Archive for 2011


Heading over to Forest Creativ…

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Heading over to Forest Creative to pick up some proofs … Our first attempt at a direct mailer #marketing


For all of the wine guys… VI…

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

For all of the wine guys… VIP Passes for the Midwest Grape & Wine Conf. DM us for details! #wine #midwest #vip


Green products are in right now, but what does green really Mean?

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Today, when you go to almost any store, you will find some trace of the “green thing”. You may find energy efficient light bulbs at Home Depot, rechargeable batteries being pushed at stores like Best Buy, or the lack of plastic shopping bags at Costco. These are all signs of a changing environment for the average consumer.

Let’s go back a decade, did you see all of these things? I didn’t, but then again I wasn’t looking very hard back then. The real change is in the hearts of the consumer, but why is being green better? Is it cheaper, not always. Then how is it more beneficial to me? Maybe it is because it is more sustainable? YES!

Okay, now for the next part: what does sustainability mean? It means a lot, literally… from the way the resources for a product were made or obtained, down to the ingredients, manufacturing and distributing process, even things like employees having benefits such as health insurance. Most people do not realize this. So who is responsible for correctly marketing that Green product on the shelf? Sadly there are not enough third parties concerned to monitor the accuracy of manufactures green claims, so plenty of products loosely or falsely advertised as being “green” get by.

After reading Wendy Knowlers Blog Consumer Watch article “Any idea how ‘green’ that product on the shelf is?” about the same subject, I realized that “are we really making informed choices?”

The answer is NO. We are easily persuaded by marketing techniques, leaving the resposibility on the company to correctly and truthfully market their products, which doesn’t always happen. Case-and-point; recently Fair Cape spokesman retorted after being question about whether their products are actually “Free Range”

“We did not call the milk ‘Free Range’, we called it ‘Fair Cape Free Range'” – That is, Fair Cape’s take on free range.


This is the type of attitude that gets consumers in trouble, this company is playing the system. They are capitalizing on a popular terminology that is equated with being sustainable, when in actually there is nothing sustainable about how they treat their cows. This is a prim example of GREEN WASHING.

We try our hardest at Maxi to correctly market our products and stray away from Green Washing techniques practiced by plenty of our competitors. We don’t confuse you with the terms “Recyclable” vs. “Made from Recycled Materials” we are straight shooters, the straightest that I know.

Whether it’s about how your food was brought to table or what was previously in your Rain Barrel, make sure that you aren’t being fooled into buying a product that isn’t truly green. Beware: it’s a buyers market with little responsibility for green washing, companies find ways to creatively brand and sell their products catered to what the buyers are looking for, regardless if they are 100% accurate claims. The weight is on your shoulders, I suggest you equip yourself with a mobile app call GoodGuide (they also have a website, for all of you not currently on the Smartphone bandwagon) to determine before you buy how Good that product really is. You just have to scan the bar-code and wait for the products score to appear. I hope you check it out.

What do you think about Green Washing, has it happened to you? Please comment below to strike up a conversation with us!


Just had a very interesting me…

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Just had a very interesting meeting with @MyHireItDone from 1270 AM WXYZ – Tune in every weekend 8-10 AM #radio #home #Homeowners


@UniTherm thanx for the RT ……

Monday, November 21st, 2011

@UniTherm thanx for the RT … I have to finish up some stuff but we need to talk marketing either today of tomorrow !!


@TomVTW @unitherm unfortunatel…

Monday, November 21st, 2011

@TomVTW @unitherm unfortunately they do not have wine in them… That would be Amazing if they did tho!


@TomVTW @unitherm unfortunatel…

Monday, November 21st, 2011

@TomVTW @unitherm unfortunately they do not have wine in them… That would be Amazing if they did tho!


Please visit our newest websit…

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Please visit our newest website! http://t.co/XCkFugEW


The wine line-up! #wine #oak #…

Friday, November 18th, 2011

The wine line-up! #wine #oak #StainlessSteel http://t.co/9fgygi8C


American Oak Wine Barrel • 2…

Friday, November 18th, 2011

American Oak Wine Barrel • 225l • http://t.co/R72P49ud http://t.co/9vpCASLK


Just had our first successful …

Friday, November 18th, 2011

Just had our first successful product training / meeting in our conference room! Thank you to our friends @enpacllc for visiting!


