See Tidy Totes for Picnicking Pleasures at IH+HS

By Lorrie Baumann 

Kitchenware manufacturers are introducing a wealth of products designed to appeal to both Millennials and Baby Boomers who love casual entertaining but don’t necessarily have the space in their kitchens or their apartments to do that. The solution they’re finding: take the party outside, whether that’s to a backyard patio, the beach or the stadium parking lot.

Igloo

Among the ideas we’ll see this year at the International Home + Housewares Show is the Party Collection from Igloo, which is a collection of products designed to meet the needs of folks who do their entertaining either in the back yard or on the go. The company has been making products for taking food and drinks to go since 1947, which means that Igloo will be celebrating its 70^th anniversary next year, and Igloo is taking that as inspiration to continue on its path to become much, much more than the company that makes the rectangular box cooler we’re all familiar with and the metal jug that granddaddy used to hoist into the back of his pickup truck before heading out to the construction site. For 2017, the anniversary year, Igloo will be introducing a fabulous collection of picnic totes and insulated backpacks that will be unveiled at this year’s International Home + Housewares Show that you’re going to want to make sure you stop by and see.

Altogether, Igloo’s new approach is coming from listening to consumers about what products they will need to make sure that their next backyard party, tailgate or picnic is a success. Igloo is partnering with retailers in a big way to market these product to make sure that the Igloo products they’re putting on their shelves are a sure bet for their customers’ good times. “We are listening to our consumer,” said Lisa Hayashi, Igloo Products Corp. Director of Brand Management. “Igloo coolers are along for the ride, and we love being part of the celebration.”

Candlessence

The Amazing Flameless Candle Company is bringing out a new line called Candlessence. The products in this line are flameless candles designed to hold fragrance cartridges that slide into the candles so that when the candle’s turned on, a tiny fan wafts the fragrance from the cartridge out into the atmosphere. Perfect for entertaining on a summer evening out on the patio; even if the flowers in your garden didn’t oblige by blooming in time for your party, you can still create that ambiance with flickering candlelight and the scent of the garden around you. Amazing Flameless Candle Company has a wide range of scent cartridges available, and they include the lavender and sage & citrus scents that will enable your customer to create the illusion of a warm summer night in a subtropical paradise even if the party’s actually being held on an apartment terrace in the city.

BUILT New York

That ambiance and the pleasures of good company demand a toast, and BUILT New York’s new wine and champagne bag goes into the freezer before the party then comes out during party set-up to swaddle the bottle in its chilled interior. Then the top folds down to turn it into a neat and portable “ice bucket” after the wine has been opened. After the party, it’s easy to store away until the next champagne occasion.

Blue Rhino

Out in the ‘burbs, Blue Rhino is familiar as the company that has made a business out of selling refillable propane cylinders that are available at home and garden centers and corner convenience stores just everywhere. Now, Blue Rhino is launching a line of accessories for backyard fire pits and a new dual-fuel grill that’ll work anywhere that local ordinances or U.S. Forest Service restrictions allow for open flames. The Cross-Fire grill can be fueled either with propane or with charcoal, and its legs collapse so that the grill is portable enough to go with you for your tailgating party or beach barbecue. Also part of the new line, Blue Rhino has come up with a tabletop firepit that fits over the umbrella hole in a patio table: you just set the firepit on top of the table and then cuddle the propane cylinder underneath. “You just reach up and screw it on and you’re done. You’re good to go,” said Chris Hartley, Vice President of Marketing for Blue Rhino.

For a back yard that’s a little more spacious, Blue Rhino is launching a bar-height fire pit that can be set up on the patio in a flash. The propane cylinder fits inside the unit’s pedestal. “You can stand around the bar, just like at your favorite pub, but you get the pleasure of being outside,” Hartley said. The table-top fire pit will retail for $79.99 and the standalone bar-height fire pit will retail for $349.

ThermoServ 

When the party goes out to the patio, the dishware has to be both durable and social media-worthy. ThermoServ is offering virtually indestructible Tritan drinkware in its Fashion line as well as the Collegiate Collection, which features drinkware representing every state university across the country. as well as melamine dishware in the Fashion line as well as a new line made from a proprietary new material that’s not only virtually indestructible but also a huge secret until it’s launched at the International Home + Housewares Show. It’s all perfect for poolside or patio – and safe for even the kids to use. Four place settings will retail for $29.99.

Packit

For those who are entertaining on a smaller scale – maybe just a romantic picnic for two with a baguette, a nice cheese, a little salume, a bottle of wine and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to read aloud together, Packit has a Freezable Picnic Tote that will chill enough food for up to four people or four large bottles for up to 10 hours. The top flap includes a zippered dry compartment with a utensil organizer, and there’s an interior zippered pocket for napkins and the cork screw as well as an outside pocket for placemats or even an iPad. At a $34.99 suggested retail price, this is the top of Packit’s line, which also includes a redesigned wine bag that retails for $15.99, and 18-can and 9-can chiller bags. The beautiful Packit Uptown lunch tote has been redesigned to include a dry pack for a snack that doesn’t need to be chilled. It comes in two elegant but neutral patterns: Polka Dot and Animal, and it retails for $24.99.

French Bull

Finally, don’t forget to see the new French Bull Pack & Snack lunchbox, with is also made from Tritan.

These cute little kidney bean-shaped boxes are pattern with the distinctive French Bull joie de vivre, and they have a couple of inner containers that make them perfect for a small bento box snack or lunch. The Tritan material from which they’re made ensures that they’re durable enough to pack and then toss into a backpack, a beach tote or even a gym bag.