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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 M o n d a y, M a r c h 0 4 , 2 0 1 3 3 4 WÜSTHOF GIVES YOU THE EDGE WITH SUPERB CUTLERY An interview with Annette Garaghty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Wüsthof Trident of America. KNSD: What would you say makes your company unique? AG: Wüsthof was founded nearly 200 years ago in Solingen, the knife capital of Germany. We're family-owned with the seventh generation Wüsthof at the helm. Few companies in the housewares indus- try, or any other industry for that matter, can claim such longevity and continuity. To retailers and consumers, this trans- lates into unparalleled experience and commitment to cutlery craftsmanship, and the ability to control quality and pur- sue excellence in product design at the highest levels possible. KNSD: Are you introducing any new products? AG: Yes, we're continuously adding new precision-forged, full tang collections, and expanding the assortment of our core forged collections, such as Classic and Classic Ikon, with new open stock items and gift sets. One example of our most recent product introductions is the Classic 6-inch Extra Wide Cook's Knife, which satisfies growing demand for high-performance cutlery with shorter and more agile blades. The handle of this new 6-inch style is actually the same size as our Classic 8-inch Cook's Knife, and that, combined with the additional width of the blade, delivers all the heft and power that chefs and home cooks expect in a Wüsthof Cook's Knife. We anticipate very strong sales this year for this addi- tional smaller-length Cook's Knife. KNSD: What distinguishes your prod- ucts from the competition? AG: Beyond the essential factor that all of our knives are designed and crafted in Solingen, Germany, and due to our unique company culture, we're able to adhere to strict quality control at every level of manufacturing, we continuously adapt new technology to enhance product performance, ease of use, and durability. For example, we recently completed the roll out of Precision Edge Technology, a Wüsthof exclusive method of putting the edge on forged knives using laser-guided computers. With this new technology, available only to us, all of our forged knife collections are now 20 percent sharper straight out of the box. In addition, our technology retains the blade's razor- sharp edge for twice as long. KNSD: Who are your target end users? AG: Our primary consumer has a keen interest in cooking, and values time spent in the kitchen cooking for themselves, their family and friends. Our core con- sumers may be younger or older, skilled or novice in cooking, but either way, they're excited about food and tend to value investing in premium kitchen prod- ucts that will last a lifetime. We're very fortunate to be in the midst of a robust food culture in America, as demonstrated by the proliferation of food blogs and epicurean web sites, the rise of YouTube cooking shows, the continued popularity of network and cable television reality cooking series, the uptick in artisanal food products, and the strong sales for cookbooks. All these factors fuel demand for professional-quality cutlery among a diverse demographic group. KNSD: To what do you attribute your company's success? AG: Besides the points mentioned ear- lier – such as Wüsthof's longevity as a European-based leader in knife crafts- manship since 1814, our drive to perfect manufacturing with advanced technology, and our commit- ment to quality control at every level – we're always striving to provide the best service possible to our retail partners. Customer service is as important to Wüsthof as the products we produce and market. Our success can also be attributed to our efforts in marketing, which we've stepped up a notch this past year with the launch of our "Defining the Edge" cam- paign, which has been very well received by our customers and consumers. At the core of this campaign is a message that Wüsthof is always challenging the status quo in its quest for excellence. You can view our "Defining the Edge" campaign in print and digital advertisements, and see it come to life with documentary- style profile videos, blog postings, recipes, video demonstrations, and more, on our new site, www.wusthofedge.com. For more information, visit booth S805 at the 2013 International Home + Housewares Show. SPICE, COFFEE, TEA ORGANIZERS STACK UP SALES YouCopia Products expands its line of innovative kitchen organizers for spices, coffee and tea to help consumers stay in control and happy at home. The compa- ny's fourth appearance at the International Home + Housewares Show includes product introductions, new bold colors, and a patent-pending update to the best-selling SpiceStack® organizer. YouCopia was founded in 2006 by prod- uct designer and longtime entrepreneur Mark Greenwood. YouCopia's first prod- uct, the SpiceStack, challenged the tradi- tional meaning of a "spice rack" by smartly organizing store-bought spices in the cabinet with a stacked-drawer design. More than 500,000 SpiceStacks have been sold to date through national and specialty retailers, catalogs and e-com- merce. The Original SpiceStack, Classic SpiceStack and Chef 's Edition SpiceStack hold 18, 24 and 30 spices bot- tles respectively. Introduced in late 2012, SpiceStack's universal drawer (patent- pending) holds round and square spice bottles. Four new metallic colors―gold, silver, copper and wine―will be dis- played at the show. The SpiceStack offers the perfect solution for cabinets over- flowing with disorganized spices. With its 12 bottle compartments, the MiniStack® makes an ideal home for spices, sprinkles, medicine, vitamins and even craft supplies. Less than six inches wide, the MiniStack fits almost all kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Suggested retail price is $19.99. Four snappy colors will be available in limited quantities for fall 2013. "The MiniStack is the perfect solution for taking control of all those little containers that clutter up your home and life," said Lauren Greenwood, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for YouCopia Products, Inc. Another YouCopia product, the CoffeeStack®, is a hot accessory to Keurig® single-serve coffee machines. Unlike other revolving/basket pod hold- ers, the CoffeeStack is designed to effi- ciently store more K-Cups® in less space in the kitchen cabinet. Consumers love that pods stay neatly tucked away, yet easily accessible. The CaféStack® is a unique space- saver that organizes 60 Nespresso® cap- sules―more than any other organizer on the market―in less than five inches of cabinet width. Slim drawers lower to reveal capsules, with colors facing out, for easy selection of espresso of choice. The CaféStack is available in six high-gloss colors, three of which are new introductions for 2013, to match the most popular N e s p r e s s o machines. The SpiceStack, MiniStack, CoffeeStack and CaféStack are currently sold through retail stores, catalogs, e- commerce and international distributors. In addition, several new products will be on display at the 2013 International Home + Housewares Show. Please visit booth S746 for pricing and availability, or email sales@YouCopia.com for more informa- tion.