Toby Keith wrote a song about the red Solo cup, a well-known disposable beverage container commonly used at colleges and parties. It was that song that inspired Frank Ritchie, sales manager of Crossover Marketing, to take on the job of creating The Red Cup Buddy, a red plastic cup and cozy in one. There are cozies for many types of beverage containers, Ritchie points out, “but no one had made a cozy for a red plastic cup.” The product has taken off, especially in the southern U.S., he adds. “One of our customers, a home décor store based in Tennessee, has reordered three times. It has 500 locations.”
Crossover Marketing offers around 120 Red Cup Buddy designs, with two of the most popular being zebra and green camouflage. “We also create custom designs, even for the smaller mom and pop shops.” The company provides point-of-purchase materials, including a red bucket that looks like a very large red cup. “Customers can put our products in the bucket, and it helps them sell,” Ritchie explains.
The Red Cup Buddy wholesales for $3 each, and retails from $5.99 to $6.99. There is no minimum order, and retailers can purchase individual patterns in sets of 12. The company also offers an assortment of 72 pieces, which contains three pieces of each of 24 patterns. “We pride ourselves on good customer service,” Ritchie stresses. “If a design isn’t working for a customer, we’ll take it back.”
Where to buy:
55 East End Avenue
New York, NY 10028
Tel.: 626-863-9018
Visit Crossover Marketing