What Can ONE PRODUCT Do for Our Economy? A Quick 'Cupdate' from Aaron Panone

We've seen plenty of projects from Boston-based designer/engineer Aaron Panone in the past, from CNC Sharpie drawings to an experimental desk lamp (I have yet to mount my 144#47 chainring... it looks too nice to use!)—but his most successful project to date is the Cuppow, a simple product that he (along with business parter Joshua Resnikoff) has seen from concept to nearly half a mil in profit.

So too have seen the product from launch to second iteration, and Panone is pleased to present an infographic capturing the economic impact of the Cuppow thus far (hot on the heels of last week's announcement of two new colors for charitable causes).

Ten months prior to the start of work on this infographic, we released Cuppow. Cuppow is a very simple product that turns a canning jar into a travel mug, and people like it. But, behind the utility of our product, our commitment to developing and maintaining the best localized supply chain possible has proven to be incredibly rewarding. We didn't anticipate that one product, made through utilizing domestic resources that we are happy to support could have such an impact.

In those first ten months, we realized that we were making an impact on domestic industry when part-time workers at our fulfillment center were suddenly full-time, and owners of businesses in our supply chain were suddenly very happy to speak to us on the phone when we called. We decided to go through our books and evaluate the impact that our product has had on the domestic industries that serve us, and once we crunched some numbers, we were very proud. We teamed up with renowned illustrator and designer, Natalya Zahn, to help interpret our data into an easily digestible infographic. The product of our efforts is a compelling argument for the maintenance and reintroduction of domestic supply chains in the production of consumer products.

Click for full-size image

Fellow entrepreneurially-inclined designers would do well to read up on Panone's chronicle of his venture's growing pains with regard to manufacturing in these United States.