By Sophie Pappas
Meredith Worniak, of Carmel, knows how to juggle motherhood and work.
The mother of two, and an Indianapolis native, has most recently returned to the Hoosier state to pursue her business of creating helpful products for parents of youngsters. After years of working in the digital marketing realm of Chicago, Worniak felt like she wasn’t spending as much time with her two children, Natalie, 4, and Henry, 2.
This changed in 2012 when Worniak and her sister Becky Cutler (who has two kids as well and lives in California) decided to start a company called Cossettie. Since launching the brand, Worniak has been able to become a stay-at-home working mom.
“It’s definitely a balancing act,” Worniak said. “And things have changed in a big way.”
Cossettie is a company that produces changing mats and shopping cart/high chair covers. They come in compact and easy-to-use bags, out of materials that are simple to clean for busy moms.
“[My sister and I] noticed that everything we bought for our kids was bulky and big to carry around,” Worniak said of previous high chair and shopping cart covers that she has tried. “So we developed something cute and functional, at a price point that is very reasonable. We put a lot of thought into the design.”
Each product has no toggles, as is common in most similar products, but has drawstrings that are simple to open and close. Since day one of production, the company has already sold more than 2,000 units of the original design.
Worniak and her sister oversee all of the production of their products that are made in China, and they have ensured their factories meet certain standards.
“We’re making products for children so we don’t want children making them,” she said. “But producing in China has kept our price points low.”
The shopping cart and high chair cover now retail at $12.99 and the changing mat at $9.99. For more information about Cossettie, visit www.cossettie.com or www.facebook.com/cossettie.
