Posted 03.01.2010
Colorado Cool Stuff
By Eric Peterson
VUKA ENERGY DRINKS
Transplants from South Africa, Vuka’s husband-and-wife co-CEOs – Darian and Alexia Bregman – “spent four years working back-to-back in a home office” before deciding to go into the energy drink business in 2007, Alexia says. After an acquisition collapsed, they launched Vuka on the premise that “people needed different energy for different occasions,“ she says.
Thus, Vuka’s four all-natural flavors are Awaken (non-carbonated orange), Renew (mango-peach), Think (pomegranate-lychee), and Workout (berry-lemonade). Each variety has plenty of vitamins but no preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup. In the future, Alexia says she wants to expand the brand into new categories: “We’d like to be able to ‘cross the aisle.‘“ $3.49 per 16-ounce bottle retail.
Made by Vuka LLC, Denver, (877) VUKA-123, www.vuka.com. Also available at most Whole Foods locations in Colorado.
HOUSEFISH KEY FURNITURE
Racecar designer Scott Bennett went into the furniture business in 1997 with a novel suspended bed. Now he splits time between Colorado and North Carolina geographically speaking, and baby furniture manufacturing and Formula 1 engineering career-wise. Bennett also started Housefish “as a place to try out some experiments and exercise creativity.“
Housefish’s modular Key line aims to bring furniture manufacturing back to the U.S. – and make it green. Made from sustainably produced plywood and machined in Denver “without the worthless cam-lock fasteners that everyone else uses,“ Bennett describes Key as “very easy to assemble, about as environmentally friendly as any product can be, plus it will last forever and it’s relatively affordable.“ The market loves it, too: Sales doubled last year. $498 and up retail.
Made by Housefish
Design Engineering, Denver, www.housefish.com. Also available at Mod Livin’ in Denver and Invironments in Boulder.
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SLOPPY BABY
Sisters Nichole Montoya and Nesha Thompson started Sloppy Baby in 2005. As both had baby daughters at the time, “We realized there was a gap in the market in terms of hip baby accessories,“ Montoya says. Their first product was a Bib & Burp Cloth Set, with unique fabrics and simple designs. They’ve since expanded into patchwork sensory-stimulating baby blankets.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and some downs,“ Montoya says. “Bottom line, the baby business has taught me that if you believe in your product and your brand and continue to push your message into the marketplace, you will succeed.“ About $20 to $50 retail.
Made by Sloppy Baby LLC, Denver, (303) 691-3877, www.sloppybaby.com. A store locator is on the website.
SLEEPY WRAP
Robert Antunovic worked in construction when his wife, Elizabeth, asked if he’d like to go into the baby-carrier biz with her. He fortuitously accepted in 2006 – right before the housing market crashed – and the couple launched NAP (Natural Attachment Parenting).
They found a manufacturing partner in China and set out to market the snug and simple “babywearing” design Elizabeth used with their babies. Sales mushroomed from $15,000 in 2007 to $525,000 in 2008 to more than $1 million last year. “You can start using it from day one,“ Robert says. “With our second baby, she used it every day for the first 16 months.“ NAP launched a second product, the Boba Baby Carrier, last fall, designed for kids up to 45 pounds. $40 (Sleepy Wrap) to $100 (Boba) retail.
Made by NAP Inc., Boulder, www.sleepywrap.com or www.bobababycarrier.com. Store locators are on both websites.
Denver-based writer Eric Peterson is the author of Frommer's Colorado, Frommer's Montana & Wyoming, Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks and the Ramble series of guidebooks, featuring first-person travelogues covering everything from atomic landmarks in New Mexico to celebrity gone wrong in Hollywood. Peterson has also recently written about backpacking in Yosemite, cross-country skiing in Yellowstone and downhill skiing in Colorado for such publications as Denver's Westword and The New York Daily News.
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