Japanese design brand Kinto is now supplied locally by Living and Dining after it signed on as its exclusive Australian distributor.
Starting with Kinto’s coffee and tea range, Living and Dining showcased Good Design Award winner Unitea as well as Unimug and Carat coffee dripper and pot at Reed Gift Fairs Melbourne in August.
Sales manager Lisa Saito discovered the brand while on a buying trip in Japan and believes the product suits current consumer demand for coffee and tea products.
“It seems customers are looking for something that’s practical, something that can be used, that’s got a design style to it,” she says. “The kitchen side seems to be growing in the industry as well so moving away from the stationery, little items. People are looking for things that they can use in their homes in the kitchen and dining areas.
“All the items make an impact and the orders we received at the fair were very, very good for them and even now after the fair we’ve had customers calling us… For different reasons they didn’t order at the fair but we’re getting the orders through now, so the feedback has been very good and we can’t wait to get it into stores.”
Kinto also sees Living and Dining return to its roots after focusing more on stationery in recent years. The wholesaler will further boost its dining product category when it introduces the brand’s porcelain dinnerware products in the future.
