Crosby’s Sticky Business
SAINT JOHN – Most families can’t get through a dinner together, let alone successfully run a company for over five generations.
But that’s what Saint John-based Crosby’s Molasses has been doing for over 136 years – and they’re doing it well.
James Crosby, who became the company’s president in December, has a few ideas about why that is, one being that molasses doesn’t have a huge market to begin with.
“I think we’re a unique industry. The molasses market is not really big enough to attract a lot of competitors,” Crosby says.
Then there’s the fact family business is pretty much built into the East Coast DNA.
“I think just generally speaking in Atlantic Canada we have a lot more family businesses than you might see in other parts of the country or the U.S. because there’s a little bit more pride in ownership, maybe a little more connection to the community,” Crosby says.
“I think there’s a lot of family businesses that could sell if they wanted to sell, but I think take pride in that fact that they’re family owned and they want to keep it going.”
You may not have noticed this, but there are other brands of molasses other than Crosby’s. However, one of the ways Crosby’s has managed to dominate the market is through one of Saint John’s biggest assets: its port.
“I think our geographic location is a big part of it. We have a bulk storage and handling facility right here on the Port of Saint John,” Crosby said. “That facility became operational back in the 60s and that in a way revolutionized the molasses industry because we were able to import in bulk and receive tanker ships.”
Crosby’s Molasses users haven’t typically been those in the younger demographic, but that seems to be changing. In December the Globe and Mail published a piece naming molasses as one of the biggest food and drink trends of 2016. Crosby says molasses is starting to reach a new audience.
“That’s really what we’re trying to accomplish,” Crosby said. “It’s a natural sweetener and I think people are a little bit more mindful about what they’re eating and where their food comes from. When people are cooking from scratch or baking, we’d like them to think about molasses as their alternative sweetener of choice.”
But doing this won’t happen overnight, that’s why bringing molasses from grandma’s cupboard to her grandchild’s is one the company’s major goals this year.
“One feature in the Globe and Mail is not going to necessarily turn the tide. But we can reach out to strategic users whether they’re celebrity chefs or just people who have influence. We’re trying to generate some buzz around the product,” Crosby says.
But it’s also not just the product (though it makes so many things delicious), it the story and the memories engrained in the Crosby’s brand.
“It’s not so much the product itself, but the experience of using the product and the idea that there are some traditions that are worth keeping,” Crosby said. “It’s about the time spent with your loved ones or family, taking time to prepare your food.”