Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/948603
Kitchenware News & Housewares Review Show Daily Saturday, March 10, 2018 7 8 with a lot of change. YouCopia is focused on a brand evolution to better connect with consumers in the home organization category. KNSD: How has your brand evolved? LG: YouCopia's growth the last two years has been driven by our innovative StoreMore products, so we've changed our design process to create products that are customizable to each person's spaces and needs without ever requiring installa- tion. We've also energized our communi- cations strategy, so we're in a great posi- tion to reach more consumers than ever before. KNSD: What are some of the innovative features found in your products? LG: You'll see removable bins, adjustable dividers and tiers, modular sizing and other features that make it easy for the consumer to adapt and use. We know that many people don't enjoy the process of organization, so our prod- ucts do the work for them. KNSD: What are the key new products being introduced at the show? LG: Given the huge number of hydration products out there, we are particularly excited about our new BottleStand™ – an organizer that stores eight water bot- tles horizontally or vertically wherever you need them. Also new is the StoraLid™, an adjustable organizer that corrals food container lids in the cabinet or drawer. We're introducing two Crazy Susan ® turntables – a two-tier version that features a center post with an adjustable height design, and a model with three removable bins to keep small items organized and accessible. KNSD: How will your new business direction be reflected in your packaging and online presence? YouCopia (Cont'd. from p. 1) LG: Our new look features fresh colors that pop off retail shelves with a modern, yet approachable aesthetic. Our packag- ing clearly communicates product bene- fits and uses universal icons for multi-lin- gual understanding. Our new position is particularly well-suited for growing the brand's presence online and driving demand in aisle. KNSD: How are you engaging with con- sumers? LG: When consumers use our products to organize their cabinets and drawers, it gives them a celebratory feeling – a 'woo hoo' moment. We're building an online community of #woohomies who enjoy the benefits of organization but aren't necessarily focused on products or the act of organization. We encour- age them to smile, pat themselves on the back and even 'woo hoo' if they want. KNSD: How are you giving back to the community? LG: We believe that happy homes lead to better communities, so we're launching a social responsibility program in 2018 that gives a portion of our sales to non- profit organizations chosen by our Woo Homies. KNSD: What are you most proud of? LG: YouCopia is proud to design prod- ucts that are responsive to our customers' needs. In 2013, 2015 and 2016, we were a finalist in the International Housewares Association Global Innovation Awards for product design in the home organization and storage category, taking the top prize in 2015 for the Drawer StoraStack. We are also pleased to announce our new designa- tion as a WBENC-Certified Women's Business Enterprise. For more information, go to www.youcopia.com, call 872.242.7700, or stop by booth #N7830. Neatfreak Provides Chemical-Free Odor Control with EVERFRESH Probiotic Technology Consumers are becoming more educated about dangers of chemicals and additives in household products, like odor control sprays and air fresheners, and how they affect their health and environment. Many home deodorizers and air fresheners control odors by using fra- grance, masking agents, anti-microbials or pesticides and contain ingredients that are known to be hazardous to humans, pets and the environment. Many of these chemicals are listed with environmental watch groups such as the David Suzuki Foundation and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), and appear on the "Dirty Dozen" list. They contain FDA regulated chemicals, including car- cinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins and hormone disruptors. One ingredient that is common across all these types of air freshener products is Fragrance. However, the chemicals used to create Fragrance do not need to be indi- vidually listed on labels and may contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) or Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). These VOCs can cause skin irritation, allergies, respiratory issues, developmental and reproductive toxicity, aquatic toxicity, biodegradation and cancer. So how is one to control odors in the home? Enter neatfreak with EVER- FRESH ® pro-biotic technology using nat- ural, beneficial microbes embedded into the fabric of neatfreak laundry products. EVERFRESH works continuously to control and reduce odor so