P.E.I. business hopes to grow interest in garden tool

Entrepreneur Carla Morganand her partners are hoping a fresh new look for their unique gardeninggadgetwill grow sales for the P.E.I.-made product.

What Clements patented were the directions forcreatingthe pot, which is what sets it apart from similar products.

Steady but not spectacular sales

Morgan's son got the company called N.ViroPotter up and running in the late 1990s, after Clements decided she had to focus on her family.

It was sold throughVeseys on P.E.I. as well as a U.S.seed company, and sales were steadybut not spectacular.

The company faced a turning point in 2014 when Veseys told them it was dropping the product, citing the packaging as the reason.

New branding

Now,the company is now on a major marketing push, hoping to get the N.ViroPotter onto stores shelves across P.E.I. this summer and expand sales across North America.

They now have 20 thousand boxes manufactured and arewaiting for orders.

Morgan is also hoping to pitch the pottersto Island food vendorsas a unique serving vessel, and she's hoping to do demos across the Island.

Fresh start

Tom Haan got involved with the company in 2004, providing a home base in an old shipbuilding garage in Dundas, P.E.I.. He's created an automated machine to turn out the planters, usinga turret lathe from the 1950s that used to make Buick parts in Texas.

Haanbelieves the company has now turned a corner.

Made on P.E.I.

"I wanted to make a P.E.I. product to have the wood grown on the Island, kilned in Montague, the potters made here in Dundas, and the original idea from the Island," added Morgan.

"Ours is not just made in Canada, they're made here on the Island."

The potters retail for$15.00 + hst for the regular or small size, $25.00 + HST for the large.