Interview with the Founder of GROOM: a local journey fueled by passion and innovation
May 23, 2025
For over ten years, GROOM has established itself as a must-have men’s grooming brand made in Quebec. At the heart of this adventure is Julien — a literature enthusiast, world traveler… and lover of well-groomed mustaches. He shares with us the unexpected beginnings of GROOM, his unique journey, and the artisanal philosophy that still guides every product in the collection today.
1. What was your background before starting GROOM?
My background is quite eclectic! From a young age, I had the travel bug, which led me to leave my hometown of Drummondville to attend CEGEP in Quebec City. That wasn’t quite far enough, so I spent a few years wandering — mainly in Europe, but also in South Africa. When I returned to Quebec, I settled in Montreal and completed a degree in literature, all while developing an interest in wine and hospitality through my job at the SAQ. By the time I started GROOM, I was working in the restaurant industry as a bartender, waiter, and sommelier.
2. What inspired you to create GROOM?
GROOM started with a very practical need: I needed wax to style my new mustache! At the time, I couldn’t find any in stores. My friend and former roommate was growing a beard, and he realized he needed products to take care of it properly. That was the starting point! Then, I realized how much of a privilege it is to work in this field. Grooming products are things people use every day to feel better. There’s something beautiful about being able to offer products that contribute to people’s well-being.
3. Can you walk us through your product creation process? What inspires you - textures, scents, rituals?
The main creative process usually starts with: “Okay, where are we at now? What would make sense to add to the line?” Since the product range was built one or two items at a time, it followed a logical order (for example: beard oil before beard wash). Some products were sparked by discovering a new or unique ingredient. It’s quite an organic process. Then, we focus on making something that makes us say, “Wow — this is the best product I’ve ever tried.” A good example is our Hand Cream. Before ours, I’d use hand cream maybe three times a year. Now, I keep a jar in my desk drawer and use it every single day in winter!
4. How do you choose your ingredients? How important is the local aspect?
In our industry, sourcing locally can be tricky. But whenever we can add a local touch, we do! For example, some of our soaps include ground fir needles (sourced from the Laurentians) or espresso coffee grounds (recovered from Café Pista on Beaubien Street). As for everything else — boxes, labels, shipping supplies — we source them from local suppliers.
5. What's been the most complex product to develop?
Our Shaving Cream is kind of a “cursed” product in terms of production! It was launched in 2017, but we’ve had to tweak the formula several times: sometimes a batch would separate, other times it would harden over time and become hard to use. It’s our chemist’s nemesis, because we insist on avoiding certain ingredients that require toxic solvents during manufacturing. That’s the challenge of sticking to our mission of using only clean, healthy ingredients.
6. What are you most proud of since founding GROOM?
We recently passed the 10-year mark, and honestly, that feels pretty wild! If you’d told the guy making homemade mustache wax prototypes back in 2013 that he’d still be going strong 12 years later — with dozens of products in the lineup — he wouldn’t have believed you. Another thing I’m really proud of is our loyal customer base. GROOM fans are enthusiastic and appreciative, and that means the world to me.
7. What would you say is the band's signature product?
That’s a great question. Our Beard Oil will definitely always be part of our identity — we were the first to market one in Quebec (maybe even in Canada!). But I think we’ve really moved beyond the “beard brand” image. The huge popularity of our Stick Deodorant, launched in 2020, is a great example of that.
8. Do you have a personal favorite product - and why?
That’s a tough one — I love them all! But I might have a soft spot for our Body Soap bars and our Mattifying Face Moisturizer. Just don’t tell the other products ;)
9. Any secret or fun anecdote you'd like to share with ou readers ?
Remember the ground fir needles I mentioned earlier? They come to us in bulk — and we actually remove the twigs by hand before using them. It’s a very zen task!
