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Edmonton company gets on the gravy train with poutine lip balm

Dripping with gravy, laden with squeaky cheese curds, poutine is Canada’s humble delicacy. Now you can keep that drool-inducing flavour on your lips all day, with poutine-scented lip balm.

'It almost curbs the cravings for poutine, because you just get that little whiff on your lips'

Wallis Snowdon · CBC News ·
Two Edmonton-based companies have come together to create a lip-smoothing product for the Canadian consumer who just can't get enough poutine. (CBC)

Dripping with gravy, laden with squeaky cheese curds, poutine is Canada's humble delicacy.

Coveted for its rib-sticking (and hangover-curing) properties, the dish has become a sort of glue that binds the country together.

Now you can keep that drool-inducing flavour on your lips all day, with poutine-scented lip balm.

The gloss is being served up by Edmonton's La Poutine restaurant and food truck, in collaboration with Wild Prairie Soap Company.

"It almost curbs the cravings for poutine, because you just get that little whiff on your lips," said Lindsey Robbins, co-owner of La Poutine, and Edmonton's self-proclaimed poutine queen.

Soap-maker Tanya Zurock (left) and La Poutine owner Lindsey Robbins (right) cooked up the idea while chatting about the ins and outs of running a small business. (CBC)

"It's unique, it's different. It's out of the box. And you wear can it all day. It's kind of comforting."

Apparently, when it comes to Canada's love for poutine, Robbins and soap-maker Tanya Zurock figured it was time to get on the gravy train.

'People are loving it'

The pair were meeting to chat about the daily grinds of small business ownership when inspiration struck. They decided to use their combined business savvy to create a new recipe for success.

The most Canadian lip balm ever?

8 years ago
Duration 0:19
Edmonton-based La Poutine and Wild Prairie Soap Company collaborated on a gravy-scented lip balm the creators say almost curbs poutine cravings.

"This was a totally different concept so I thought, why not give it a try and see what we can come up with," said Zurock.

"And when I read that KFC was going ahead with a fried chicken-scented sunscreen, I knew we weren't totally clueless. There is definitely a market for these kinds of off-the-wall products."

Top-secret recipe 

Although the exact recipe is top secret, the lip balms are made with a base of sweet almond oil, beeswax and cocoa butter. Robbins and Zurock worked with a company specializing in flavour profiles to get just the right gravy scent.

The new business duo started serving up their one-of-a-kind creation in September, stocking the restaurant and soap shop shelves with plenty of supplies.

Just in case you weren't sure about the 'Canadian-ness' of the product, its packaging lists: gravy, cheese curds, french fries, prairies, mountains, maple leaf, toque, hockey and "eh!" (CBC)

Robbins says their suspicions were right: people are hungry for meat-infused beauty products. Customers are eating it up.

"We've had a lot of people rush in to buy them as stocking stuffers. We've had brides buy them as the take-home gifts for weddings. We've had a lot of positive response.

"People are loving it."  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wallis Snowdon

Reporter

Wallis Snowdon is a journalist with CBC Edmonton focused on bringing stories to the website and the airwaves. Originally from New Brunswick, Wallis has reported in communities across Canada, from Halifax to Fort McMurray. She previously worked as a digital and current affairs producer with CBC Radio in Edmonton. Share your stories with Wallis at wallis.snowdon@cbc.ca.

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