Small Booth, Big Show: BPM Natural Deodorant at CHFA Now Toronto
If you’ve ever walked the floor at CHFA Now Toronto, you know the feeling: aisle after aisle of polished booths, national brands, big distributors, samples everywhere, and a lot of energy.
Then you turn into the Greenhouse, where emerging Canadian brands set up in smaller 5x10 spaces and pour everything they have into every conversation.
That’s where you found us.
BPM was there as one of the smaller brands in the room, and honestly, that made the weekend feel even more meaningful.
The Lead Up
I’ll be honest: getting ready for the show was overwhelming.
As a founder, there are moments where you’re making a hundred decisions at once without a clear playbook. How many retailer boxes should I prep? How many people will stop by? What should the booth look like? Who should I bring with me for support? What will buyers actually care about?
Then, just a few days before the show, I realized I had planned around a 10x10 booth, but our space was 5x10.
So the backdrop I loved no longer fit. I redesigned the booth setup, rushed a roller banner to print, rethought the table, and hoped for the best.
And you know what? It worked.
Finding Our Groove
We were one of only two deodorant brands in the Greenhouse, tucked between two wonderful neighbours: Morning Breath gum and Lymphology Skincare. Both are thoughtful, original brands, and their booths had great energy all weekend.
Saturday was a learning day for us. We had good conversations, but I could feel that the booth needed something more.
So on Sunday, we changed things up.
I brought one of my beloved Technics MK2 turntables from home (did I mention I used to be a DJ?), placed three BPM boxes and a deodorant tube on the deck, and let it spin at 33 RPM. Vinyl lovers spotted it from down the aisle, and that small detail helped people understand the brand before I even said a word.
I also stepped out in front of the booth, tube in hand, and invited people passing by to try the texture for themselves. Watching people react to the feel of the cream never got old.
That was one of my biggest lessons from the weekend: give people a reason to stop, and don’t be afraid to adjust in real time.
The Greenhouse Community
One of the best parts of the weekend was the community inside the Greenhouse.
The founders around us were kind, generous, and genuinely supportive. Our neighbours at Lymphology were so warm that we eventually took down the wall between our two 5x10 booths and turned the space into one shared 10x10.
I swapped products with the founders of PURITYOU Botanicals. Morning Breath kept everyone supplied with gum. The team at Eden for Women snapped photos during my pitch. Everywhere I looked, people were helping each other.
It did not feel like competition. It felt like a room full of people who understood how much work it takes to build something from scratch.
The 60 Second Pitch
Sunday morning was the big moment.
For the first hour, the Greenhouse opened to retail buyers only, and each brand had the chance to pitch to a room of more than 120 buyers. We each had exactly 60 seconds. If you went over, there was a beep to let you know.
No pressure.
We were all nervous, which somehow made the whole thing better. Founders were cheering each other on, calming each other down, and celebrating every pitch.
In my 60 seconds, I shared what makes BPM different: a concentrated cream deodorant that is baking soda free, wax free, made with sensitive skin in mind, and packaged in recyclable metal tubes.
I also shared that one tube lasts about five months with daily use, that BPM is certified Indigenous-owned and made in Toronto, and that we had earned 4.8 stars from our first customer reviews in under seven weeks of shipping.
The response meant a lot. All day Sunday, retailers came by the booth and told me they had come because of the pitch.
By the end of the show, we had made 55 new industry connections, from independent retailers to larger chains and distributors. I’m personally following up with every one of them.
Food, Tear Down, and the Best Booth Crew
One of the great joys of CHFA is that you can snack your way through the show. My favourite bite of the weekend was the Butter Chicken Naanpanada from Chef Bombay. Absolutely worth mentioning.
As for tear down: true story, I was the last to set up in the Greenhouse and the last to pack up. My things nearly got carted away because I was deep in conversation with the rep from No Pong, another deodorant brand, about distributors and how the show had gone for them.
I also owe a huge thank you to Bianca and Cameron of Ashbi Design, who gave up their weekend to help run the BPM booth. And a very special shoutout to their three-month-old daughter, who was easily the most charming person at the booth.
Would We Do It Again?
In a heartbeat.
The Vancouver show is coming up, and there’s a very good chance BPM will be there.
To any small founder wondering if a trade show is worth it: I’d say yes. It is not cheap, and it is definitely not easy. But the conversations, the retailer feedback, the founder friendships, and the confidence you build by showing up are hard to replace.
A few lessons I’d share:
- Know your retail details: MSRP, wholesale pricing, case pack size, margins, and production capacity.
- Set a clear goal: Mine was to meet 12 strong retail contacts. We ended up with 55 industry connections.
- Bring sample sizes: I brought full-size tubes and gave away 50 to 60 of them. Generous, yes. Budget-friendly, not so much.
- Be ready to adapt: The booth you plan may not be the booth that works best. Pay attention and adjust.
Most of all, thank you to everyone who stopped by, tried BPM, shared advice, made an introduction, or simply offered encouragement. For a small brand, those moments matter more than you know.
We left CHFA tired, grateful, and more excited than ever about what we’re building.
Curious what everyone at the booth was trying? Shop BPM
Are you a retailer? We’d love to hear from you through our contact form.
Follow along: @bpmdeodorant for behind-the-scenes updates and what’s coming next.