Isn’t it great when you can turn a hobby into a successful business? Well that’s exactly what has happened for Manzo Design London, and it’s only taken a few months and several orders of Jesmonite!
Nicky Manzo and her boyfriend Rob got the idea of making a few coasters from Nicky’s dad and it’s really taken off. The couple are now producing a range of homeware products, have been asked to fit out Michelin starred restaurants and have just opened their new studio to meet demand.
Choosing the right product
Nicky’s family has a long association with Jesmonite, and she and Rob have been using it extensively in making their range of products. Nicky said:
“Jesmonite has been in my family for years, my dad and uncle both worked with Jesmonite, so it’s always been there and it has been useful having that sort of trade knowledge in this new venture.
“It was my dad who came up with the idea of making some coasters, we did that and were really pleased with the results. We used Jesmonite AC730, were really pleased with the different textures and thought this could be a good idea! We started selling on Etsy and it all really kicked off
“We have had Michelin starred restaurants wanting us to kit them out, we’ve now got four wholesalers and just moved into our own studio, all that has happened since March. It’s been a real whirlwind!
“We’ve just taken delivery of some Jesmonite AC630 and will be trying that out, so we’re really experimenting in terms of the different Jesmonite products. It’s the beginning of an amazing Jesmonite journey for us but we are so happy with how everything is going.
“We love how the product works, how easy it is to use and to get the hang of and Jesmonite is sustainable and ethically-friendly. The AC100 sets really quickly which is great, but I love the texture of the AC730 and how it works.
The Wow factor
“It’s also good for marbling, works really well and when we have dropped items off to retailers, the response has been Wow! Especially with the white marble, the glistening and texture. It’s a good weighty product and looks like real quality.
“We are designing our own products and now our own silicon moulds.
“The aim is for this to become my full-time job. I have a real passion for it and am really interested in homeware. We started producing the sort of goods we and our friends wanted and it seems like a lot of other people wanted, too!
“Now we have the studio, we can really scale up and want to be doing bigger pieces. We want to carry on producing desirable homeware items but at an accessible price.”