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KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW • SEPTEMBER 2019 • www.kitchenwarenews.com 10 its attention to other ways of working on the problem of noise pollution, including efforts to reward industry success in noise abate- ment. "Industries had invested millions in noise abatement, so they were supportive of some recognition," Szkiler said. "It was im- mediately a great success." Since then, the program has begun to spread from the UK to the United States. Leadership for the parent organization was passed down to Szkiler's mother after the death of her father and then Szkiler herself heard the call to the mission. "I had an epiphany when I was 30. I wanted to make a change in the world," she said. "With Quiet Mark, our family passion for widespread wellness and noise abatement comes from the decades of knowledge we have on the subject." Quiet Mark has partnered with the Good Housekeeping Institute to do the acoustic testing on home appliances that want a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. "As a third party, what we're doing is noise measure- ments," Szkiler said. In its testing, Quiet Mark compares the noise made by an appliance with the noise levels produced by other appliances in the same product category. Testing verifies man- ufacturer claims about noise produced by the appliance as it's actually used in the home. The organization has data bases for more than 45 product categories ranging from microwave ovens to immersion blenders, mixers and stick vacuum cleaners. In order to get the Quiet Mark seal, appli- ances must test in the quietest one-third of similar products. "What we would love to do is bring the testing over the next few months to retailers, in order to increase sales of the quietest products. That way, retailers would know which are the quietest prod- ucts," Szkiler said. The Quiet Mark organization is currently publicizing the issue of household noise and the existence of the certification in the U.S. with the introduction of its Quiet Mark badge for the U.S. market. Appliances that qualify for the certification will be allowed to use the badge on their packaging. "British experience shows that consumers care about the amount of noise produced by their juicers and vacuum cleaners. When quieter products are identified for them, it will play an important part in their purchasing deci- sions," Szkiler said. "Products carrying the Quiet Mark, a label identifying a product as being quietest in category, are now highly desirable," she said. "There are so many lay- ers of noise that we have to cope with throughout our daily lives, but so many con- sumers are still unaware that they can choose to buy quieter products." She's hoping that attention to the issue can even encourage manufacturers to think about ways that they can turn consumer perception of noise from an irritant into part of a supportive environment. "If we know that there are harmonics that support health, could we design with this knowledge in mind for future appliances?" she asks. "We are entering a new era of design with sound. Sound seems to bleed everywhere and we need to critically think about the creative possibilities of sound that will support our lives." KN QUIET MARK Continued from page 1 want to do business and react to that." The Abbott Collection comprises about 4,000 items at any given time, curated by Boake and company President David Abbott, son of the company's founder, Ben Abbott, to make the collection a one-stop shop full of unique items to attract customers into small, independent gift and home décor shops. "For us, it's very difficult to get those dollars from the customer, as we are all com- peting for the same dollar," she said. "For our customers to attract consumers to their store, they need to have great products, with great window displays." The days when a gift shop could get along by specializing in ceramic and glass collectibles is long over, and these days, gift store owners have expanded their horizons to include fragrances, jewelry, candles and more, Boake said. "You name it – they're carrying everything," she said. "We've fol- lowed along that same line. Now we buy everything – anything that we think is sal- able in a kitchen/gift/decor store – we're all over it." Today, it's essential for a gift retailer to stay on top of trends and to rotate in new items constantly to ensure that shoppers will find something new every time they visit the store. To help that along, Abbott Collection launches 1,200 to 1,500 new items a year, so that at least 30 percent of the collection is new at any given time. "Customers are not reordering whatever sold well last year," Boake said. "You can sell less than half the second year of a product – unless it's a really hot, gimmicky item." To keep the new and unique items flow- ing in, Abbott designs its own products, commissioning new products from design- ers as well as buying them on the open mar- ket, Boake said. "People are willing to pay a little more for well-designed and unique product – as long as the price is still fair. There are a lot of people who don't have a lot of cash," she said. "They'll spend a little more for something they haven't seen be- fore – $20 or so isn't something that they have a problem spending." Even when they're feeling cash-strapped, consumers still need to buy gifts for special occasions, and the giftware market remains strong even when the economy dips into re- cession. "It is true, in a lot of ways, that peo- ple will always need a gift, but the definition of gift has changed," Boake said. "Multiple categories of product are now considered giftware." She's currently excited about stainless steel double-walled wine tumblers, reusable straws and a Swedish dishcloth made of cel- lulose fiber that takes the place of 15 rolls of paper towels. "Eco-friendly stuff is very hot right now," she said. "People are trying to do their best, and they're trying to buy products that make them feel good and like they are doing their part for the environ- ment." KN UNIQUENESS Continued from page 1 Melitta Launches New Line of Pour-Over Specific Coffee Filters Melitta has announced the release of Melitta Pour-Over Coffee Filters. The new line of paper coffee filters is specifically de- signed to optimize coffee extraction when brewing coffee through pour-over coffee makers. Melitta Pour-Over Coffee Filters are de- signed with the optimal absorbency, tex- ture, strength and filtering properties for pour-over brewing. The filter's micro-fine perforations allow the full coffee flavor to filter through at the perfect rate, while pre- venting unwanted sediments. The result is a rich, flavorful cup that brings out the best characteristics of the coffee. "This company was founded on the pur- suit of better coffee and our new pour-over filters are the latest breakthrough in our constant search for a better cup," said Chris Hillman, Vice President of Marketing, Melitta North America. "With the contin- ued rise in popularity of pour-over brewing in the home, it's an important addition to our best-selling line of filters and we're ex- cited for consumers to taste the difference." Since its invention in 1908 by Melitta Bentz, pour-over brewing has been synony- mous with hand-crafted coffee. The method combines optimal water tempera- ture with the agitation resulting from its cone-shaped design. Pour-over brewing en- ables coffee lovers to quickly and easily hand-craft delicious coffee in the home. "Pour-over brewing has long been seen as a superior method of extracting the full characteristics of coffee," said Dan Pabst, Product Development Manager, Melitta North America. "These filters take that an- other step forward, improving on the satu- ration and extraction to further enhance the flavor profile of the final product." The new filters feature a double crimp design to protect against bursting, helping consumers avoid sediment in their coffee and messy kitchen mishaps. They are also 100 percent compostable and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an inde- pendent, non-profit, non-governmental or- ganization, which aims to contribute to the improvement of forestry worldwide. Melitta Pour-Over Coffee Filters will be available at retailers nationwide and online. To view Melitta's full line of Pour-Over[TM] coffeemakers, coffee and paper filters, and small-batch roasted coffees, visit www.melitta.com. KN

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