A British inventor has solved the tricky problem of where to safely put your hot coffee while watching the telly on the sofa and launched the CouchCoaster at Ambiente 2018 in Frankfurt.
Former real estate professional, Barry Freeder, had his lightbulb moment when he was watching a football game and drinking his favourite beer and had nowhere to put his drink.
“I knew there had to be a better solution than holding it in your hand or putting it on the floor, which someone could easily kick over,” he explains. “I like to create products that are simple but solve a problem.”
The first prototype came along, and after a year of development he found a factory in China to manufacture the product. Freeder launched in the UK in February 2016 at the Spring Fair in Birmingham and he is now selling his clever cup holder, which wraps securely over the arm of a couch, worldwide.
“What makes CouchCoaster so compelling is that it solves a problem we’ve all experienced,” says Freeder. “Whether it’s an accidental spill on the sofa, the hassle of reaching for your drink on the side table or simply because there just isn’t space for a coffee table, CouchCoaster is your perfect drinking companion.”
During its UK launch, his CouchCoaster invention saw a flurry of orders from some of the biggest names in British retail including home and furniture stores to gift and gadget retailers. It attracted immediate attention from US in the months which followed, where CouchCoaster is fast becoming a household name.
“Within six months it launched in the US with a distributor and it went on TV networks like the Morning Show, the Today Show, NBC news channels, but so far we haven’t done much promotion in Europe, which is why we are here at Ambiente.”
Following the success of CouchCoaster, Barry is developing his Hit Products brand with the release of a second unique coaster, TableCoaster, designed to bring an end to spilt drinks just about everywhere.
CouchCoaster is currently available in Australia and did extremely well over Christmas. Freeder is also looking to place the product with Amazon, so he can ship straight to the warehouse and they will take care of the local distribution―this is the business model he has already implemented in the UK and Europe.
By Marion Gerritsen
