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the names “mountain fresh,” “Timber,” and “Pine Tar” conjure images of the wooded Appalachians and the mountaineers who surmount them. Mountaineers are symbolic of the state and are often depicted as rugged beardsmen. In fall 2013, Mountaineer Brand began with a beard. West Virginia native Eric Young was looking for a product to condition his facial hair when he discovered he could make beard oil in his home kitchen, inexpensively and with no artificial ingredients. He used oils such as jojoba, castor, grapeseed, almond, and coconut as well as shea butter and beeswax to create a product that keep his beard healthy and strong. Ever the entrepreneur, Young listed his beard oils on e-commerce websites. The first product Young developed, WV Timber Beard Oil, reached the first page of search results on Amazon within its first year and hasn’t left since. “Things just took off,” Young says. Like Young’s beard, orders began to grow. He moved his operation from his home kitchen to a 2,600-square-foot building on his property. He quickly outgrew that space and, in order to meet customer demand, moved into his current 10,000-square-foot location in Martinsburg. Mountaineer Brand had filled a bald spot in the beard-oil market and has since expanded to include bald head care products, too. In 2018, Young’s wife, Tenise Young, joined the CEO and founder as the manager of production flow and coordination. She speaks about the freedom that comes along with using Mountaineer Brand products. “Our products affect everyday life by keeping you healthy. You’re not putting any toxins on your body. You can at least rest assured that’s one of the things you don’t have to worry about.” the importance of using all- natural products, and what they hope for the future of Mountaineer Brand. mountaineerbrand.com, @mountaineerbrand on Facebook Here’s what the Youngs have to say about men’s grooming,
What has caused the rise in the popularity of men’s grooming? ERIC YOUNG: What has really brought men’s grooming to where it is today is beard care. I think men have always been doing this; they’re just admitting to it more now that they see other men doing it. Why are all-natural body care products important to you? TENISE YOUNG : Eric had a wife who died of breast cancer. I feel like that was the turning point for him—his health and his body. It’s becoming more and more important for people to take care of what goes on their bodies. If you’re not taking care of yourself, what’s going to happen? Tell us about your products. TY: We emphasize the importance of self-care for men with our products. That’s something men don’t seem to think they need to do the way women do. EY : We’ve spent time researching what these oils do and which ones work together. With our premium line of beard care, we think we’ve come up with the best combination of essential oils in a product. None of our products have an artificial fragrance; it’s all natural essential oils that have a purpose. How do you work well together? TY: Eric has this infectious spirit. We work so well together because we decided to be a team. We’re not in competition with one another; we have a like-minded vision. We always try to stay positive and it’s always the road forward. What do you hope for the future of the business? EY : Somebody asked me that when I was in the other building at the house. I said, I’d like to get to a place where I had to move. Within a year, I was out of there. Now the goal is to get as big as it can get. We’re going to have everything a man needs to take care of his body.
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