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 Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.