IN FRENCH | About our jewelry line, and how's life in Quebec City :) Original press release here .
Translation:
The success of Joachim and Sébastien in Quebec.
Sometimes it is the expatriates who best promote the craft of their home land. This is the case of Joachim and Sébastien. Originally from Issoudun and Chateauroux respectively, they settled in Quebec City in 2002. After various professional experiences, they opened a jewelery store in 2011, Bijoux Bleu (1), to sell jewelery created by local artisans. No jewelery of 100% Quebec products existed then. "We've always loved crafts and there are a lot of craftsmen here who work the jewelry," says Joachim, on the phone. We can guess a slight Quebec accent, acquired after years spent in the Belle Province. "For a year, we worked in collaboration with a dozen artisans, whose products we sold. Then we opened a website and we had requests from abroad. People are fond of everything that is done locally. "
Little by little, their clients ask them for more precise jewels. The two Berrichons then decide to start manufacturing, self-taught. Their collection takes the name of Sébéjo - the meeting of their names, Sebastien and Joachim - and promotes the daring and colorful creations. "The first year, we really sold a lot of our jewelry. This accounted for 60% of our in-store sales. We were very surprised. Their website is also growing in size. "We mostly have customers from Canada and the United States who have spent their holidays in Quebec. "
Sebejo: their own jewelry collection
The Sébéjo brand now plans to leave Quebec. Canadian stores will, this fall, stock up on jewelry to offer to their customers. "We have a representative in Ontario, for after-sales service and promotion, and we're doing one in the United States. Our next step, by early 2017, will be to find representatives in France. A kind of homecoming that will allow them to spend a little more time in France. Without thinking of leaving their adopted country, "where life is less stressful and where you take the time to live and enjoy".