New Outdoor Retailer Exhibitors: PowerIce, Moosetache Games and Oiselle

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show July 31 – Aug. 3. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update and upload the articles to our searchable archives.

About 250 brands were new to Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013. We take a look at a couple that caught our eye at the show.

>> PowerIce / www.powerice.com / Grant Fenton, president / Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Grant Fenton on PowerICE: “All athletes — especially outdoor athletes — must battle overheating which inhibits top performance. We’re all looking for an effective way to cool off. Studies have shown runners who ingested ice products before workouts were able to run 19 percent further before exhaustion set it. PowerICE is a great-tasting, frozen, hydrating ice bar designed to enhance the performance of athletes by cooling the core body temperature while replenishing lost electrolytes at the same time. A 1.7 ounce frozen PowerICE bar contains only 30 calories, no high fructose corn syrup, stimulants, artificial colors or artificial flavors. It contains 17 mgs of potassium working with 25 mgs of sodium to maintain the body’s proper fluid balance for high-level performance.”

Tell us about your brands and products. 
There are two great flavors — Lime Kicker and Orange Blast, with more on the way. The bars come ready to freeze in boxes of 6, 10 or 18. They contain no high fructose corn syrup, stimulants, artificial colors or flavors and no gluten, so most everybody can enjoy them.

What were you doing before this? 
I have also run an investment fund over the past 16 years, where an opportunity to become involved in PowerICE was presented to me recently.

Where did your inspiration come from? 
It seems as though we’ve become programmed to think most hydration products just won’t taste great if they are to provide any benefit to us. All ages love the taste of PowerICE. There are few frozen healthy products and none with electrolytes.

What’s the one best feature of your product? 
They taste great!

What has been your biggest challenge? 
It is almost as if we are creating a new industry — a healthy frozen product that is great for athletes. This is great opportunity, but also presents a big challenge in educating the consumer and creating brand awareness for a new industry.

Who do you look up to in the industry? 
The performance athletes who train every day, who are in tune with their bodies and want to improve their time or performance.

>> Moosetache Games / www.moosetachegames.com / Cristina Ramos, co-founder / San Francisco

Cristina Ramos on Moostache Games: “Our mission at Moosetache Games is to encourage creativity and spread joy. We’re driven by the idea that anyone any age can keep the spirit of play alive. By developing games that spark social connections and showcase the beauty of the great outdoors, we hope to bring people together and infuse fun into each day. We genuinely believe that our nature- and ocean-themed games are a great pastime for active families, friends, kids and outdoor enthusiasts across the board. Both Hike and Rowboat’s compact size and inexpensive price point make them perfect for on-the-go fun, camping or as a rainy day distraction!”

Where did your inspiration come from? 
Our games are the result of our love for the great outdoors, bringing people together and the desire to be a catalyst of fun.

What’s the one best feature of your product? 
Both our one-on-one and group game demos held at various events around the U.S. have made it clear to us that Hike’s best feature is its user-friendly nature themed design. From an end-user standpoint Hike’s design strikes a really nice balance of being playful, inviting and informative. The “Play” bar located at the bottom of the suited cards shows players which three suits can be played next, which for the most part takes the intimidation factor out of learning how to play. This universally appeals to players of all ages. For younger players, Hike encourages cognitive learning and teaches children about the great outdoors, since gameplay reflects the rules of nature.

What has been your biggest challenge?
One of the biggest challenges we faced when starting our business was searching for a reliable, professional vendor to produce our products. We’re true believers in quality over quantity, and were in search of a trustworthy, long-term partner versus a short-term solution. 

Who do you look up to in the industry? 
As a small company, we have so many people and brands that we look up to in the industry, ranging across the most established to the newer companies taking chances and successfully keeping the dream alive!

>> Oiselle / www.oiselle.com / Sally Bergesen, founder & CEO / Seattle

Sally Bergesen on Oiselle: “I like to say that our mission is making women happy! We do that by creating designs that are ‘feminine fierce’ — beautiful, flattering and thoughtful, but also athletic, gutsy and tough as nails. Like women runners!”

Tell us about your brands and products. 
We believe in the bigger picture of running and the sisterhood that it offers. Our product is merely an expression of our love for that community. We design for our friends, sisters and family — women who inspire us near and far. It started with a quest for non-poofy shorts. Thus the Roga. A booty flattering beauty with more stretch than any stretch woven on the market. Other bottoms like the Lesley Knicker and Distance Short are perennial favorites. Now our tops, tanks, long sleeves and outerwear are really stepping up. Above all, we stay laser-focused on phenomenal fabrics, simple but beautiful designs and our feminine fierce aesthetic.

What were you doing before this? 
Creating brand strategies for companies large and small.

Where did your inspiration come from?
Women athletes.

What’s the one best feature of your product? 
Our product line is too diverse to bring it down to one. An example, however, would be our new Flyte Seamless collection we’re launching this fall. After a lot of research and market analysis, we believe we’ve come up with the best-fitting seamless available. Think less body-hugging awkwardness and more soft, fluid comfort.

What has been your biggest challenge? 
Simultaneously managing the big picture and the essential details. Every business needs both. We’re not immune from drifting to one end of the spectrum or the other, but we’ve gotten really good at course correcting.

Who do you look up to in the industry? 
I’ve always been a fan of the clean, modern aesthetic that Nike has honed so well. I’m not a big pink or paisley girl. I admire Lululemon for showing the world that women want to live in well-designed sporty clothes even while we differ on aesthetic.

Who do you want to compete against in the industry? 
To quote world-class runner Lauren Fleshman: “I’m not gonna lie. I wanna beat ’em all.”