Chicago Sun-Times: Willie Jacobs, a 69-year-old retired machinist, was doodling on a napkin while rehabbing from a heart attack when he came up with the concept for a tilted soup bowl.
Seven years later, with a patent and mold in his possession and a manufacturer under contract, Jacobs and his wife, Linda, now find their product listed in one of the largest professional rehabilitation catalogs in the country and on the shelves at local Walgreens stores.
The bowl is designed for the disabled and seniors with unsteady hands who have difficulty spooning food from regular bowls. It's also marketed for young children, whose parents want to avoid spills.
The bowl is angled in the bottom, allowing the user to easily spoon from it without tilting it forward. To the naked eye, the colorful, microwaveable and dishwasher-safe product looks like an ordinary bowl.
"It's a useful product," for seniors and the disabled, said Willie Jacobs, who adds that his grandchildren love them.
The bowls are manufactured by Warren Specialty Molding in Chicago, and are marketed and distributed by Glori Beee's Kidz Corp., the couple's upstart company. Glori Beee's is on track to generate $250,000 in revenues from the bowls this year, said Linda Jacobs, adding that she hopes to hit $1 million next year.
Retired machinist digs deep for non-spill bowl [Chicago Sun-Times]
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