Edo Cohen traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, from Los Angeles, California to pitch his company's sustainable solution for charcoal to Lowe's - and spoiler alert - it went well. Blazing Coco charcoal logs, made from coconut shells, that are abundant thanks to the explosion of coconut products like oil, water, and milk that have hit the market in recent years - but those shells? Typically wasted. Not anymore. Edo says his coconut shell charcoal logs burn longer and cleaner than anything else on the market. He also says no major retailers have been selling the sustainable grilling materials in store, which changed today as Edo won himself a "platinum" purchase order from Lowe's at their signature entrepreneurial event, 'Into the Blue.'
Every step has been completely unexpected, and it creates excitement for the person on my side. It's so different to talk about your product in this kind of environment because you get to tell your story and be a bit vulnerable. The folks here listening to people in a short time get to know quite a bit about the person pitching them.
Now, the third event for the company, 'Into the Blue', has the mechanics of throwing the massive start-up get-together down to a science, think a home-improvement product version of Shark Tank. Vendor hopefuls line up to pitch their products to a team of merchants who award them an online, blue, or gold ticket. From there, it's on to the VPs of various merchandising departments, where it's decided if the product is destined for platinum status. The mission is to introduce new and exciting product lines to Lowe's, as innovation is the lifeblood of the broader business.
Seven platinum winners received purchase orders from Lowe's, Hans Dose one of the founders of Tenikle, a phone and camera mount company is one of them.
We came here not knowing what to expect. The event was incredible, the facility is amazing, and we just walked out of here with the biggest PO we've ever gotten, we could not be more thrilled, and we're excited for the road ahead, and the expansion of our relationship together.
He says the win is surreal, mainly because just a few years ago, he was living in an RV with his wife, and now Lowe's, one of the largest home-improvement retailers in the nation, will stock his product on the shelves.
In-store may not be the right move for all products, and that's why online tickets are a crucial part of the 'Into the Blue' model. Take 'Avonya's Blend' for example. Emily Jefferson arrived at Lowe's 'Into the Blue' entrepreneurial event with high hopes for her seafood spice blend, Century Seafood Seasoning. 'Avonya's Blend' was born after the now 25-year-old experienced a near-death allergic reaction. She channeled that traumatic event into a budding business by creating a spice blend that lists all ingredients and is low-sodium.
I'm just hoping to get my foot in the door. It's been a long time coming for Avonya's Blends, and I want to have the chance to prove that my company and seasoning are worthy and that it's a great product to be a part of the Lowe's family.
Emily pitched her proprietary blend to the grill merchants and won herself a ticket to feature the seafood blend online. She says she's grateful for the opportunity to grow the black-owned business and returns home to Chicago happy with the results.