CUPPOW

Last Saturday there was a community discussion with the founders of Cuppow.   The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Library.  Sara Fix is a patron and volunteered this write up of the event...many thanks Sara!   If you care about the environment, if you support local businesses, or if you’ve ever spilled coffee on your shirt, you could learn a lot from Joshua Resnikoff and Aaron Panone, creators of Cuppow.  These two friends created a plastic device that can turn a canning jar in to a travel mug. The Cuppow was their solution to too many stained shirts, expensive metal water bottles, and easily misplaced containers.  The canning jar is their container of choice, as it is a ubiquitous object, it does well with boiling temperatures, and it is cheap to replace if broken or misplaced.   What is more impressive than Cuppow itself is the story behind it. These two humble guys never expected such great success.  They were surprised when they sold their first 500 pieces in less than 24 hours. They didn’t own business books, they didn’t know how to ship all these products, or how they would make more. They were just doing something that was fun, something they were good at, with all their friends, and a good amount of gumption. They were not afraid to ask for advice, or to delegate and include others in their business. They are grateful for FRINGE, a Union Square collaborative effort, including Mike Dacey from Repeat Press. FRINGE provided them with expertise and support, with branding, packaging, production, website, and photography.   Joshua and Aaron have one important rule: Everyone gets the same price on the product, no matter what you can do, how many you want, or who you are. It is also important to them that their product is manufactured locally. In the last 10 months of sales Cuppow has brought back $426,832 into the economy, 81% in Massachusetts.  These guys are extremely ethical, sticking to their guns, and never wanting to seem desperate. Other entrepreneurs, hipsters, mothers, and anyone listening, certainly felt inspired by their story of success and encouraging advice.