neatfreak laun- dry hampers are always fresh and elimi- nates the need to spray your hamper with deodorizers or scents to control unpleasant odors. EVERFRESH is natural and organ- ic, is non-toxic, contains no harsh FDA regulated chemicals, VOCs or HAPs, and is fragrance free. Now that's different! How does EVER- FRESH work? Odor is caused by partially digested organic material left behind by bacteria, for example, body sweat. Beneficial pro- biotic microbes, similar to those in yogurt and which are found all around us in nature, are selected and invisibly bonded to the fabric surface of our laundry prod- ucts using our proprietary technology. This results in thousands of dormant microbes affixed to every square inch of the fabric surface. Once they come in contact with odor causing partially decomposed organic material and bacte- ria, they activate. Then, the activated microbes work to eliminate the odor- causing organic material, leaving behind odorless water and carbon dioxide which dries and evaporates. With the partially decomposed organic material broken down, the odor is eliminated and the microbes go dormant until reactivated. This innovative process of applying live micro-organisms to fibers results in natural, non-toxic odor control that is safe for people, pets and the environment, and is exclusive to neatfreak laun- dry products. If it doesn't say neatfreak, it doesn't have EVERFRESH. EVERFRESH Pro-Biotic technolo- gy is a registered mark of Neatfreak Group across multiple categories, mak- ing it a point of differentiation for retail- ers and a clear choice for consumers. Neatfreak has extended the brand to expand its consumer reach through licensing EVERFRESH and partnering with selected non-competing home prod- uct manufacturers. For more details about licensing EVER- FRESH or distributing neatfreak home organization products, visit booth #N7740, Clean & Contain, or contact John Collins, President and Chief Marketing Officer, at 905.624.6262, ext. 262. Visit Neatfreak online at www.neat freak.com. Inspired by Nature – Again Carey Wider, President, GrassWorx ® , discusses the inspiration and develop- ment of a new generation of door mats. KNSD: Tell our readers about your con- nection with nature and inspiration. CW: As you may recall, about a decade ago we acquired the AstroTurf ® Scraper Mat division from Monsanto. Fittingly renaming the company GrassWorx, we also had some insight into what would drive us into the next phase of our 50 year old brand. How do we stay relevant in a constantly changing market? KNSD: There is a lot of innovation at the show. How does GrassWorx fit in? CW: Maybe I can answer that with the tagline (mantra) for GrassWorx: "Inspired by nature, changing lives™." When we looked at our business model, our ability to mimic the cleaning capabil- ities of grass (inspired by nature) has improved lives with over 50 million doormats sold. KNSD: What did nature do to inspire you this time? CW: For several years we have been per- fecting the use of decorative recycled rub- ber borders around our scraper designed grass. Two years ago, we introduced a new variegated coloring technology to again mimic the color facets in grass. Product designers have known for years the eye is more attracted to a design that relates to nature. It's one of the vicar- ious benefits at retail of our AstroTurf ® . KNSD: What does all this backdrop mean? CW: We've developed a printed material that can create both visual and func- tional benefits. This medi- um gives us the ability to create many natural looks found in nature. During this year's Housewares Show, we are introducing our Pavestones Collection. Designs that will be pleas- ing to the eye, yet functional. KNSD: How so? CW: First, it's easy to see the beauty in our design. Add to that design our natu- ral looking grass and we embellish the visual connection at point of sale and on the door step. Recall, a doormat is the tone-setter for the entire home. While developing a new border treatment, we found a printed fabric material that will also "dry" the shoe bottoms. A real win/win product! KNSD: But if it's raining, how does that work? CW: It's a feature that works best in protected areas like under covered entrances, garages etc. If it's a dry day but you walk on a wet lawn etc., it becomes an added feature. The objective of this material was to pro- vide a printed medium that will add visu- al value to our highly functional scraper mat with a secondary end-use benefit. When consumers rank door mat attributes by importance, cleaning and appearance are in the top three reasons for a purchase. Drying capability is also in the top 10. Our roots are based in research and development. For more information, stop by booth #N6557 and see the new line-up. To learn more, call 800.813.5221 or email info@grassworxllc.com.