Case Studies
| Company: | Nature's Baby Natural Skincare |
After meeting Copernicus at an International Business Day, they helped us research the Scandinavian market and launch our products. Nature's baby products are now sold to every major pharmacy, department store and boutique, and have also been made available through the midwifery system within Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Summary
The creator of Germany's first therapeutic, natural skincare product range for babies, is now reaping the rewards, having cracked one of the most lucrative export markets in the world, Scandinavia. Katarina Farfi is founder and proprietor of Nature's baby Natural Skincare. After leaving school at 16, this young entrepreneur forged a successful writing career as a beauty editor for a popular Austrian magazine. She went on to use her creative skills, developing body care products and accessories for major Austrian fashion retailers for several years, before being retrenched during her first pregnancy due to a forthcoming company closure.
Nature's baby now offers 24 products for babies and mums-to-be and unlike most other baby product suppliers, chooses to utilise licensed premises for manufacturing, resulting in positive feedback from hospital staff in several countries.
Success in the domestic market led to making contract with Copernicus at an International Business Day. Copernicus identified the strength of the opportunity when they met, after having spent time researching Scandinavian brands available. They now employ 4 staff to look after the Scandinavian market alone. Nature's baby products are now sold to every major pharmacy, department store and boutique, and have also been made available through the midwifery system within Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Most defining moment
Biggest challenge
Having developed one of the first ranges of its kind in the world was a huge challenge. Using natural ingredients in favour of less expensive, synthetic or chemical ones, posed a pricing problem between existing product and Nature's baby at a retail level. Also, as a result of penetrating an untapped market, a number of copycat producers surfaced (and still do) who use information from our web and brochures to produce their own material. The resulting legal actions have taken up a lot of energy and finances.
Advice for other exporters
Do your homework in relation to trademark and common law rights. Use local experts like Copernicus. Access the network of information available, particularly if you have a unique product - Apply for export assistance grants. Be passionate, believe in yourself and never give up.
What to be careful of when exporting
Take care to protect yourself from being infringed upon. If you don't have trademarks and patents covered in the region you plan on exporting to, best to wait. It is worth spending a small fortune registering trademarks and domain names in different countries enabling you to trade in USA when another large company had a similar name. You must check out legalities first and earmark finances accordingly if you plan to be around for the long-haul.
To find out more about how Export To Denmark can help your business, please call us on +44 (0) 870 879 5309
or e-mail us at info@exporttodenmark.com
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