Our Story

The Urban August story begins over twenty years ago. My youngest brother, Matt, has Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a condition in which a person is born with an extra chromosome. The extra chromosome can result in a series of mental and physical developmental abnormalities, as well as potential behavioral issues.

As my brother got older, his eating habits changed drastically. He developed a tendency to binge on certain types of unhealthy foods. When we would try to stop him, he would find ways to hide his had eating habits. We later found out that this dangerous habit is very common with many young adults with Downs, Autism and Prader-Willi syndrome. Adults with Down Syndrome, for example, have been shown to have elevated levels of leptin- a hormone which contributes to appetite regulation and satiety.

Matt’s eating habits got to the point where he would literally sneak into our cabinets or fridge late at night, and binge on whatever he could find. Packages of meat, entire containers of yogurt, half gallons of ice cream, basically he would consume anything. This was dangerous- there are many documented cases of this behavior ending with serious injury or even death.

I had to act- my parents did not know what to do with this dangerous behavior. My first idea was to design a fridge lockbox that would be large enough to fit in the standard American refrigerator. While designing a prototype lockbox, I had a lightbulb moment- what if I just modified a bike or a luggage strap lock to fit French door on a fridge or set of cabinets? With that, Urban August was born.

We wanted to get everything right- we got feedback from various disability groups that my family were active with. I also personally measured over 250 of the most popular French-door fridges in America to get the perfect measurement. We continue to grow, and develop more products, but most importantly, we like to stay in touch with our customer base. We are here to make your life easier and safer.