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Hong Kong Report
Seasoned Greetings!
It seems like I always start the newsletter with some sort of excuse for why it's been so long since the last newsletter. Just to shake things up a bit, I'm not going to make a single mention of the eight long weeks that have elapsed... no mention at all.
So, just what has been going on with your favorite kitchen gear company during the skull-crushing, agonizingly long span since we last communicated? Quite a few things, actually! Earlier this month we popped down to Las Vegas to attend the Gourmet Housewares Show. Observant readers might remember this as the trade show we had originally targeted for launching our product; before our production date moved, that is. Even though we weren't exhibiting, it was good to attend to get a feel for the size and scope of the event so we can be better prepared for it next year. We were somewhat surprised to find that it was considerably smaller than the International Housewares Show we attended in Chicago in March. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is debatable, but it's certainly good information for us to have as we plan for the 2009 trade show circuit.
We recently learned that the first set of manufacturing tools have been created, a milestone referred to as T1. The manufacturer will soon FedEx us some samples made with the T1 tools, and these will be the most realistic versions we will have seen to date. After that they make a series of refinements to smooth the insides of the tool cavities, creating the T2 version. Samples from this cycle will be brought to Seattle by the manufacturers rep in early June.
The next and likely final step is to make any necessary fine-tuning adjustments to create the T3 tools, which will be used for producing our finished product. Since this is a rather critical step, we'll be jetting over to Hong Kong in late June to oversee the process and sign-off on the finished set of tools. After that, we'll finally be able to place our first production order!
But enough about our product. We know that what everyone really wants to hear about is what Carol has been up to in the kitchen recently! Thanks to the power of the InterWebs, you can now keep a close eye on her exploits by way of mix, mix... stir, stir, her new blog! Simply click right here and you'll be all set.
Finally, since summer is approaching here in the northern hemisphere, we thought you might enjoy one of Carol's special warm-weather drink concoctions:
Pomegranate Lime Iced TeaBest regards,
Steep 8 tea bags and 2 Star Anise in 8 cups of boiled water for 10 minutes.
Remove tea bags and allow tea to cool to room temperature.
Add 2 cups pomegranate juice
½ cup sugar
3 limes thinly sliced
Stir and refrigerate. Serve over ice.
Carol and David Peterman