A Moncton-based lip balm company says sales are up by almost 90 per cent because of the “Buy Canadian” movement spurred by a trade war with the U.S.
They’re getting an influx of new customers eager to replace their usual purchases from American companies.
Sylvie Roy and Mario Leblanc, who own Eclair Lips, are busier than ever fulfilling orders.
The husband-and-wife team had initially been worried about the potential impact of American tariffs because roughly 65 per cent of their business was based in the U.S.
However, the Canadian response to support local businesses has been overwhelming.
“People are just on fire about wanting to replace everything American with something Canadian or even people from other countries, they want to buy Canadian and not buy American,” Roy said.
She says the company has also been appealing to a new, older demographic than before.
While U.S.-based sales have declined a bit, they’re getting support notes from American customers.
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“Most of the ones that order are leaving a note saying they love Canada, they support Canada and they’re upset to see what’s happening. So it’s nice to see that solidarity south of the border,” Roy said.
Other New Brunswick companies are feeling the impact of the changing trade environment too.
Chocolate business LaRouère buys mostly Canadian supplies, using a Canadian importer to source cacao beans. The chocolate is made and packaged in their downtown Moncton location.
“We’re seeing a lot of curiosity and people asking us about our supply chain but we’re not seeing that translate in numbers,” said Andre Cormier, the company’s co-owner.
Cormier and fellow co-owner Robin Streb believe fears of a looming recession are at play.
“This is a very high-quality product so it has a little bit of a higher price point and obviously people are nervous about the economy, so I’m sure that that’s affecting how much they want to spend on things like this,” Streb said.
— with a file from Global News’ Rebecca Lau
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