Do you make your own Wine? Che…

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Do you make your own Wine? Check out http://www.miwinebarrel.com #wine #barrels #wholesale


Check out www.miwinebarrel.com…

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Check out http://www.miwinebarrel.com for Stainless Steel and Oak Wine Barrels… one of our newest endeavors #wine #winemaking #barrels


unfortunately we have to find …

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

unfortunately we have to find out office cats a new home, they have been with us since birth are well trained and… http://t.co/LUaIyQVB


Container garden breaks down e…

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Container garden breaks down easily for Winter. http://t.co/lFGxB0n3


Dropping off old laptops (@ PM…

Friday, November 11th, 2011

Dropping off old laptops (@ PME Recycling) http://t.co/5WvPENoG


We Recycle!! #ewaste, cans and…

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

We Recycle!! #ewaste cans and bottles, paper and more! #recycle http://t.co/g5kI8zjo


Just got goodies for this mont…

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Just got goodies for this month customer of the month… Houghton Intl. – mmmmmm Cheese and Carmel corn! [pic]: http://t.co/XQW1nTxE


November eNewsletter is here…..

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

November eNewsletter is here… Smokin’ Turkey, Harold & Kumar, Drum Stoves, Google+, Grape & Wine Conferences… http://t.co/plyehtiO


Office Recycling Systems… How To Start One…

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

We are very excited about our newest product line, Recycling Containers! This past month we started using them in our office. We consulted with Midstates Recycling, on what we can recycle, they provided us with 10 Gaylord boxes to help us get started. We are currently are recycling:

  • Paper
  • Plastic
  • Styrofoam
  • Cans & Bottles
    *Batteries are also being collected.

We hope to see this recycling system grow, we encourage our employees to bring in recyclable material an provided each with a Multi-Recyler to kick-off the initiative. We try and reuse office supplies such as folders, binders, paper clips etc… as much as possible as well.

To start a recycling system first you have to know what your goal is. What you are able to recycle in your area, as well as strategically placing (highly visible) bins for collection.

For more information about Maxi’s Recycling System or if you are interested in starting one for your company, please contact Joshua by leaving a comment below or via email.

View the original (November 2011) eNewsletter this article was featured in here.


Check our our Google+ page we …

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Check our our Google+ page we would love for you to join us on G+!!! http://t.co/MUVW8ae2


Just created our Google+ page:…

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Just created our Google+ page: http://t.co/HiVqXdnY #Google


Pretty cool Squidoo lens: 50 T…

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Pretty cool Squidoo lens: 50 Things You Can Recycle http://t.co/UzIGGZBi #recycle #green #eco


Risks of deep frying a Turkey

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Deep fried turkey is delicious. When done right it is juicy, golden brown, and done much quicker than in the oven. If done wrong, you can sustain serious burns, damage your home and even die. According to data from the USFA, an estimated 2,000 Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings occur annually in the United States, resulting in an estimated average of 5 deaths, 25 injuries, and $21 million in property loss each year. The leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings is cooking. In addition, these fires occur most frequently in the afternoon hours from noon to 4 p.m. One article states the deep frying alone accounts for an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage can be attributed to deep fryers each year.

You can look at YouTube and see some of the results of people trying to deep fry a turkey and ending up with a fireball instead. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Radio Show sets couch on fire.

There are many many more, just search “deep frying turkey disasters” or something along those lines to get the best results.

Every year at this time people come into our office and want to buy one of our smaller steel drums to build a deep fryer for their turkey. They are shocked when we tell them that none of our drums are appropriate for that use. While we have new food grade drums that make excellent smokers, barbecue grills, wood stoves, we feel that the danger and liability for a home made deep fryer is just too great.

So do yourself, and us, a favor. Soak you turkey in brine, inject it with marinade, cook it on a grill (that’s what I do), put it in a smoker, use different rubs or seasonings. Just do not ruin your Holidays by being one of those 5 deaths or 25 injuries. Enjoy this time with your family and friends. Build a fire in a fireplace, don’t turn your turkey into a fireball.


A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Chr…

Friday, November 4th, 2011

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas hits theaters today… make sure to look for our Fiber Drums!!! http://t.co/H1OiKUzx