In 2005 Alana and Bianca Alicea discussed the idea for an all-handmade jewelry company that could have unique stylish designs while still being American made. With a background in jewelry design and hailing from Rhode Island, which was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World", both women decided to put their innovative skills to good use and help bring manufacturing back to the states. The mother/daughter duo started out with a small, few hundred dollar investment and big ideas. They turned their dinning room into a small home office and studio for their new company. After MANY sleepless nights and endless hours of dedication their business was starting to thrive. Within a few short years they grew from a home office to full scale 5,500 square ft production facility with 25 employees, inclusion in retail locations, a fundraising division and countless happy customers. Eleven years later and ChubbyChicoCharms is now an accredited company with the Better Business Bureau, a member of the Northeast Chamber of Commerce, winner of the Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Award and has received Rhode Island Monthly's Enterprising Woman of The Year Award. With the expansion of their fundraising program ChubbyChicoCharms has helped thousands of organizations raise millions of dollars in much needed funds for education, illness awareness, children's groups, sports teams and so many more. None of this would have been possible without dedication, hard work, a tight knit family, and a mother/daughter team that strive for excellence and success.