The Quebec company responsible for manufacturing and marketing the SnowPeeler snow shovel for clearing snow from roofs is setting out to conquer Europe.
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To achieve this, the SME Les Produits Polarmade is obtaining financial support from the City of Quebec of up to $150,000 as part of the Valo-Capitale component of the Quebec 2026 Entrepreneurial Vision.
Over the past five years, the SnowPeeler has carved out an enviable place for itself in the market in both Canada and the United States, where the company generates close to 50% of its sales.
To be able to deliver quickly, Polarmade has a distribution center in Vermont. Its products are sold both on the web and in hardware stores.
Grow one shovel at a time
“We are able to ship the orders we receive from major distribution networks such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Costco the same day, anywhere in the United States,” says Benoit Mercier, President of Polarmade Products.
On Amazon, the SnowPeeler shovel is among the best sellers on both sides of the border. Among our neighbors to the south, demand is concentrated in the Midwest.
In Europe, where the company has big ambitions, Polarmade is in its infancy.
“We started selling online this year and the objective of our marketing project for the next two years is to continue our momentum with Amazon, but also to break into the hardware market in France, Germany and in Swiss. »
During its first steps on the other side of the Atlantic last fall, the company had to deal with logistical challenges that are now a thing of the past.
100 percent local
“All our products are made in Quebec by us, manufacturing, packaging and shipping, and almost all of our raw materials also come from suppliers in the Quebec region. »
If Polarmade has managed to climb to this level one shovel at a time, the international is a must in its development.
“For us, selling outside Quebec and internationally is a matter of survival. If we were just in Quebec, we wouldn’t have the business we have. »
“This winter is a good example. Apart from the last storm, we would be on the straw because it is the second winter in a row where there is no snow. »
The company of eleven employees and four million turnover targets regions in Europe that receive more than 150 cm of snow annually, such as the French Alps.
Other financial partners are supporting the commercialization project, including the Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation and Canada Economic Development. In all, the marketing strategy is valued at nearly $507,000, including $167,000 that will be drawn from company funds.
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