Local product getting national rollout through major retailer
Created out of necessity, Owner of the KUVU Lori Gicante wanted her storage accessory product to be manufactured close to home.
“It’s completely manufactured in Ontario, everything is from Ontario, from material to packaging to bags.”
The KUVU is described as a home organization tool, that loops around items like Christmas lights and extension cords and allows them to be hung on the wall.
“I was cleaning up the garage,” says Gicante about her inspiration for the product.
“I found I just couldn’t get rid of all the stuff that we had, hang up the kids sports equipment, snowboards, hockey sticks.”
But she also wanted a more environmentally friendly solution.
“We were looking at recycled plastic or rubber, and our materials person suggested tires and people loved it.”
Recently the product was picked up by one of the Country’s top chains.
“We have just gotten into Canadian tire, so we’re very excited about that. That was a number one for us, we always wanted that; a Canadian company with a Canadian brand.”
That distribution could lead to larger orders, which may take the packing of the product from the family doing it themselves on their dining room table something more robust.
“So when we get to the point where we’re doing this everyday, which would be great, we will be working with a third party to do that,” says Ryan Gicante.
But any expansion would help other local companies grow as well.
“One manufacturer, and one company doing boxes, another London company doing bags, and another London company doing our signage. If we grow then we’re going to have another mold made and the factory will be busier doing that, and hopefully the box company, and the bag company and the signage company will be busier making more.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.