We're on a mission to solve the desperate problem of how to eat and drink while standing at cocktail parties.
Artisan Wine Palettes is the founding product line of The Sakonnet River Company, Ltd.
"We set up The Sakonnet River Company to solve the greatest minor irritation known to humankind: the desperation at great parties of being forced to choose between sipping a drink or nibbling hors d’oeuvres. With only two hands and no tables (or bookshelves or pianos in sight) you can never do both. And—wait!—that desperation is nowhere near as irritating as the heartbreak the hosts feel as they witness whole tables of cherished delicacies carted off to the dumpsters after their guests leave for home, all starving and dry.
Charles: “What put me over the top was a meet-and-greet event on a schooner in Newport. You had to hold onto the plate and the glass at the same time, because if you put them down, they would slide or tip over. It was fine as long as you didn't try to shake hands, grab a napkin--or hold onto the gunwales.”
Bob: “When my wife and I were in Tuscany we had seen this sort of painter’s palette for holding drinks and hors d’ oeuvres. Seemed everybody was using them. All different shapes, weights and sizes. Clearly they'd figured out the problem. We wanted one too--but we wanted one that was light—and would look good at a party.”
Charles: “Bob had sold his company, which made Windsor chairs for universities, but he’d kept his workshop at the factory. Although my career was in finance, I’d had training in design in college. So we joined forces to solve this nagging worldwide problem.”
Bob: “We’ve spent a couple of years trying different materials and experimenting with the process. We’ve got the craftsmanship where it needs to be now in both carbon fiber and wood. So we’re bringing the Wine Tray and Appetizer Palette to market.”
Charles: “We love the challenge and the niche. We have a design patent pending on the next generation of wine trays. Crucial party accessories come after that. We simply can’t let good parties go to waste anymore. Stay tuned.”
Bob Barrow and Charles Tansey and their families have been neighbors in Bristol RI, USA, since the 1980s.
