The Pit Stop

Well, we have officially completed our first bout of trade shows. Starting in Dallas for a good ole’ taste of gifting Texas style, to Anaheim and the overwhelming good juju that was permeating the Natural Products Expo, to Chicago where our biggest retail crushes were brought to life.

While we have never been ones to shy away from dreaming big, there have been far too many unexpected dreams realized over the past couple of months.  Despite some minor hiccups and challenges we each had to overcome (ie. for me, being able to bear the smell of cheese from our neighbors for four days at Expo West - which for someone who is lactose intolerant, ain’t pretty), we feel like we have officially graduated from the first semester of our freshman year as a new product.  And frankly, Chicago was really the cherry on top of it all.

Starting with a shout out from the Chicago Tribune as one of the top 5 products at the show, to each of us meeting our dream buyers (and then some), we are humbled by how the housewares community is embracing our little ripening BlueAvocado business.   I for one would have never anticipated the electrifying inspiration from meeting some of the most established and innovative brands out there. I have always been a sucker for a good brand and having an opportunity to collaborate with some of the best is almost too much to bear. And as an additional bonus, our beloved gro-pak was lucky enough to sneak a spot in Ecolect’s Top 10 with some of our favorite and inspired products.

While the next several months will reveal some of the AMAZING retailers we will have the opportunity to partner with, we feel as if we have been ushered into a new family.  Big luv to all our new friends in the buyer world - especially our amazing team of reps making our dreams come true.  We heart you!  Dallas Gift Market, Expo West, and International Housewares 2009 Forever!!

ps. what’s with the picture? - well we were fortunate to be featured in an interview that aired over 1100 times over the course of the show - Missy’s expression really says it all:-)

Editor’s note: Thanks to TKO for the following contribution to “The Pit Stop” - we are so proud!!

When BlueAvocado asked us at TKO to share the excitement we encountered at the 2009 Austin ADDYs and our ADDY wins (yes, plural) on their blog, we jumped at the opportunity, since it allows us to brag about our success while simultaneously praising a brand we love (or luv! as Paige would say).

So after a 3-year hiatus from the Austin ADDYs, we prepared for what we hoped would be a triumphant return. Would we achieve greatness amongst Austin’s best or remain unrecognized despite long hours of pain and suffering for the love of the craft?

We arrived at the Long Center fashionably late, put on our game faces and headed for the bar. (It’s important to be armed with the perfect cocktail in case of unfavorable news and/or potential awkward run-ins.)

As we skimmed the elaborate displays of creative work that is Austin’s top talent, we saw the usual greats- Southwest Airlines, Shiner Brewing Company, BMW, Whataburger, and quickly realized these were the winning campaigns. Our eyes darted back and forth across the room-long displays in search of our work.

And there it was, our baby, BlueAvocado, the brand we helped mold, holding its own among the well-established, corporate brands. The display lights perfectly accentuating every detail of the avocado-shaped packaging and logo. It literally felt like the Gods were smiling upon us, our dose of good karma received!

Taking home two awards for our work with BlueAvocado meant more to us than any other potential win because we’ve been there from the start- from brainstorming the perfect company name to designing the business cards, to the introduction of the product into Whole Foods. It’s not just about seeing our work; we’re emotionally invested.

The BlueAvocado brand has achieved much success since it’s brief stint in the market, but the beauty of the brand is continually seeing customers, retailers, team members, marketers and advertisers “get it”!

This is just one of the many joys we’ll share with BlueAvocado on their journey to rid the world of billions of CO2; however, it won’t stop us from taking time out to celebrate this particular success with all we’ve got! So here, here to our triumphant return to the ADDYs as we share this joy with our favorite eco-divas!

We’re back!

It should come as no surprise that we have some SERIOUS crushes at BlueAvocado. Whether it is a good ole’ fashion brand crush like Method, or girl crush on our newest inspiration Michelle Obama, or even a business crush on our marketing partner TKO - they all have our hearts in one way or another. And of course our true love - Schlumpy! Let’s face it, we got a lot of love to give.

So when brainstorming how we could possibly share our love and gratitude with our friends, retail partners, and customers, we just had to be as overt as possible in expressing ourselves. So when our “BlueAvocado Hearts Me” buttons hit the street we were thrilled to see people wearing it with pride.  But what we quickly came to realize, is that people were mistaking our BlueAvocado logo for an eye. So what people are reading is “I Love Me.”

This was officially pointed out to me when I was wearing the button while picking up my morning coffee at my coffee crush spot LIFT, and the barista pointed out how he appreciated my healthy self-esteem.  And for a girl who has been reading books on affirmations and the art of manifesting pretty much since birth, this was an unintentional dream realized! It simply doesn’t get better than seeing some of our greatest fans walking around promoting their own self esteem.   And in a time when so many of us are having such tremendous expectations of ourselves, a little self-love (or BlueAvocado love), however you wish to view it, can’t be a bad thing.

So button or not, take a moment to look in the mirror, and say the words - I Love Me! Or not (we get it is awkward), but you gotta at least get a giggle (even for those who aren’t natural gigglers:-)

big BIG luv! paige