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K i t c h e n w a r e N e w s & H o u s e w a r e s R e v i e w S h o w D a i l y S u n d a y, M a r c h 0 3 , 2 0 1 3 4 0 THE MULTI FLASK IS ONE BUSY BOTTLE Keeping hydrated throughout your day is a key ingredient in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us live a very busy life, so when it comes to hydration it means we are using many different types of drinking vessels, from paper cups for cof- fee, to glass and plastic bottles for water and juices, to sports bottles for exercise. That's a lot of receptacles. Welcome to Multi Flask. One bottle with many uses. Developed by Precidio Design, it truly is a multi-tasking bottle. The patented design includes an outer layer made of chemical-free Tritan, an inner layer made of glass and a top layer which is a filter. So how does it work? When you pur- chase the Multi Flask, available at www.multiflasking.com, you get all the components in one package. The idea is that as you go through your day, the Multi Flask modifies to keep up with you. As you start your day, like most peo- ple you reach for your morning coffee or tea. The Multi Flask allows you to con- sume your favorite hot beverage by utiliz- ing the glass layer. Glass keeps your drink hotter longer and it gives you the best tasting experience, as it does not transfer any addi- tional taste. It keeps the coffee or tea in its purest form. Additionally, as the glass is the inner layer, the outer Tritan layer means that you will not feel the heat on your hand. As your taste moves towards refreshment, the Multi Flask allows you to enjoy ice-cold beverages. By removing the glass portion you now have a bottle for cold drinks. The Tritan outer layer is chemical-free and near indestructible. It has a wide mouth opening so you can add ice cubes or fruit wedges easily. Multi Flask can travel with you to the gym. When you find time to relax, the Multi Flask has an added filter that is perfect for tea leaves. It gives you that extra bit of functionality to complement your day. Precidio is also look- ing to develop additional ele- ments such as juice infusers and blades for power drinks. This bottle just won't quit. Multi Flask is a division of Precidio Design Inc. Precidio will be exhibiting at Booth S1010 at the 2013 IH+HS. For more information, visit www.multiflasking.com, call 905-790- 0790, fax 905-790- 0791 or email innova- tion@precidio.com. WRAP-N-MAT: PACKING A BIT OF HOME Families across the country are going back to packing their own healthy lunch- es. The economy as well as allergies and gluten intolerance have contributed to this trend. More than 46 million working Americans (50 percent of employees) now eat at their desks. Sandwiches are the main ingredient in most lunches, and colorful, reusable Wrap-N-Mat® prod- ucts add interest and convenience as they open up to provide a clean eating area. Bonnie Stromme, President of Wrap-N-Mat, Inc. first invented her product to be used by her four school- aged children. Since about 48 million children and students carry their lunches each day, many now enjoy finding a bit of home in their lunches each day. Using several Wrap-N-Mat products can make packing easier and more fun, and avoid the use of throw-away plastic bags. For years, Stromme has been promoting a better way than plastic bags, which are thrown away daily at a rate of more than 284 million! Just in the four days of the IH+HS show, more than 1.1 billion sand- wich bags will be thrown away. "Some school districts are now requiring students to bring their own placemats to ensure a clean eating area. We wonder if Wrap-N-Mat products stimulated this action," said Stromme. Many patterns and colors are available, so she suggests that health bene- fits may result if each fam- ily member use their favorite, separate Wrap-N- Mat print for the various products. "Isn't it great that so many con- sumers now bring reusable canvas bags for shopping?" Stromme continued. "Let's make the same change-over from plastic sandwich bags to Wrap-N-Mats!" Wrap-N-Mat Inc.'s products have always been made in the United States Production started in Colorado is now in Kansas, where the tradition of American-made products continues. To ensure freshness, the lining, which keeps air out and fresh- ness in, is made of LDPE (free of lead, phthalates, BPA, and PVC). All products open flat for easy cleaning, and are top- rack dishwasher safe. The full line of products is available in specialty stores and retailers domestically and internationally. For price-conscious consumers, a Made in China line is also offered, manufac- tured to meet all the same high quality and CPSIA requirements. Visit booth 7743 (North Building) or 4136 (South Building) to view the entire line of Wrap-N-MatpProducts. Visit www.wrapnmat.com or 970 229-1943 for more information. GLOBAL DEMAND PICKS UP FOR EVERWARE INTERNATIONAL BASKETS Henry Liu, President of Everware International, has had extensive experience working with and trying to satisfy