From Pop Up to Permanent
Help us open our first store!
We are pleased to share that after three years of honing in on our process and product selection we are preparing to open our first store. The store will be beneficial to our current customers for swift order pick ups, and it will be a place for people to learn about our many products, including local collaborations. We are very excited to serve the Chicago community in an even bigger way!
Our founders started CCC in 2018 with about $10,000, which went toward entity formation, licensing, hosting a website, and initial product development.
Our founding members don't come from families with "generational wealth" so you could say our operation was entirely bootstrapped—like many other immigrant-run/minority-owned businesses.
We had to do everything ourselves, from product design to order fulfillment, and we decided not to pay ourselves for the first two years to re-invest as much as possible into developing out the company and our capabilities.
We also wanted to prove that individuals can pool their resources together and co-own a business in an effort to achieve shared financial success, without having to take on massive amounts of debt or having to rely on passive investors.
With a small team and limited resources our main focus has been on innovating products versus widespread distribution. We figured that if we make great products first, we could learn how to scale up our distribution over time to reach more people.
This strategy has panned out as we have created more than 40 unique products over the last three years. Now, we're ready to launch our first store and we have saved up enough money to begin planning our retail store operations this year for a 2022 grand opening. With your help, we can make this dream come true!
We're asking for your donation to help us stock up our inventory and pay for things like signage, furnishings, display cases, and other amenities that will help create a pleasant customer experience. In exchange for your donation you will receive:
$20: an invite to our grand opening after party
$50: an invite to our grand opening after party and 50% off coupon for your first in-store or online purchase
$100: an invite to our grand opening after party, 50% off coupon for your first in-store or online purchase, and goodie bag
$500: an invite to our grand opening after party, 50% off coupon for your first in-store or online purchase, goodie bag, and a private event/workshop (3hrs) for you and your friends (up to 10)
Our Journey
Making samples for friends and family 2018
Designing the first product labels
Getting our first orders out in May 2018
Doing our first pop ups and events focused on education
Expanding our product selection in 2019
Dropping off product samples at health food stores
Attending a Co-op conference in Baltimore 2019
Providing education at Robert Morris University
Leading more educational workshops
Honing in on product formulation 2020
Building out our warehouse and manufacturing space
New product collaborations
More pop ups in 2021
Launching our first store... With your help!
