CHICAGO— Kohler has developed a line of kitchen accessories, which it will debut for retailers at the International Home + Housewares Show, here.
“Our knowledge of the kitchen and bath space is all at our disposal,” said Chris Shay, business manager, kitchen and bath accessories, Kohler.
In developing the line, the Kohler team engaged in ethnographic research, for example, identifying Kohler customers and going into their home while they are preparing a meal and documenting the process. In this manner, the Kohler team can assess their unmet needs. The company’s Wisconsin facility also houses product testing labs and demonstration kitchens.
Having the consumer research and product development done in house results in the brand’s housewares product meeting the strict expectations of quality and aesthetics of the still privately held company. In fact, the Kohler brand has never been licensed, Shay added.
The Kohler team also has a familiarity with the materials used in creating the line, whether it’s stainless steel or injection molded parts, which are used in its faucets and in shower components.
Kohler has also had experience developing kitchen accessories that are specifically fitted to Kohler’s sinks. The team is leveraging what it knows and translating it into a different channel, said Shay.
The product in its kitchen accessories line that most closely resembles a product in its kitchen accessories complementing its sink business is a kitchen sink utility rack. But the company has developed it for retail so that it can adjust to fit any sink, according to Shay.
Kohler has a dedicated team for sales, marketing and product development for housewares, which has been in place for a few years, and eight of the products it will be showing at the Housewares Show have been available exclusively at The Container Store and Crate & Barrel, but the company is opening up the opportunity for those products and others, to be made available to independent gourmet stores as well, he said. With the broader launch, Kohler is practicing select distribution, ensuring its products are in a retail environment where they are well presented to the customer and will be backed by good sales support.
“We’ve really been focused on products that live in and around the kitchen sink area; that is where our brand is known, in the kitchen, and that’s where most of our knowledge is focused as well. It was a natural place for us to start,” said Shay. The Kohler brand signifies, “the expectation of beautiful design, quality and innovation.”
One of the products in the line, its kitchen squeegee, allows the consumer to scoop the water around the sink that develops after washing dishes back into the sink. In this way, the consumer doesn’t have to use paper towels to clean up water messes. This is particularly important when the consumer has hard water and a stone surface countertop, Shay noted. The squeegee also features nylon bristles on the other side for sweeping up dry messes.
One of the results from Kohler’s ethnographic research it discovered was consumers’ need for storage and the need for items to be put away easier. Three of its products fit in with that need, he noted. For example, Kohler’s lift dish rack was designed to be large enough to hold items that do not go in the dishwasher, but it was made collapsible enough to be put away in a cabinet when the consumer is done using it. A wine glass drying rack folds up into its base, and a silicone drying mat can roll up and be put into a drawer.
Kohler also has a silicone trivet in the line, which because it is made of silicone, can be used as a trivet, or it can be used as a drying mat for smaller items, Shay suggested.
Kohler’s touchless foaming soap dispenser not only benefits consumers in that they don’t have to touch the dispenser, but there is a light that will stay on for 20 seconds, which is the recommended time consumers wash their hands to make them sanitary, which is particularly important after handling raw meat, noted Shay. Also part of the line is a pump soap dispenser, which can be used with soap, lotion or hand sanitizer, according to the company.
Also included in the Kohler kitchen accessories launch is its in step paper towel holder, designed for one-handed tears without tipping or unraveling.
A disinfecting wipes dispenser is a stainless steel canister that covers up 30 to 35-count wipe dispensers, allowing them to blend in with kitchen or bath décor and keep the hand wipes moist and within reach.
Kohler’s dish scraper is a two-in-one scraper that features a hard edge for scraping off baked-on messes and a soft edge for wiping away residue and cleaning non-stick surfaces.
Kohler’s kitchen brush caddy holds dishwashing brushes, sponges and other cleaning tools. It includes a removable slotted tray, so water drains through to the container below instead of onto the countertop. A sponge caddy features a similar design; the slotted tray allows the sponge to air dry more quickly.
