Colorful Juicies Sprouting from Hawaii

If there's anything Apple fans like more than Apple products, it's Apple accessories. And a local company is hoping to harness the global hunger for stylish stuff to manufacture Juicies, a colorful line of cables for iPods, iPhones, and iPads.

To make Juicies a reality, creator Laurens Laudowicz and partner Michael Sorenson will be posting the project to Kickstarter, the largest crowdfunding platform on the web. And since the cables will be made with recycled materials, Earth Day -- tomorrow, April 22 -- was the perfect day to launch.

“After doing my research on what type of materials go into the production of most electronics and accessories, I realized how cost effective it could be to make those items from recycled content," Laudowicz said in a release. "Yet I was shocked to discover how few tech and electronics companies are environmentally conscious."

Meanwhile, the market for Apple accessories is worth nearly $1 billion a year. And while the Apple aesthetic trends toward simplicity, few things fire up fans than a choice of colors. (Just look at the ridiculous saga of the mythical white iPhone.) With Juicies, the selection of charging and sync cables brilliantly expands beyond basic white and black. Why not have cables that match the array of colorful cases and covers already out there?

In order to manufacture Juicies at quantities large enough to make them a viable business, Laudowicz estimates that he needs at least $5,000 to get started, but hopes that Kickstarter will help him raise much more. As much as $1 million, he says.

“I think it is definitely possible considering that over 450 million Apple iPods, iPhones and iPads have been sold as of April," he said.

Starting at midnight tonight, people will be able to pledge cash to support Juicies, from $1 on up. And the first 2,000 people to back the project at any pledge level will get an early Juicies cable, worldwide shipping included.

To keep track of the Juicies project, you can "Like" it on Facebook.

In addition to launching Juicies, Laudowicz bills himself as a management consultant, and his other projects include 100% Green, which organizes meetups for people working in environmental fields, and Buddhawelt, specializing in Asian antiques. You can follow him on Twitter at @laudowicz.

Sorenson is a real estate and business investor and consultant, and as Re-Create Hawaii, he does social media strategy integration with clients ranging from restaurants and dental offices to HBO. You can follow him on Twitter at @RECreateHI.