Matt Koivisto, the man behind the manicured beard at the Salmon Arm Barber Shop, has branched out.
The local barber has expanded his offerings with the creation of the Big Poppa Pomade Company, with products including the Big Poppa Signature Hair Wax, Big Poppa’s Beard Butter, Big Poppa’s Beard Oil and Big Poppa’s No Purpose Powder.
Each of these products was formulated, tested on and now sold by Koivisto.
“The no-purpose powder is a general talcum powder used for everything you would use talcum powder for. I’ve got my own formulation in there,” said Koivisto. “The beard butter and beard wax are self-explanatory, they’re for beard products and beard care, and the hair wax is just that, it’s a wax-based product… a wax product holds up better when you’re out on the boat or running through the sprinklers or whatever you want to do here in the summertime around water.”
Koivisto sells grooming products by other manufacturers, both at the shop and online. But it was feedback from his customers that encouraged him to make his own.
“A few of them said, ‘why don’t you make your own?’ I thought, ‘why don’t I?” said Koivisto. “I looked up the regulations and what you have to do to do it. They’re really minimal in Canada so I thought, why not. I came up with some formulations and tested them for a while, tested them with some customers and now they’re on the market.”
Koivisto says the ingredients are sourced locally through Ocean Supply in Tappen.
“It cuts down my cost significantly if I can source local and it’s helping out the local business.”
Koivisto is encouraged that the first two runs of Big Poppa products have almost sold out.
For more information, visit the Big Poppa Pomade Company page on Facebook.
