ZipTop is an American consumer-products brand specializing in reusable food-storage containers made from platinum-cured silicone. The brand is best known for its distinctive containers that stand upright, remain open when unzipped, and close with an integrated zipper-like seal 1. This design is intended to combine the convenience of disposable bags with the structure of conventional food containers.

ZipTop describes itself as a designer and manufacturer of reusable silicone containers based in Austin, Texas.

Origins

ZipTop was founded by Rebecca Finell, a consumer-product designer and entrepreneur who had previously founded the baby-products brand Boon. The concept originated from the limitations of disposable plastic food-storage products: traditional plastic bags are often floppy and difficult to fill, while conventional rigid containers require separate lids that can be lost or misplaced.

Finell’s solution was to create a container that combined the characteristics of a bag and a rigid container. After more than two years of design, engineering, and testing, the ZipTop concept became a commercial product 2.

Launch in 2017

The ZipTop brand officially launched in 2017. Its defining product concept was a reusable silicone container with a flat base and integrated closure. Instead of requiring a removable lid, the container could be opened wide, stand on its own, and then zipped closed 3.

The company’s launch was supported by crowdfunding, with more than 20,000 backers contributing to a total of approximately $2.1 million, according to a contemporary company press release.

Expansion into breast-milk storage

In 2020, ZipTop expanded beyond conventional food-storage products with a reusable silicone breast-milk storage bag. The company positioned this as an alternative to disposable plastic breast-milk bags.

The most distinctive aspect of ZipTop is its one-piece construction. Unlike conventional food-storage containers, ZipTop products generally do not consist of a separate container plus a detachable plastic lid. Instead, the body and closure are integrated into a single silicone piece. This design eliminates loose lids, seams, and components that can make conventional storage products inconvenient to clean.

The company’s basic design philosophy can be summarized as:

Stand up. Stay open. Zip shut.

The upright structure makes the bags easier to fill and access, while the wide opening is intended to facilitate cleaning and drying.

ZipTop’s products are made from 100% platinum-cured silicone, which the company describes as its highest-grade food-contact silicone. The company states that its products are free from:

• BPA
• Lead
• PVC
• Phthalates
• Silicone fillers

ZipTop also says its silicone is sourced and manufactured in the United States. The use of silicone rather than conventional disposable plastic is central to the company’s environmental positioning.

ZipTop’s product portfolio has expanded beyond its original storage containers.

Bags

The Bag range is designed as a reusable alternative to disposable sandwich and snack bags. Unlike conventional flexible plastic bags, ZipTop bags have a structured base and remain open while being filled. They can be used for:

• Snacks
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Food preparation
• Freezer storage
• Lunches
• Travel

Dishes

ZipTop’s Dish products are reusable food-storage containers available in different sizes. Their shape resembles a conventional food-storage bowl, but the opening incorporates the ZipTop closure rather than requiring a separate lid.

Cups

The Cup range provides taller containers intended for foods and drinks. The company sells small, medium, and large versions.

Breast-Milk Bags

ZipTop’s breast-milk storage products use the same basic philosophy—standing upright, remaining open, and closing at the top—but are specifically designed for storing breast milk. The company states these bags are freezer- and dishwasher-safe and can be sterilized.

Kids’ Products

The company has also developed products aimed at children, including containers with playful animal-inspired designs and features intended to make them easier for small hands to use.

According to ZipTop, its containers are:

• Microwave safe
• Freezer safe
• Dishwasher safe
• Made from food-grade platinum silicone
• Reusable
• Plastic-free in construction
• Designed for one-piece durability
• Suitable for food preparation and storage

The company says the containers can be used repeatedly and that one container can potentially replace thousands of disposable bags or containers.

One important qualification is that ZipTop does not describe the products as intended for completely inverted liquid storage. The company’s guidance is to keep liquids upright; its flexible zipper seal is designed primarily for upright kitchen storage rather than functioning as a leak-proof bottle-style closure.

A major point of differentiation for ZipTop is its Made in USA positioning. The company states that its products—including the silicone and packaging—are manufactured in the United States. It emphasizes domestic manufacturing as part of its approach to quality control and material sourcing. ZipTop’s corporate profile lists its headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Sustainability is a central part of ZipTop’s brand identity. Rather than presenting itself simply as a kitchenware manufacturer, the company positions its products as an alternative to single-use plastic. The underlying proposition is that a durable reusable silicone container can replace large numbers of disposable plastic bags and food-storage containers over its lifetime.

This gives ZipTop two closely connected brand propositions:

For consumers:
Reusable storage that is easier to fill, clean, and use than traditional bags.

For the environment:
Less dependence on disposable plastic food-storage products.

The company also states that silicone products can be recycled through specialized silicone recyclers, although this process differs from ordinary household recycling systems.

ZipTop’s design has received several awards and design-industry recognitions. The company cites:

• International Design Excellence Award (IDEA)
• Gold German Design Award
• European Product Design Award
• Good Housekeeping Editor’s Pick at the 2019 International Home + Housewares Show
• Good Design Award recognition from the Chicago Athenaeum 3

The recognition largely reflects the product’s combination of industrial design, usability, and reusable-material concept.

ZipTop’s brand can essentially be understood around three ideas:

1. Replace Disposable Plastic

The brand’s fundamental mission is to make reusable storage sufficiently convenient that consumers have less reason to use disposable plastic bags and containers.

2. Make Reusable Products Easier to Use

ZipTop attempts to solve some of the frustrations associated with reusable bags—particularly their tendency to collapse, be difficult to fill, and be awkward to clean. Its structured design means the container can stand by itself and remain open while food is placed inside.

3. Combine Sustainability with Premium Design

Rather than marketing sustainability as the only benefit, ZipTop combines environmental messaging with durability, aesthetics, convenience, and American manufacturing. This positions the company closer to a premium reusable kitchenware brand than to a conventional commodity storage-bag manufacturer.

ZipTop operates in the broader reusable food-storage and sustainable kitchenware market. Its competitors and alternatives include:

• Traditional plastic food-storage containers
• Disposable zip-top plastic bags
• Reusable silicone storage bags
• Glass food-storage containers
• Other reusable silicone container brands

Its principal differentiation is not simply the use of silicone, as many competing products also use silicone. ZipTop’s distinctive proposition is the combination of silicone, rigid/standing form, wide opening, integrated zipper closure, and one-piece construction. That combination allows the company to describe its products as containers that “stand up, stay open, and zip shut.”

From a branding perspective, ZipTop sits at the intersection of several consumer trends: sustainability, convenience, premium kitchen design, and health-conscious materials.

Its visual and verbal identity tends to avoid presenting reusable products as austere or purely environmentally motivated. Instead, the brand emphasizes colorful, modern, practical products that happen to reduce reliance on disposable plastic. This is an important part of the company’s positioning: the sustainable choice is supposed to feel like the easier choice.

Today, ZipTop’s product ecosystem includes bags, cups, dishes, children’s products, and breast-milk storage products, all centered around reusable silicone construction. Its official website continues to position the company around plastic reduction, platinum silicone, and American manufacturing.

The company also sells through channels outside its own website, although availability varies by country. ZipTop’s help center notes that its official online store primarily serves the United States, with additional purchasing options for Canada and some international markets.

1. About Zip Top
2. No More Lids?! Zip Top Launches Reusable Containers That Will Make Your Life Easier
3. The Chicago Athenaeum – Zip Top 100% Platinum Silicone Reusable Containers