TAMPA, Fla. — Two attorneys in Tampa are stepping into the entrepreneurial world with a product that’s used for dinner parties and events with food and drinks.

What You Need To Know

  • Pairingware is a new business that was started by two attorneys in Tampa

  • Their product connects cups with plates so people don't have to use two hands to hold the two items

  • One set of Pairingware costs a little under $18 to purchase

Gil Sanchez says his specialty is not decorating for parties. He leaves that up to his wife and business partner, Monica.

But their partnership has created a business you might not expect for two practicing attorneys.

While the Sanchezes love what they do, they’ve always had a creative knack for coming up with different ideas.

“Our wedding, we planned it all, 100 percent,” Gil said.

In 2016, their love for parties and social gatherings led them down a path that eventually ended at the center of their newest business, Pairingware.

“Here, you’ll see our technology is the interlocking system,” Monica said while showing off their product. “So, it’s the cup and the plate. But then all our technology and all our invention comes to the beautiful, seamless way that it locks. And then you turn and it’s secure.”

It’s a simple idea, they say, helps people have a free hand while holding both a plate and a cup at the same time.

“it’s been a labor of love,” Gil said.

It’s taken years of development to get to this point, but now Gil and Monica are able to show off Pairingware at parties.

Even as they continue to practice law, they’re spending as much time as possible working on Pairingware.

“Almost seems like twice a week we’re always at an event, you know, going to a gala or a dinner,” Gil said.

It’s work they say they’re proud of because they spent long hours making sure they’re using plastic that’s recyclable and dishwasher safe while also choosing the right manufacturer so there are no delays in their supply chain.

“That took us about a year to interview different manufacturers, making sure that they could fulfill our order. They were flexible,” Gil said.

In 2022, they were planning on bringing Pairingware to market but decided to hold off for nearly a year because the supply chain was so backed up.

“The backlog was way too much,” Gil said. “It would take eight or nine months.”

When things returned to normal, they launched their company and haven’t looked back.

“We wanted to make sure that whoever grabbed their drink and their food could, you know, do it comfortably and with a good stability,” Gil said.

They’ve partnered with some organizations throughout the Bay area and hope to continue to grow this business so they can hire people locally.

“We wanted to take those special events and make like a deeper connection,” Monica said.

A connection that’s as good a fit as they are for each other and as their cups are for their plates.