Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/798153
Kitchenware News & Housewares Review Show Daily 1 1 Saturday, March 18, 2017 BERATEK FOCUSED ON BRINGING PRODUCTS TO MARKET QUICKLY BeraTek Industries is helping entrepre- neurs turn their ideas into reality. Positioned as a resource for those looking to manufacture a product, the company offers "vertically integrated services." BeraTek services include product design, prototyping, manufac- turing, fulfillment and digital market- ing. All BeraTek services are offered under one roof in its Cedar Rapids, Iowa facility. "My first plan when I opened the doors of BeraTek was to manufacture and sell my own products. However, when talking to other entrepreneurs I quickly recognized there is a great need for our services," said Gerald Beranek, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BeraTek. "We have the equipment and capacity to produce tooling and injection mold products – whether it be short run or high volumes – depending on the customer's needs. Our focus is on reducing the time needed to get products to market and at a lower cost than outsourcing overseas." BeraTek customer and entrepreneur, Tom Lutz, launched his product, the Repour™ wine saver (www.repour.com) on Kickstarter on October 26, 2016. Repour is a unique and first of its kind wine preserving stopper, utilizing oxy- gen-absorbing technology within a sim- ple, effective and affordable stopper. Lutz began working with BeraTek early in 2016 on the design of his product. "I've been working with BeraTek Industries for about nine months to get this product to market," said Lutz. "They've been awesome to work with because they are a full-service shop where they offer design, development, tooling and manufacturing. This compre- hensive service has been extremely valu- able for me as an entrepreneur bringing a product from concept to commercial launch." Lutz has been work- ing closely with Ethan Davidson, Director of Business Development at BeraTek. "The Repour wine saver is a perfect example of a project that fits BeraTek's core capa- bilities. We worked closely with Tom to engineer a design that would be easy and cost effective to manufacture," said Davidson. "Tom needed a few product samples for his marketing efforts, so we cut a small hand tool to provide him pro- duction equivalent parts in a short time- frame. Most manufactures don't want to deal with such low volume, so this dif- ferentiates BeraTek from our competi- tors. Being a USA-based product design and manufacturing company, it was rewarding to help an entrepreneur bring his idea to fruition." The Repour wine saver is currently in the late stages of tooling design, according to Lutz and Davidson. "Our design and tooling team are both locat- ed in our Cedar Rapids facility, which is a true value-add for customers," said Davidson. "This allows us to collaborate with the internal team to ensure we are cre- ating the most cost- effective and effi- cient tool to produce the wine saver. Being able to make tool modifications in-house is a huge time and money saver for customers." About BeraTek Industries BeraTek Industries is a product design and manufacturing company that has mastered the art of developing simple, innovative solutions for life's little chal- lenges. From space-saving storage and shelving to a super-portable slow cooker and a safe, simple baby monitor mount, BeraTek Industries has a groundbreaking product for every need. For more information, visit www.beratekindustries.com or contact info@beratek-industries.com. TOSCANA – A PICNIC TIME BRAND SHOWCASES STUNNING NEW SERVING BOARDS FOR 2017 The New Year is an exciting time for product development, as the new prod- ucts that were meticulously planned and tested all year are finally launched to the public. TOSCANA – a Picnic Time brand has come out with three new cheese/cutting boards that feature acacia wood. The Acacia-Brie and the Acacia- Circo are boards made to swivel open and closed, to reveal cheese tools that fit perfectly in their custom inlays. The Acacia-Brie features three stainless steel cheese tools and is smaller in size for quick and easy use with a small selec- tion of appetizers. The Acacia-Circo features four stainless steel cheese tools, and is 10.2 inches in diameter, which is perfect for larger selections of your favorite charcuterie items. One popular 2017 item that is sim- plistic in nature, but elegant in design, is the Artisan Serving Plank. The Artisan Serving Plank is a gorgeous addition to any event. This paddle-shaped serving plank is made with the stunning wood of the acacia tree, which has a variation of light and dark wood grains. To showcase this naturally water-resistant wood, some of its raw beauty has been left intact by featuring a live bark edge on one side. Adding to its rustic look, the handle includes a hemp hanging loop, so this versatile piece of kitchen art can be displayed for all to see. The Artisan Serving Plank is one of the new 2017 items by TOSCANA – a Picnic Time brand. A surprise perk of the TOSCANA line is its capabilities to decorate with NFL, Super Bowl, Collegiate Football Team logos and more. The Touchdown Cutting Board and other NFL-branded TOSCANA items have been featured in O Magazine, Sports Illustrated online and InStyle.com, as well as a slew of morning shows. Your homegating party wouldn't be complete without your favorite team on a beautiful serving tray with the best game day finger foods. The TOSCANA brand has a vast selection of serv- ing boards, serv- ing planks and cheese boards that are substan- tial enough for entertaining a group, or petite and compact, per- fect for serving family at home. TOSCANA encompasses both a mod- ern appeal and the essence of old world hospitality. The aim is to create center- pieces to the experiences that people have when enjoying the company of others – something that facilitates togetherness and the memories that result from it. To learn more about the TOSCANA brand or the rest of the Picnic Time Family of Brands, go to www.picnic time.com or stop by booth #S1220.