that women and girls are safe from violence and free to have choice and opportunity.
You can see Better Bearings Authority to fundraise here.
Better Bearings Using Business as a Force for Good - May 2019 to April 2021
In May 2019 Better Bearings launched their Better Parks Initiative which we hope will help skaters all over the world clean up their skate parks and make our parks a safe and enjoyable place to skate. To find out more about this initiative click here.
The United Nations released 17 Sustainable Development Goals which are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The Goals interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, it ís important that we achieve each Goal and target by 2030.
See below to see Better Bearings contribution towards these goals to from June 2019 to May 2021;
Rescued 195 meals for the hungry in the USA;Planted 1 tree to nurture the environment in India;
Provided 3 square. meters of rainforest protection;
Provide 519 days of substance support to farmers in Cambodia;
Provided 12 days of business mentorship to a women in Zimbabwe who is starting her own business;
Provided 169 days of extra Curriculum classes to a girl in Cambodia;
Planted 5 forest trees to help the environment;
Provided 537 days of clothing to girls rescued from sex trafficking in India;
Gave 4 nourishing meals to children in New Zealand;
Gave 1 day of access to education to stop a girl from being trafficked;
Planted 4 tangerine trees, in Malawi;
We rescued 1kg of food going to landfill;
We've give 1139 days of life saving water to families in Ethiopia;
We've given access to solar lighting for 120 days to under privileged people;
Given 4 nourishing meals to families in New Zealand;
Given 334 days of access to a bicycle to a girl to get safely to school.