The U CAN Brand LLC was founded in June 2009 by a seasoned entrepreneur and expert horticulturist who discovered--through his own passion for gardening--a singular solution to multiple tasks by creating an all-in-one watering can.

 

In seeking to eliminate his frustration with the inconvenience of using fertilizers, Jim Ugone, founder and president, developed a brand new way to simplify watering and fertilizing.  He also used his business savvy as “a thought leader” from two other ventures to bring to market an affordable gift idea product for gardeners that could be sold through several channels.

 

The company’s first product, The U CAN® Watering System, was introduced in August, 2009 at the Independent Garden Center Show in Chicago.  It is unique for being the only watering can currently available that stores all types of fertilizer and has a built-in mechanism that reminds gardeners when to fertilize.  The two-gallon watering can also organizes gardening activities with its built-in measuring cup and spoon, a place to hold gloves and a storage post for a removable sprinkler head.  It is cleverly engineered to evenly distribute weight while carrying, lifting and pouring.  An optional lid and pump to accommodate liquid fertilizer will be offered in the future.

 

The U CAN is so highly useful and innovative it was awarded seven design patents (additional design and utility patents are pending).  Committed to supporting manufacturing in the United States, the company chose to have the U CAN’s parts produced in Iowa, Massachusetts, and New York.  The watering can proudly displays the company’s trademark “Keep America Growing.”  To minimize its carbon footprint, the U CAN incorporates the use of recycled plastic.  (See Product Background for more specific details).

 

Market

In a recent study conducted by The Freedonia Group, a leading international business research company, the U.S. lawn and garden consumer market was estimated to be a $7.5 billion industry.

 

“U.S. demand for packaged lawn and garden consumables will grow 4.5 percent annually through 2012, as baby boomers enter their peak gardening years,” The Freedonia Group forecasts.  “Best prospects include value-added products such as fast-acting and easy-to-use fertilizer, rubber and color mulches and premium growing media.”

 

According to Baby Boomers Headquarters (http://www.bbhq.com), there are about 75 million boomers in the U.S. (those born between 1946 and 1964.)  As of 2009, baby boomers represent about 29 percent of the U.S. population.

 

Additionally, of the 81 million households who garden, 11 million purchased a watering can, the National Gardening Association reported in 2008. 

 

Within that market, The U CAN is ideal for both avid and novice gardeners in many niches, including those committed to what may be a sustainable trend of growing their own food.

 

Many time-pressed “lawn chair gardeners, ” for example, are now growing their own food in containers requiring easy watering and fertilizing, or “all-in-one” solutions.  Newcomers to this market are expected to account for 21 percent of U.S. gardening households this year, driving the total number of food-growing homes to nearly 43 million, up 19 percent from last year (as cited in The Wall St. Journal article, “For A Green Thumb, Just Add Water,” June 17, 2009).

 

While The U CAN is ideal for gardeners seeking efficiency, it also helps homeowners required to meet town and city water restrictions.  Rather than use a hose or sprinkler, homeowners can now maintain their gardens using a unique “all-in-one” watering can—reducing water waste and the possibility of indirectly fertilizing weeds and grass.

 

Other market applications for The U CAN include container gardening, patio gardening, hanging baskets, raised beds, poolside gardening, window boxes, and easy maintenance, summer-home gardens.  Apartment renters, condominium owners, shop owners, municipal building managers and community gardeners in particular would benefit from the combined capabilities and features of The U CAN.

 

About the Company Principal and his philosophy as a “Thought-Leader”

A graduate of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and The University of Massachusetts, Ugone also earned a master’s degree in vocational education from the University of New Hampshire.  He taught vocational horticulture for nearly ten years before entering the world of finance.  His first company, which he later sold, was an insurance agency serving many in the horticulture field.  His second successful venture, which he still owns and operates today, is a financial management investment firm.

 

“As a professional investment advisor, I garden to relieve stress as many Americans do.  While spending many hours on my knees I’m always thinking of ways to make gardening easier and more enjoyable to others.  The U CAN was born out of personal experience and necessity,” Ugone notes.  “As a manufacturer and cost-conscious consumer, I intend to only make products that I would use and purchase myself.” 

 

Once his idea for the “all-in-one” watering can emerged, starting The U CAN Brand LLC increasingly became more purposeful than simply designing a product and bringing it to market. 

 

By seeing multiple ways to make a watering can more useful, The U CAN Brand LLC responds to new lifestyle trends of baby boomers downsizing, simplifying their lives, and increasing their leisure activities.  Additionally, the innovative watering can-- priced at $29.95 for direct Internet sales through www.UCanBrand.com or $34.95 suggested retail price at nursery and garden centers-- meets the economic needs of recession-conscious consumers seeking affordable gift idea products.

 

Always a “thought leader,” (a term increasingly used in marketing to portray leaders who offer a unique perspective on business success, particularly those who enliven old processes with new ideas), Ugone set his own standards for success.

 

Inspired to lead an entrepreneurial life from his father, who encouraged him to see work and play as one-and-the-same activity, Ugone started all his businesses with a key objective:  “sell from the heart.”  He has followed that directive from his earlier career years, when in managing 15 insurance offices, he even had tee-shirts made for his staff that read, “non solum nobis,” a Latin phrase translated into English to mean “not for commissions only.”