There must be a ton of brands out trying to steal your niche of organic hair products for men. What about HUE makes it easy/hard to try to appeal to your market? How have you adjusted your plans?
Flattery is the way we look at it. As we grow, we know there will be many more brands that try to “flatter” us. Our brand was built in multiple stages, which gives us a blueprint that others can only follow vicariously. HUE is made for a certain type of gentleman that has been underserved in this market. As long as we remain true to our branding strategy, we are confident our customers will gravitate toward HUE and remain brand loyal.
Where did you even start in your global search for the ingredients you guys use? I kinda imagine what the Kashi people did in their commercial. How has the search gone so far? Is there a super tough ingredient you guys have been after this whole time and can’t find? Or is very rare?
The creative geniuses behind HUE recognized the need for superior products that were derived from nature. We traveled the world to remote regions of the Amazon, Africa, and island locations to find the best ingredients. We made a commitment to fuse 21st century technology with natural ingredients. Our products are naturally derived, free of silicones, petroleum, and parabens. While formulating and testing on men of every HUE, we found that our products are for Every Man.
Obviously, we can’t expose our formulas but we can tell you one of the key ingredients in HUE is Moringa Oil, which comes from the seeds of the Moringa Oleifera tree, a fast growing leafy tree native to the Himalayas. Due to its numerous antioxidants it makes it highly sought after for a number of health, beauty and grooming reasons.
Can you explain why the “u” in “HUE” looks more like the Greek letter, mu? Is it for symmetry for some reason?
Very good! We wanted the U to be special in appearance and meaning. The U evolved symbolically from the word “unity” among the diverse tones & shades (multi-cultural men). The Greek letter mu evolved from the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for water. Symmetry in the design of the U was for balance.
You guys are composed of an interesting team of various backgrounds. How has your individual past experiences helped with HUE? What new challenges have you faced?
We all have very complimentary areas of expertise, which adds to our chemistry as a group. We came together with the common goal of making great products and creating a successful brand. We are all very humble, yet very competitive and driven to succeed. We are respectful of what each other brings to the table. Trusting in one another is key. Being on a team means we ALL have to experience things together as a team. How we manage crisis, success and adversity is key to our growth individually and as a business.
You have a lot celebrity endorsements as it is, from barbers to rappers to athletes. Can you name a few?
Our Master Groomer Marcus Harvey uses it on all of his clients such as Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Grant Hill, Chris Webber and other A-listers.
Right now you only have the pomade and I know you plan on doing shampoos/conditioners. What are the next few steps though? Will you guys ever try your hand with women’s hair?
We will offer a complete line of grooming products for the HUE man. We are in the final stages of production for our next products that will include a shampoo and conditioner. We are constantly formulating and testing products, some work and some don’t. We will never put out a product that we can’t stand behind 100%.
Who knows what the future holds, right now we are concentrating on being the best product in men’s grooming.
Bryan Hahn (@notupstate)