Our spotlight member this month is Thomas Frismodt and his company, Danican. Thomas and his wife Naomi introduced their company to the U.S. Market in the SSA Las Vegas showroom about 5 years ago, and have become anchor exhibitors. Thomas is now the Vice Chairman of the SSA Board of Directors.
Let’s hear their story, in their own words (what they call their rags to redemption story) and how they’ve gone 100% private label.
Who is the little Danish company that grew its business over 500% in five years? If you guessed Danican® – you’re right!
Thomas Frismodt and his wife, Naomi, created Danican® (a name that blends their Danish/American heritage) in 2000. They adventurously moved Danican® from its roots in Aarhus, Denmark, to America in 2012. Their goal was to supply the market with affordable luxury in bedding.
“It hasn’t always been easy”, admits Frismodt recalling that first year in the states, “We lost our biggest account within months of arriving – and with our three kids to feed.”
He persevered and looked for creative ways to expand their client base. They were offering a suite of products from their inventory line, which at that time included mostly mattresses and pillows.
Thomas visited the SSA portion of the Las Vegas show in 2013 and realized this was a great place to showcase his products. He liked the volume of foot traffic he saw and the flow of many companies exhibiting side by side in one showroom. By the next show he was exhibiting there with several other building brands.
“The foot traffic was always great,” he shares, “buyers always make sure to cover ground at the SSA portion of the show.”
Naomi works with a showroom customer at Market
Little by little, things began to turn around for Danican®. They began providing cooling fabric to a large American mattress manufacturer. Then they were asked to supply a mattress protector program for a 2500+ European based chain. And not long after that, they began providing private label mattresses for multiple clients in the U.S. and Canada. Today their products are in more than 30 countries around the world!
Thomas attributes this success to two things:
1. Factory relations and trust. He has spent much time in Asia building relations and sourcing technologies. Over the years he has broadened his manufacturing relations to Europe and America. He believes trust is a key element when finding the right factories and he’s learned that the hard way. “I want our customers to benefit from my lessons. Our current factories are trustworthy, timely, and deliver quality.” he says.
2. Innovation and problem solving. NOBODY wants bed bugs – and this was a real problem for certain clients. That is how Thomas came upon the idea of creating a detachable “extra” layer on a 6-sided, fabric treated mattress encasement. This alleviated much suffering in the hospitality industry where housekeepers were constantly lifting mattresses to change protectors. Danican’s® encasements/protectors are also a lifesaver in the rent-to-own furniture sector where millions of dollars were previously lost on used furniture they couldn’t resell due to hygiene issues.
Fabrics
Organic Linens
As a true leader, Thomas joined the SSA board in 2018. As CEO of Danican®, he sees this membership as a way to give back, and to build stronger relationships with leaders of other exhibiting companies. He has a lot of experience to share and looks forward to building an even stronger market for all.
