Florida Water Is the Fountain of Youth For Company's Long Life

New Jersey Business, Dec 2007 by Aloe, Gina

Two centuries is a long period for any institution to last. Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co., Inc. of Westwood, however, has almost reached that milestone. On Feb. 14, 2008, the company will celebrate its bicentennial.

Lanman & Kemp-Barclay's most popular product, Florida Water, is not just any liquid. It was first publicized as a multi-purpose toilet water, after Robert J. Murray founded the company in 1808.

Today, the product is still the key to its success. Daisy Villegas, general manager, believes that the reason Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co. has lasted so long is because, regardless of a few company name changes, its main product has remained the same over the years, including the formula and even the label. Florida Water is a multi-purpose cologne for men, women and children with over 20 uses. "It's very popular down south in the summer," says Villegas. "You can use it in the hot weather ... it keeps you cool ... and it's also very good for insect bites. If someone has a fever, you can give [him or her] a rub down with the product and it actually brings the temperature down." Other advertised uses for the toilet water include the relief of headaches when the water is applied to the temples, as well as the relief of seasickness and fatigue.

Villegas feels strongly about the product, as it was used on her as a child. "My mom used it on me when I was younger ... and I use it on my own daughter," she says.

Although Florida Water has become its main staple, Lanman & Kemp does produce other health and beauty products. There is Florida Water soap, Reuter soap, and an array of hair tonics, sprays and colognes.

Villegas says that with the anniversary approaching, the company is releasing products to attract a new, younger audience. "We have four new body splashes that just came out: Patchouli, Rue, Sandalwood and Violet," she says. There is also a soap-on-a-rope collection as well as a new fragrance for men and women, soon to be released, which is a different type of cologne compared to Florida Water. For 2008, Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co. is also releasing a gold-label version of Florida Water, which will be a collector's edition.

Florida Water has also made a name for itself over the years as the product has been supplied to overseas troops. "One of the mothers called us and wanted to send over a few bottles to U.S. soldiers in Iraq because she heard it was good for hot weather," says Villegas. "It is a useful way for soldiers to keep cool and bathe."

A different product the company has been releasing for years is Bristol's Illustrated Almanac. "It's like a farmer's almanac. It is printed in Spanish and English and we release about three million copies a year ... It has weather forecasts, horoscopes, jokes and more," says Villegas. The almanac has been around since 1832.

The Canadian owners of the company employ 14 workers in New Jersey, as well as about 150 workers in their manufacturing plant in Arequipa, Peru, with offices also in Lima. The Westwood warehouse outputs about 18,000 bottles of Florida Water each day. Annual sales, which are about $4 million, are focused mainly in the Hispanic community. "It is also very popular in Canada and we do very well in the southern U.S.," says Villegas. "We also sell in South America, Ghana, London, India, Spain and Ireland, to name a few places."

Villegas says that the company wants to continue focusing on its No. 1 product, but mentions the possibility of a future teenage line and baby line of products.

In regards to how this company, with little changes over the past 200 years, has remained successful, Villegas says that the one word would describe it: consistency.

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