restaurant operator demands. One of the things that he noticed with restaurants that use natural bas- kets made from willow, rattan, or bamboo was that they were always being returned and that they couldn't stand up to the daily use that was required of them. The cus- tomers complained and asked for better fea- tures such as baskets that can be easily cleaned without being damaged and brighter colors that can better match restau- rant decors or promotions that they run. Because of these requests, Liu set out on a mission to find a durable alternative. Liu and a team of engineers worked on a machine capable of producing a polypropylene cord plastic that can produce any color that anyone demands. This mate- rial also meets SGS Lab requirements that certifies it microwave safe, dishwasher safe, BPA free and food contact safe. Liu man- aged to successfully find a solution for the restaurants and wanted to bring this product to mainstream consumers. Today, demands for these baskets are steadily picking up. These baskets are currently gaining momentum in Europe, most noticeably in Germany, France, and Czech Republic. It has also been increasing in popularity in countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Chile, and many others. Everware International is now intro- ducing these beautiful and multifunctional baskets to the United States. Everware International is headquartered in Southern California where they design these baskets to fit the demands and needs of its clientele. In the U.S., Everware International's baskets are being sold under the brand name colorbasket™. For its U.S. line, they studied cur- rent sizes and purposes of baskets in the home and aimed at combining dif- ferent functions for every room of the house. Everware International even took it step further and conducted sur- veys in cities to find out what colors and sizes people responded to the best. For more information, be sure to visit booth 8152 at The International Home + Housewares Show. After the show, check out www.colorbasket.com, call 909-393-7577 or email cs@everwarenow.com. GC PROGRAMS OFFER LOCAL RETAILERS BIG POWER Gourmet Catalog Buying Group, the leading and original buying group in the housewares industry, connects independent retailers to their community, vendors and peers, main- taining a powerful reputation and buying power within the retail industry. Each pro- gram offered by Gourmet Catalog provides unique benefits for store members. "There's no substitute for the networking and gather- ing of the Gourmet Catalog people," explained Mary Moore, Owner of the suc- cessful multi-chain Cooks Warehouse stores in Atlanta, Ga. "The camaraderie and com- munity is priceless." Optional programs allow stores to com- municate with their customers through sever- al unique marketing channels. Fall and spring catalogs and flyers increase business and the digital catalog and flyer editions linked online or in emails keep retailers in constant contact with customers. The GC e- Newsletter program distributed bi-monthly directly to the inbox of GC retailer's cus- tomers inspires creativity and cooking tips while driving in-store sales through the pro- motion of cooking schools, in-store events, weekly sales and more. The GC Big Power for Local Shopping Program helps stores remind consumers that just because they are independently owned does not mean they are more expensive than big box retailers. The GC Big Power for Local Shopping Program provides window stickers, in-store plaques, and optional press release templates to inform con- sumers of the store's affiliation with GC's 300-plus independent retail network. The Members-Only web- site is maintained by vendors through their own personal ven- dor pages complete with price lists, catalogs, sales sheets and promotions, available 24/7 at store member's fingertips. Gourmet Catalog's reputation in the housewares industry and their relation- ship with top manufacturers provides stores discounts, extended terms and lower mini- mum orders. GC Stores stay connected through the Week in Review emails sent every Friday with vendor specials, new prod- uct debuts, industry-relevant information and more. Member meetings hosted by Gourmet Catalog throughout the year provide face-to- face interaction for store members they oth- erwise would not receive. These exclusive meetings provide store members networking opportunities with peers and top industry principals and profes- sionals. Meetings are invaluable for contin- ued learning with guest speakers, roundtable discussions and vendor workshops. "What I like is talking to enthusiastic people from all over the country that do what we do," stated Frankie Franceschini of Kitchen Kapers in Cherry Hill, N.J. "It's good to be able to see what they're doing and how it can work for us." For more information on how you can get connected, visit Gourmet Catalog represen- tatives at the Chicago International Home + Housewares Show in booth S2222, call 214- 855-0005 or email info@gourmetcatalog.com.