NC Made: 3 UNC Alumni launched Butner-based startup behind 'The Nugget'
BUTNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- For many parents, choosing the right toys can be a challenge. They need to be durable, practical, and, of course, fun.
That's where the Nugget comes in.
Designed for play, this family-friendly couch is created by Butner-based retail startup Nugget Comfort. The Nugget allows children to use its cushions to build and arrange them into countless shapes.
"It was a puppet theater, an obstacle course, a set of building blocks and a fort," the company's CEO David Baron said. "Kids forever have made forts out of the couch cushions and forever they've been told, 'hey, that's not a toy'."
With the Nugget, the possibilities are endless. Baron emphasized that it must be both real furniture and "play-withable."
Baron originally created the Nugget as a futon prototype during his senior year at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2012, where he also met his cofounders.
Over a decade later, the play couches are still assembled in North Carolina.
"So, it was really important early on (for Nugget Comfort) to be in North Carolina," he said. "It was important to me to stay connected to the state because we had gone to and benefitted from a public university."
To keep up with demand, they are able to produce thousands of Nuggets everyday in their 10,000 square foot Butner facility.
"What we do is we spend all year making as many as we can per day in order to have them to ship out during the holiday season," Baron said.
From the huge variety of machine-washable cover colors to the durable foam made in Mount Airy, you can rest assured that Nugget is made with love right here in North Carolina.
Nugget Comfort recently released their second product--the Chunk--which is like an ottoman that can also be played with and configured into different builds.
"The fact that anyone is willing to spend their hard earned money on something we make and care about and love doing is such an honor," Baron said.
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