Patrick Brown and Scott Ponder began working together for a simple reason: The longtime friends wanted to build something together.
The "two enterprising gentlemen" ended up creating Ohio Valley Beard Supply, a brand that develops and sells a line of products for beard growth and cultivation.
They landed on this particular product line after they realized how hard it was to find good products to take care of their own facial hair — or their customers' (Ponder owns Northside Chop Shop, an area barbershop).
After brainstorming ideas and developing a logo (courtesy of Brown's design skills), the duo officially launched the Ohio Valley Beard Supply.
Its first offering was Beard Elixir, followed by lines of conditioners, balms and mustache wax.
And, of course, a space to develop and sell from. Though one might think of a small-craft personal goods maker operating in a garage and peddling at local markets, OHVBS operates on a larger scale (though they did get their start at local markets). In fact, they work out of the Losantiville Design Collective in the old mill house, among a group of product makers that share the space to build their own products.
Additionally, the duo landed a deal with Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, which counts two area stores among its many locations.
“They sell almost our whole line,” Brown said of Fresh Thyme. “They’re a really great partner.”
It's in stores like these — up-and-coming markets that are looking for local products —where the team hopes to grow their business.
Another thing that has helped the small product maker grow is their participation in First Batch, which is a local accelerator program for product makers. They help connect companies with mentors, partners, design and legal resources, seed money and a local manufacturer that can help a company produce their wares.
It wasn't the first of such programs for the team, which graduated from the ArtWorks Co-Starter Program and won ArtWorks Big Pitch, where the prize was a $15,000 grant.
“That’s actually helped us to scale even more,” he said. “We’re able to secure more products from our producer.”
