Companiesfor consumer products / Entrepreneurship

While Brian Hock trained for the Louisville Ironman in 2010, he had an idea for a way to stay hydrated along the way. That idea evolved into Simple Hydration, a start-up company with an innovative product that is being manufactured in the US.

Five months ago, David Johnson and his wife Estelle McNair started a branding company together. Today, Johnson-McNair is beginning to gain traction and serve clients all over the country.

Coffee Emporium has been open since 1973, but current owners Tony Tausch and Eileen Schwab purchased the Hyde Park-based business in 1996. Since then, Tausch has expanded the company and now provides coffee for dozens of cafes around the area, as well as six of his own.
 

Using pure ingredients and plenty of passion, Queen City Cookies owner Peggy Shannon continues to build a sweet and savory empire, one gorgeous bite at a time. From specialty cookie sales in local shops to her own storefront in Findlay Market, Shannon continues to expand her reach. Now her cookies are available at Whole Foods in Rookwood and online through Sur la Table, with more outlets on the way.

From cutting, to design and through to the manufacturing of custom jewelry, Koop Diamond Cutters does it all from the fourth floor of the Queen City Building in downtown Cincinnati. Cincinnati native Clarence Koop started the business in 1966, and soon after, his son Butch began designing jewelry pieces on an order-by-order basis. Now in its third generation of family ownership, Koop now has a full manufacturing plant and sales center to provide customers with a complete, in-house shopping experience.

Two sisters have set out to create the perfect no-cream ice cream. They experimented with different bases and came out with some textures that were barely passable. But they kept at it, and with a dedication to using only natural ingredients and lots of time and effort, eventually, Phro*ZEN was born.

When she was a child, Melinda Kirk was bitten by a dog. As a young adult, however, she was bitten figuratively when she and her partner obtained two Weimaraners. Her passion for pups pushed her to build a unique, specialty pet food business that sources organic ingredients and uses local producers.

Dominion Liquid Technologies has grown from a small startup company manufacturing coffee flavored syrups to one that develops and produces energy shots, pancake syrups, cocktail mixes, barbeques and hot sauces - all made right here in Cincinnati.

Two friends and experienced graphic designers - one on Cincinnati, one in L.A. -  are turning their passions into unique and fun paper products catching the eyes of mothers and hostesses in the Queen City and beyond.

For 56 percent of Americans, the “best part of waking up” is still the soothing aroma of a fresh pot of roasted coffee, and Seven Hills Coffee of Cincinnati can take credit for getting many of us off to that same good start each morning. 

After years of making her own soaps and lotions at home, Robin Feltner turned a well-honed hobby into an eco-chic bath and body company that relies on high-quality, natural ingredients.