It can’t be true that you have to order thousands of pieces…

2000> Rene Tea

It al began in the year 2000, the year that Rene opened his first hairdresser’s after the takeover of the olders men hairdresser’s in Breda. Not only the costumers but the also the business went through a metamorphosis and got a international character. In this small hairdresser rene opened every costumer got an home made herbal tea at arrival. Costumers felt welcome and very positive. Soon costumers where asking if the tea was for sale. By the demand of the tea Rene asked his designer to create a shapely label and went in search for an supplier for recycled glass. Zo his first private label was born without knowing there where hundreds more to follow.

 

2004> before you know you have you own label.

Rene already had 2 hairdressers and 1 beauty salon. On his own products he brought labels and stickers provided with logo and website information. Costumers were really inpressed by the design logos and thought he had his own brand. (What most people do not know is that they are a brand, everyone is their own brand).

 

2007> Rene’s first batch

After several years of giving advice to a big cosmetics production company with hair-products being sold in over 25 countries , Rene launched his first compact line of 13  hairdresser products. These were first sold in salons in Breda and Utrecht

2008> Distribution

Because of the popularity of the product amongst consumers, the idee of expending the product line emerged. Rene formed a team to distribute and sell amongst hairdressers. This cause even more input from the market.

2012>Don’t sell no, you don’t think so…#@?

More and  more hairdressers asked René if he could help them with their own line and house style. The problem here was that in order to set a good price, minimal volumes had to be purchased, which was a problem for most salons. The available packaging for small numbers was so spartan and did not fit with fashion. For example, we were only able to operate chains and wholesalers, but not the beauty salon or hairdressing salons.

2013> like a child in a candy factory

The former producer was in financial need due to mismanagement, which meant that René had a chance to take over the production. A dream that came true for René. He quotes: “this felt like a film where a little boy in a candy factory discovers a world”. This was a leap in the deep and opened new possibilities, a new world where there are many opportunities for those who understand the market. In the Benelux there is no training for cosmetics, luckily René had a top team of professionals and feeling for the cosmetics industry.

2014> Pruning  to the trunk

 

Because he had to the production al by his self the distribution didn’t really kick of that well.

What resulted in the cost being higher than the revenue, and to have a high quality product as now he needed money to invest in a new infrastructure.  We had to take this seriously to run an successful operation. So we decided to produce larger quantities of products to our partners. But still using our own ingredients and unique formulas.  Because of this difficult time, René was forced to prune everything that was a hobby garden. The hardest part was the sale of René’s obsolete machinery.The most potention and new orders where in privaye label. The complexity in legislation and file formation is a stumbling block, but outsourcing has provided us with a good grip on the situation so we could start focusing.

2015>  Our strength is NPD (new product development)

Started with Bottlex. R & D department where people started to focus on NPD, productions from 1200 pieces for customers who want a unique formula.

Bottlex distinguishes itself through customization in formulas, packaging and design. In 2015, however, a turnaround was achieved and a financial boost.

2016> Handbooks are a must for a creative team

2016 showed continued growth, with an increasing need for overview and structure. The son of the investor moved from Enschede to Brabant to strengthen the team.

A start is made with a CRM system / production software that contributes to the smooth processing of all linked processes.

2017> Oh yes, and this was just a hobby ……

In 2017, Rene has been a company for ten years. And so the company entered a new phase, .René has already sold his other companies and wanted fully focus on putting Bottlex on the map. New challenges arise , such as meeting the many guidelines of the GMP.In May we found a building that perfectly fits our vision, image and green environment.

 

2018> White label: no entrepreneur exclusivity

When Bottlex announced that it was going to open a department for small numbers under the name White Label with  already 6 market-ready lines, the mailbox almost blew up.  Bottlex had more orders than they could process in just a month. So the company decided to start a crowd funding and the first quarter of a year it had to expand and automate the machinery park. This resulted into a webshop focused on business to business and costum made products.

2019>WHITE LABEL launched a new skincare line in January 

Now we have a new skincare line that you can personalize to your taste / style and is all produced in the Netherlands. The compact product line that provides cleansing, care, anti-aging, tanning, hydration and firming of the skin are specially designed for beauty salons and pharmacies. The products contain only natural ingredients and active ingredients. This high quality skin care can be completely personalized with your own name & logo in your own house style. You can supply your own design or use our skilled designer for a personal label. The white label stage have a special airless vacuum system which keeps the contents of the products even longer good. With this skincare line you can distinguish yourself from other salons with your own personalized skincare products. And unlike other private labels, you can order in small quantities here, starting from 12 pieces without renouncing the excellent quality. This way you can start your own brand without investing a lot in large numbers.