Montréal travel pillow firm Ibboo has set its sights on acquiring multi-channel listings in travel retail with planned appearances at this year’s TFWA Asia Pacific and World Exhibitions.

Translated from the French for owl ‘hibbou’ (masculine), the product (US$40) offers head and neck support for travellers and uses memory foam that can reduce ambient sound.

An upgraded kit (US$60) includes a *memory foam lumbar cushion, arm bag, eye mask, earplugs and small compression bag for portability.

“The goal for this year is to make Ibboo available in different travel retail stores and enhance the comfort of thousands of travellers,” said the company.

“We know what travellers want: to have the best flight experience without having to pay for first class. We believe that the best travel experiences start with the right products in the hands of the right people. Because of travel retail, Ibboo is optimising the comfort of passengers right from the start.”

TRAVEL RETAIL FOCUS

Ibboo is the brainchild of dynamic entrepreneurial duo – and brothers – Philippe and Simon Dallaire.

Borne out of a desire to tackle what they view as a common problem experienced by travellers – the lack of full head support hampering quality rest during flights – the Dallaires founded Ibboo in 2015.

Following several prototypes, the brothers recruited professional designer Josée Proulx to push product development to the next stage.

Since then, Ibboo has secured business with traditional retailers and ecommerce platforms and garnered international attention by winning the Prix Lauréat Local Mauricie of the Osentreprendre contest and being selected among the top 10 Canadian companies featuring in the 2018-2019 cohort of Futurepeneur Canada.

Recently, Ibboo opened a new office in Shenzhen, China to bolster its domestic presence in the country.

This adds to its HQ in Montreal and 20 distribution points across Canada and the US including Amazon, Best Buy and CAA-Quebec stores.

Now, it plans to optimise its supply chain and amplify its exposure in travel retail through different partnerships.

Last year, the company joined forces with Give Back to Nature, a project supporting reforestation projects with the target of planting one million trees in developing countries. Ibboo says the initiative is helping to offset 7,058 metric tons of carbon annually.

For each pillow and cushion sold, a tree is planted in a region decimated by deforestation.

*Available as a standalone sku (US$25)