Orlando, Fla. (November 1, 2022) – Orlando-based Studio Calathea, a new manufacturer of portable, solar-powered lanterns, is dedicated to making a difference in the world with light by helping in any way they can when disaster hits.

Shortly after the hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the Fort Myers area, Teresa Guastella, founder of Studio Calathea, was asked by a business partner if they had enough inventory to help with both locations in crisis, and her immediate response was yes.

“Many of our neighbors were affected by Hurricane Ian, especially in the Fort Myers area,” Guastella says. “We were certainly willing to help in any way we could.”

Overall, nearly 1,000 solar lanterns were shipped to help with disaster relief.

It’s the latest step in a journey that began with Genesis, a brand brought to market during the COVID pandemic. Guastella says she was very surprised by the response they got from their first run of Genesis lights.

At that time, Studio Calathea transformed from a traditional live event and production design agency to bringing a new unique, and portable outdoor solar light that folds flat, to market and used in several segments such as events, patio decor, camping, active life-style gear, and more.

The company is currently working on the next generation of lanterns with new high-end features not found on any other light.

As the new version comes to market, Guastella says they will continue to offer the tier-one Genesis brand for emergency preparation and disaster relief as an add-on option with their new premium products set to launch this Fall.

Currently, the portable solar lights can be found online at StudioCalathea.com, Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, HomeRoots, and in stores at several independent retailers

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For more information please contact:

For Studio Calathea:  Teresa Guastella, 352-988-3483, teresa@studiocalathea.com

For the UCF Business Incubation Program: Michael Weiss, UCF Business Incubation Program, 321-281-8384, Michael.weiss@ucf.edu or Alan Byrd, Alan Byrd & Associates, 407-415-8470, alan@byrdconnections.com

About Studio Calathea:

Headquartered in Orlando, FL Studio Calathea is a gold standard provider of portable solar lanterns and products for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing, distribution, and customer service. For more information, please visit StudioCalathea.com

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:

The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is a community resource that provides early-stage companies with the tools, training and infrastructure to become financially stable, high growth/impact enterprises. Since 1999, this award-winning program has provided vital business development resources resulting in over 300 local startup companies reaching their potential faster and graduating into the community where they continue to grow and positively impact the local economy.

With eight facilities throughout the region, the UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Corridor, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties, and the cities of Kissimmee, Orlando and Winter Springs. For the 2017/2018 fiscal years, the activities of these participating firms have helped to sustain more than 6,725 local jobs and have had a cumulative impact of over $725 million on regional GDP and over $1.3 billion on regional sales. During the same period, the program has returned more than $12.00 in state and local taxes for every $1.00 invested in the program. In addition, for every $1.00 of public investment the firms also produced $118 of additional regional GDP and $226 of regional sales.  For more information, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu