W.S. Badger: Good Stuff

The old-fashioned approach still works for this all-natural line of skin care balms.

By Janet Herlihy, Editor

As much as the U.S. consumer is always ready for the next high tech “must have,” there’s still something we love about an old-fashioned, down home approach—whether it’sapple pie, blue jeans or a line of skin care products.

The W.S. Badger Company, Gilsum, NH, stresses its simple philosophy as the tag line on its current catalog, “Good stuff, fresh from the Badger mines.” The company’s balms, potions and natural remedies rely on natural ingredients, including extra-virgin olive oil, cocoa butter and beeswax, and essential oils including rosemary, peppermint, eucalyptus and balsam to provide simple comfort and pleasures for a stressed-out market.

The packaging features an ensemble of cartoon badgers reminiscient of illustrations in Beatrix Potter and Lilian Hoban’s books that are created by a group of artists. The copy, written primarily by owner/founder William F. Whyte, is gently humorous and communicates relief from the over-worked, modern work world, according to company executives.

Badger uses almost no plastic in its packaging; only the pump spray attachment on Aloe-Ha Mist is not glass or metal. SKS Bottle & Packaging, Mec­hanicville, NY, supplies the cobalt blue glass bottles for the Aloe-Ha Mist line. The tins that hold most of the line in .75-oz. and 2-oz. sizes are made by Muller & Bauer, located near Stuttgart, Germany. Europack, based in Medfield, MA, is the exclusive distributor for Mueller & Bauer in North America.

“The two-piece tins are a tinplate steel that is coated with a lacquer base and then printed with a four-color lithography process,” explained Mike Meyers, spokesman for Europack.

Even the 2 x 6-inch gift box for the company’s recent “Beauteous Box & Three Bold Balms” package is fashioned out of wood to complete the natural, rustic theme. Display boxes and counter platforms are also handcrafted of wood.

A small, entrepreneurial company, The W.S. Badger Company was started in 1994, when Mr. Whyte, then a carpenter, mixed up the first batch of Badger Healing Balm to help heal his own cracked and chap­ped hands. The formula of extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, beeswax, aloe vera extract and essential oil of sweet birch helped Mr. Whyte’s hands and “a business was born.”

Mr. Whyte explained that Badger has grown from that first Healing Balm product-by-product in response to customer requests.

“We’re very small and limited in space, but we’ll add products carefully,” Mr. Whyte said. Currently, the company is working on “Moon Balm,” a product to relieve PMS cramping, and a range of bath salts.

The line, including Lip and Body Balm to Sore Muscle Remedies, now finds its way to consumers through a wide variety of channels: hardware, sports and gardening stores, a pharmacy on Madison Avenue in New York, Harrod’s in London, the company’s website www.badgerbalm.com and a direct mail catalog.

Mr. Whyte explained how distribution became so diverse. “It happens all the time. Our U.K. distribution came about when a fellow happened upon the Balm in a New York pharmacy and called us to distribute it because he liked it so much.”

Badger shops the world to create its line. The organic extra virgin olive oil comes from Spain, essential rose oil comes from Bulgaria and, “We get a wonderful ginger from Madagascar,” Mr. Whyte added.