Mint condition
By Gwen McNamara, Assistant Editor
Princeton Business Journal | April 20, 2004

Click here for PDF (2.3 MB)

Fresh out of college, three Ivy League grads create a cool line of mints.

Take a philosophy major, a history major and a guy with a flare for graphic design and what do you get? Why, a successful mint company of course.

No really, it's no joke.

Inspired by a conversation outside the Cork Screw Wineshop on Hulfish Street, Jeremy Kahn and Jon Harris, both Princeton University graduates, and Henry Rich, from Harvard, teamed up to found Oral Fixation Mints, LLC.

And now, one year later, with the trio's sleek-looking product in the hands of everyone from local patrons of area businesses, to celebrities like Janet Jackson, Brittany Spears and Tim Robbins, the company is looking to become "more than just mints."

"We really view this company as a means to reach an end, which is not necessarily only about selling products or making money," said Mr. Rich, 23. "Ninety percent of the time people are doing everyday things with mass-produced products. They have no personality.

"With our mints people are making a statement," he continued.

"We want to be more than a mint company, or a food company, or a brand," added Mr. Harris, 24. "We want to create a culture."

To do so, Oral Fixation is getting involved in causes it feels are important and creating a way for people interested in their product to connect.

Recently the company teamed up with Grey Goose Vodka to sponsor a benefit for the American Cancer Society.

"We'd like to get involved in sponsoring more art or music events as well, and are working on setting up an actual art gallery on our Web site," Mr. Harris said. "It will feature young artists in the area and have their work for sale. Ultimately we'd branch out nationally."

In addition, the company has plans to create an Oral Fixation "black book."

"This new venture would start mainly as an online mailing or newsletter," Mr. Harris said. "The purpose is to create a community of likeminded people. Similar to how Howard Dean created meet-ups, we'd use it as a way to bring people together, conduct surveys, have events.

"We're always thinking about what we're really all about," he continued. "Our flavors, design, social conscience — it's always evolving."

The process began back in the spring of last year when Mr. Kahn, 24, and Mr. Rich were taking a break while working at the Cork Screw Wineshop.

"I was jonesing for a cigarette and said something to the effect that I must have an 'oral fixation,'" said Mr. Kahn, a Princeton native. "Henry was like, 'That's the 80th time I heard someone say that,' and from there it became the idea for the company."

Mr. Harris, a computer science major, was brought in to conceptualize the aesthetics of the company, including logos and packaging, and they tracked down retired confection expert Walter Vick, who worked on Lifesavers candies, to create the Oral Fixation flavors.

There are currently six flavors — Mojito Mint, a lime-mint cocktail; 7 Deadly Cinnamon; Night Light, a caffeinated chai mint; Spare Mint, a spearmint; Classical Peppermint; and Sugar Free Tibet, a sugarless mint that donates five percent of its proceeds from purchase to finding a nonviolent solution to the Chinese-Tibetan conflict.

The mints, sold in colorful pocket-sized tins, are available at several area stores, including the Cork Screw Wineshop, on Hulfish Street, Small World Coffee, on Witherspoon Street, Bon Appetit, in the Princeton Shopping Center, and The Brothers Moon restaurant in Hopewell.

The mints are also available online at www.oralfix.com, where customers can even BYOB — Build Your Own Box — mixing and matching mint flavors.

"We're not just found in the food-based arena," Mr. Kahn said. "We fit in with a lot of markets. Our first trade show was a fashion trade show in New York City at the Javits Convention Center. Our product is also featured at hotels, spas and clubs."

"It's even being sold at a health food store in Cambridge, (Mass.) where it's offered as a smoking substitute," Mr. Rich added.

Celebrities are getting their hands on the mints as well, after they were handed out at events like the Grammys. Janet Jackson, Brittany Spears, Tim Robbins, Carmen Electra and Al Gore are all reported to enjoy the breath fresheners.

But it's not just the mints that are popular.

"The mint cases too serve double, triple duty," Mr. Rich said. "They easily hold credit cards, business cards. They really function as an accessory, plus they're recyclable.

"A lot of times when you're going out you don't want to carry a wad of cash, or bulky wallet with credit cards, etc.," he continued. "Our mint case is slim, carries the essentials and fits in your pocket."
It also doesn't take up a heck of a lot of room in a purse if you still want to go the traditional route, Mr. Kahn pointed out.

The mints are made on a World War II-era tablet machine located in a factory in Bristol, Pa., and packaged there as well. The business' office operates out of the Chocolate Factory in Hopewell.

Starting the company was a bit intimidating, given the guys' lack of conventional business training, but after some do-it-yourself training in things like trademark law, and helpful advice from family and friends like Craig Battle, managing director at Tucker Capital on Nassau Street, the trio have been successful.

The young entrepreneurs even raised all their capital "in house."

"It helps to be young," Mr. Kahn said. "We have friends all across the country that help spread the word about our product and we're not so successful yet that people don't care. This is a competitive industry, but it's our attention to detail that distinguishes us."

---

©PACKETONLINE News Classifieds Entertainment Business - Princeton and Central New Jersey 2004

Close Window | Oral Fixation Home