Moncton’s Prelam Enterprises Finds Export Success in China
In 1999, entrepreneurs Luc Jalbert and Don Goguen created Prelam Enterprises, a small Moncton-based air freshener company.
In the eighteen years since the pair has managed to attract great media attention for its ever-expanding product catalogue. Their bestselling Just’a Drop, a personal bathroom odour eliminator, has been featured on Dr. Oz, CBC’s Venture, and the Howard Stern Show.
Opportunities NB (ONB) takes an active role in helping New Brunswick businesses like Prelam with international trade, emphasizing the unique requirements of prospective exporters seeking market diversification and/or expansion.
Prelam participated in the New Brunswick government’s multi-sector trade mission to China last fall. As part of the agenda, Prelam had a series of meetings with both e-commerce and traditional retail leaders. Working with ONB and its partners including the Trade Commissioner Service, Prelam was able to determine exactly which steps it needed to take in order to sell in China. From those initial meetings, it was determined that Chinese customers preferred less scent than their North American counterparts, this would mean making slight modifications to Prelam’s formula.
Now, one year after its introduction to Chinese retailers via that initial trade mission, Prelam has broken into the enormous Chinese market. Thanks to multiple follow-up visits and interactions with potential buyers and importers, Just’a Drop and its sister product Just’a Spray are now available in multiple Chinese retail locations.
Fittingly, Prelam’s success saw its beginnings in China years ago. “I found an odour neutralizing liquid in China. I brought it back and Don and I tested it; we loved it. We reworked the formula a bit so that it was truly our own, and a product was born. We kept telling people “just a drop” is all you need and that just stuck,” noted Jalbert in a 2016 interview with ONB.
Prelam Enterprises will look to expand on its initial success in the Chinese market in mid-January 2018. The company will be one of several New Brunswick businesses taking part in the next multi-sector trade mission to China.
Recruitment for this mission is still open. To be a part of the mission, contact the Opportunities NB Export Development Team at [email protected].
This post is sponsored by Opportunities New Brunswick.