Joshua Tree salves & saves outdoor enthusiasts' skin & lips

When Dave Lawrence says his business is going to the dogs, that’s a good sign. Torrent, his Australian Shepherd, is a trade show and expo goodwill ambassador for Joshua Tree Skin Care (JTree). Offering a collection of lip balms, healing salves and face sticks d e s i g n e d specifically for people who lead an active outdoor lifestyle, JTree just celebrated its tenth anniversary. In 2007, Lawrence bought the company, and Torrent was an important factor in making this decision.

He noted that the canine, “Is the brains of our whole operation! He is unrivaled at drawing traffic into our booth at the trade shows and expos we attend. He is one of the smartest, best-behaved dogs I have ever known. He has never left my side since he was a clumsy little ball of fur four years ago. Torrent was also a big part of the motivation for running this company, as he was not allowed at my previous engineering job.”

Originally established in a small town outside of Joshua Tree National Park, JTree's healing salve immediately gained a loyal following among the rock climbing community. All products are made using a unique process of slow-roasting the finest organic herbs with other natural ingredients, including beeswax and cocoa butter. One of those enthusiasts was Lawrence, an avid rock climber who used a JTree hand salve designed for rock climbers.When he discovered that the company was for sale, Lawrence left the tech firm for which he had done product development, bought JTree, and started manufacturing in a backyard shed.

As the company has expanded into larger quarters, JTree's team of on-the-go climbers, cyclists, runners and skiers continue to research and develop potent herbal products that heal skin after tough workouts and protect it from the effects of harsh natural elements.

Besides protecting skin, JTree is invested in saving the environment, offering organic, all-natural products.

Under Lawrence’s stewardship, retail distribution has increased more than 85 percent. It is available in retail locations throughout the United States and Canada and online at www.jtreelife.com. JTree has also created successful partnerships through private label deals with such outdoor industry brands as Mountain Gear, Osprey and Sterling Ropes. Currently, the company sells 10,000-20,000 lip balms, 3,000 salves and 1,000 sunscreens per month.

Having had “great success in retailing through specialty outdoor shops and bike shops” during JTree’s first decade, Lawrence added, “Our current goal is to bridge the gap into the mainstream markets with regional and national chain accounts, such as natural food stores and fitness centers.”

JTree products have been touted for their ability to heal everything from diaper rash and bikini wax burns to latex chapping, stretch marks, mosquito bites and sunburns. Less conventional applications cited by users include: bike chain lubrication, makeup removal, leather waterproofing, squeaky door hinge lubrication, chain saw repair, and entertainment for a family cat.

Lawrence noted, “We have put a lot of effort into creating a very professional brand image to support the premium products we make. Lightning Labels has been a big part of that achievement, as without their digital printing, professional labels for all of our SKUs and packaging would be cost prohibitive.”

He added that, “They print the labels for all of our products, as well as the products’ point-ofpurchase (POP) display cases.

We also rely heavily on them for our private label lip balm business. We really appreciate their vivid high-resolution printing, multitude of substrates, and the flexibility for multiple versions. The instant online quoting is also very useful when we are bidding custom jobs for our customers.”

Label application is performed using a hybrid of manual machine and hand application techniques. Noted Lawrence, “We have some manual labeling machines for the regular shape jars, but for our slim fit lip balm tube, labeling is still done by hand. For our big production runs, we outsource the labeling to a variety of ladies around the lake, who take a break from knitting to do the labeling.”