- The manufacturing industry employs more than 140,000 people in the northeast Wisconsin region, according to New North
- Favoryt is a family-run business in Seymour
- Watch the video to learn how the company started, and grew
A new business often tries to meet a need for customers.
But the Woods family started Favoryt by trying to meet a need of their own.
"We had four kids and my husband who dealt with sensitive skin, along with myself... eczema, just sensitivities to a lot of the products on the market," said Amy Woods, who co-owns Seymour-based Favoryt along with her husband, Josh.
The family started the company in 2021.
Amy said their first product was for beards, because what was on the market irritated Josh's skin.
"We started in the house, and then I cleared out the laundry room for him to work..." Amy said.
The beard product went from something used by her husband Josh, to something available for sale with the help of Josh's brother, Dartavious Woods, who is a barber in Appleton.
"It started with us, me and my brother, having beards," Dartavious said.
"He thought, 'Hey, you cut hair, so why not have a product in your shop?'"
Dartavious said he uses one of the Favoryt brand products on about 40 percent of his customers, and many of them, he said, end up wanting to buy some of the product for themselves.
Favoryt moved into a building in downtown Seymour in April of this year, and is continuing to grow.
"Business is good," Amy said.
"We've been blessed with a lot of opportunities."
The company is now in Hy-Vee, the grocery store chain, for example.
Manufacturing in Favoryt's Seymour facility can be a family affair, with Josh filling product bottles and a family member then attaching a label.
And Josh says his son helps manage 3D printers in their shop.
"It's awesome to have him by my side... both learning as we go," Josh said.
As the company works to make customers happy, Amy said they have solved an issue for their family, too.
She says Favoryt's products work for her daughter's sensitive skin, when other products did not.
"We were spending hundreds of dollars on different ointments, seeing so many different doctors," Amy said.
Favoryt is Amy's full-time job; Josh works full-time as a welder and works at Favoryt on his off time.
The manufacturing industry employs more than 140,000 people in the northeast Wisconsin region, according to New North.
Note: The Greater Green Bay Chamber is celebrating Manufacturing Month in October. Each week this month, NBC 26 is featuring a different manufacturing business in northeast Wisconsin.
