Garcoa
Operating since 1983, Garcoa has developed programs and products in such categories as hair, skin, foot, bath and baby care; topical remedies; hand sanitizers; pet care; and household cleaning. As part of its team concept focus, it has expanded its portfolio to include more upscale items and upgraded its packaging with new designs and label materials.
Garcoa is also concentrating more on proprietary/control brands that offer innovations in both packaging and product. These concepts are targeted to align closely with the retailers' objectives and their customers' expectations. Garcoa is supported by several creative marketing and graphic artist teams that help retailers compete with national brands.
Proprietary or controlled-label brands are trademarked and feature stylized packaging, with promotions and marketing based on consumer demographics.
Garcoa now has six plants in the United States, one in Canada and two affiliates in China, where it has its own quality-control staff on location. The Chinese plants are manufacturing under the guidelines of Canada Health on Garcoa's behalf. Domestically, the company has over 2.4 million square feet of space and manufactures close to 600 different products. It is putting up a new facility just to manufacture items with high alcohol content, which will occupy more than 315,000 square feet.
With the swine flu outbreak, Garcoa was called on by many retailers to manufacture millions of units of hand sanitizers in 10 days or less. The company met the deadline for every order.
Garcoa has a new, modernized distribution center in Chicago that is more than double the size of its former warehouse. The additional space could foster expansion into Latin America. The company is also moving its home office into a larger space in Calabasas.
On the national brand front, Garcoa is promoting its Blue Goo pain relief line more aggressively, most recently with a $2 coupon in a freestanding insert in several key markets across the country.
The success of the champion Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, for whom Blue Goo is the official pain relief product, has helped the brand. Blue Goo is doing so well that Garcoa is considering launching new sizes and expanding distribution to new trade classes.
Recently the company received the Category Colonel Award for skin and bath products--an accolade it won earlier for hair care--after an industry vote.
