The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is one of the largest producers of teddy bears and the largest seller of teddy bears by mail order and internet. The company handcrafts each of its teddy bears and produces almost 500,000 teddy bears each year.

The company was founded in 1981 by John Sortino, who sold handcrafted teddy bears in an open-air market in Burlington, Vermont. Sortino happened upon the idea of packaging and selling bears through the mail when a tourist visiting Burlington wanted a bear mailed to her home. The concept was called the "Bear-Gram", which features the customized teddy bear placed in a box (complete with an "air hole") and stuffed with other goodies. In 1990, the company began its first advertising campaign in New York City and the company was flooded with orders, sending the company into a rapid growth phase.

By 1995, the company moved into its new headquarters in Vermont's Champlain Valley. The company currently has two factories: one in Shelburne and one in Newport.

The bears from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company remain wildly popular and successful due to their popularity and their customizability. The company produces bears for many life events and holidays, like birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, weddings, graduations, new babies, get well soon bears, anniversaries and, of course, Valentine's Day. They also offer embroidery and custom-made bears.

Sister Companies

There are a total of four companies under the Vermont Teddy Bear umbrella. The sister companies of Vermont Teddy Bear include:

• Calyx & Corolla - Flowers
• TastyGram - Gourmet food gifts
• PajamaGram - Gift pajamas

External link

• Vermont Teddy Bear Company
• Calyx & Corolla
• TastyGram
• PajamaGram