The Rise of Small Batch Beard Companies

It seems a lifetime ago when I started blogging on this website and back then I was sucked in to becoming an ambassador for The Beard Struggle. I soon realised though, that there were much better brands out there with much better products. This year we will see The Rise of Small Batch Beard Companies!

What does small batch mean?

Small batch production is literally creating a small amount of product at a time. Typically, this is less than 500 units. This is definitely going to be higher than what most of the smaller beard companies will produce at one time. A lot of them will make the product as it is ordered.

There have always been small batch companies, mainly starting from the US and often alcohol related companies. Whiskey is often made in small batches which comprises a select number of barrels. These are mixed together to create the taste.

Here is the actual definition of Small Batch according to the English Oxford Dictionary.

• Designating or relating to a type of small-scale production in which goods are made in limited quantities, often by means of traditional or artisanal methods.

#smallbatchbeardco

After writing my blog The Beard Struggle – Exposed I tried to think of the best way to put small batch beard companies on the map. Instagram seems to be a great place for the bearded community to come together so that was my starting point.

I started the #smallbatchbeardco on the back of that blog and I put out the first post using the hashtag on the 18th October. It has taken off since then and I am extremely grateful for all the people who have used it. In fact there are over 1k posts on it already!

This is only one way of highlighting the great work that beard companies put in to bring you amazing products. It is also great to see the amount of support from other reviewers and also between the beard companies themselves. It’s a fantastic community and one I am proud to be a part of.

 

The hard work!

The hard work that goes in to making these oils is often under appreciated by consumers. A lot of the owners of SBBC (Small Batch Beard Companies!) work full time, have a family and then work on their products. Often perfecting and packaging them into the early hours in order to give you top quality oils, balms, butters and more.

They spend hours trying out different carrier oils to make sure they benefit both beard and skin. Then there is the scent. Fragrance oils or essential oils are used to bring together a great scent that people will love. Once they have found the right mix of everything it is time to test it out.

Most of them will try out their oils themselves or on someone close to them. If everything goes well they then have to apply for a CPSR.

What is a CPSR?

A CPSR is a Cosmetic Product Safety Report and it is a legal requirement if you want to sell cosmetic products. If a company doesn’t have one of these then they are breaking the law. This will result in a fine and potentially a prison sentence.

Any SBBC that is serious about selling products will have one of these but they aren’t free. CPSR’s cost money and they need to have one for each individual product but once they have arrived, the company can start to sell their goods.

One piece of advice, don’t buy any beard products that don’t have a CPSR!

Reviews can help

That’s right, reviews can help with the rise of small batch beard companies. If you have bought a product from a company and you like it then leave a review. It might be on their website, on Etsy or on Google reviews. These really help them to grow and gain more customers as well as giving them more exposure.

There are also reviewers like myself who test out the products and research what they are all about. In fact there are more and more reviewers of beard products on websites, Instagram and YouTube. There is a sad side to reviewers as not everyone is honest or does their research.

Some of the so-called reviewers are just after free products which is a shame for the companies that are trying to make a name for themselves. Honesty is the only way to help SBBC grow and be recognised. One person who I trust when it comes to reviews is Daniel Docking. He actually wrote a passionate piece about fake reviews. Check it out on his website www.docksbeardedreviews.com.

So, what’s wrong with big name brands?

We come to the big name brands or supermarket brands. What’s wrong with them? Nothing really, although the quality is rarely as good because the essential oils are bought in huge quantities and used sparingly. There’s no love or passion involved in making them either. It’s all about making as much money as possible.

The so called “big brands” usually charge more for their products as well. They spend big money on advertising and marketing the brand and this can have a huge impact on smaller companies.

Most importantly, the bigger brands don’t care about you, the customer! SBBC will jump for joy when they receive an order and they are so grateful. They will literally do anything to help their customers and this is what makes them so great. The personal touch is so important and I feel this is where the rise of small batch beard companies will really happen.

Support the Small Batch Companies

People are getting wise to the lavish and often cheesy advertisements that the big companies use and are starting to realise there are much better products on the market. We don’t want pointless gimmicks, we want quality products at a great price!

There are loads of SBBC and some of them might even be local to you. Get yourself on to Instagram and give them a follow. The more exposure they get, the better it is for everyone. 2021 has to be the year that we really do support our small local businesses and if you have a beard then SBBC are the only way to go!

Click on my insta link to check out what Small Batch Beard Companies I follow, the.beardedbrit. Give me a follow while you’re there!! I will be posting company overviews of the best Small Batch Beard Companies the UK and Eire have to offer over the next month. Look out for them coming soon.

 

That’s it for today! Thanks for reading The Rise of Small Batch Beard Companies and don’t forget to subscribe!

Take care and keep growing

Tony