Source: greeleytribune.com
Christine Johnson cuts some of the fabric for one of their hemp fur baby blankets as her husband Dave and their son Charles watch Wednesday at their home in Windsor. The blankets have an antibacterial quality because they're made of hemp fur and the couple hopes to integrate chips into blankets for quick information access in emergency situations.
Dave and Christine Johnson say they’re a “fly-by-night” kind of couple, and their recent business venture reflects their lifestyle.
“We think of something we want to do and research it and figure out how to do it,” Christine said.
That is exactly what the 29-year-olds are doing with their business, Nuhni Blanket Co, which offers organic and germ-resistant receiving and security blankets for children.
With white boards all over their Windsor home and bedroom and a garage full of material, cutting stations and sewing equipment, they are figuring it out.
Every morning the couple wakes to a poster hanging above their bed that reads “Rise and Grind.”
Oh, and with two young children adding to the chaos of working from home, they need the daily encouragement — plus lots of coffee and Monster.
It’s a little messy, but it works.
After five years in Texas, the Johnsons, originally from New Hampshire, moved to Colorado to execute the baby blanket idea and really start nailing down a business plan.
Colorado has a better market for their product, they said. Their target audience for these blankets is millennial mothers. The Johnsons think that group will appreciate their use of organic materials.
The two tentatively agreed they’ve tasted success with Nuhni, but with only 200 sales so far, they have a long way to go.
Dave said he’s confident in the uniqueness of Nuhni’s blankets.
“You kind of create your own lot by taking educated risks,” he said. He said when he decided to venture into business, he needed to find a product that is completely different from anything on the market. Hemp fur blankets fit the bill, he said, because no one else is making a product like theirs.
Since arriving in Colorado last fall, the Johnsons are working on getting the word out about the Nuhni blankets.
Dave has been putting finishing touches on the website to make it more user-friendly. Christina has been making blankets by hand. She is working with a Colorado manufacturer who will soon take over for her.
They have both been working to get their products into stores. So far they are in The Grey House in Estes Park and in the Tree House Gift Shop at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas.
Dave said he’d rather take the risks of starting a business than work for someone else.
“I learned early I would rather work 60 hours a week for myself than 40 hours for someone else,” he said. “It’s not about money. I just want to be able to plan my own day.”
Dave has a few failed business ventures behind him, but he said he doesn’t think that’s a bad thing because it’s experience he wouldn’t have otherwise received.
“I don’t think bad experiences are a bad thing,” he said. “There’s opportunity in failure.”
THE NAME
The Nuhni Blanket Co. name comes from how the Johnsons’ kids used to say good night to them.
Instead of saying good night, the two youngsters said “nuh-nite.”
That quickly morphed into the Nuhni name of the company.
THE FUTURE
The Johnsons plan to continue working with stores to get the blankets into retail spaces, but their hope is to support a social mission after they get their footing.
After working in the emergency shelter for children in Texas, they decided they wanted to do something to help those kids.
With profits from Nuhni, they plan to help end the cycle of child abuse and neglect. They will do this by donating money to help provide children with full tummies, warm clothes and safe nights.
MICROCHIP OPTION
The company also offers blanket options with an embedded microchip, which responds to the touch of an Android phone.
On the microchip parents can store information such as special needs, medicines, allergies for care providers. The care provider can just touch their phone to the marked square on the blanket and the information comes up.
This is targeted toward children with health issues as some medical information can be stored on the microchip.
If the blanket is lost information can be wiped off the chip from a home computer.
Available features of the microchip include: quick contact information, geolocation pings and emergency information availability.
NUHNI BENEFITS
» Nuhni blankets are all made from 100 percent Global Organic Textile Standard fabrics. This means the fabrics are produced using healthy non-GMO seeds and nontoxic chemicals.
» All Nuhni blankets come in eco-friendly, sustainable packaging.
» Hemp fur naturally kills and reduces the spread of bacteria such as staph and pneumonia.
» Hemp fur also is resistant to fire, mold, mildew and UV light.
PRICING
» Roo- 25x35 inch blanket with microchip: $75
» Cub- 17x17 inch blanket with microchip: $45
» Kit- 25x35 inch blanket (no microchip): $67
» Pika- 17x17 inch blanket (no microchip): $37
» 3 hemp fur washcloths: $21
Dave Johnson folds one of the completed hemp blankets on Wednesday while at his home in Windsor.
Christine Johnson works on sewing some of the fabric for one of their hemp fur blankets on Wednesday at their home in Windsor.
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