How a Failed Cocktail Shaker Inspired Two Diplomats to Launch an American-Made Barware Business

In 2020, U.S. diplomats Kris Forrest and Rebecca Beardsley hosted a
cocktail party, but their shaker just wasn’t up to snuff. So they
decided to make their own. Forty cold calls to American steel
fabricators and many YouTube CAD tutorial videos later, they
launched C&D Tools, a veteran- and minority-owned company.
Within six months, they had landed a feature in The New York Times
and sold out their entire stock. Here's why Made in America was
foundational to their business plan from the start.  Photo
courtesy of C&D Tools