Company expands globally as business thrives

The move by Jesmonite is part of a plan to establish 20 new distributors worldwide in the next 12 months as the company continues to grow.

Jesmonite, based in Bishop’s Castle, produces a multi-purpose flexible product which can mimic any material and colour used in architecture, construction, arts and crafts.

The company’s four new distributors are Casting Co in Singapore and South East Asia, Fibertek in Canada, Kaster in Korea, and Silgram in Greece.

Tim Sharman, Jesmonite sales director, said: “These are exciting times for the company as we continue our international expansion and are delighted to announce these partnerships which establish our first distribution base in four different areas of the world.

“The reputation of Jesmonite is growing as more and more people realise its advantages and we need new distributors to meet the increasing demand for our product – in April, May and June this year between 60-80 per cent of our sales were going overseas.

“Our aim now is to get 20 new distributors worldwide within the next year – a move which has already been greatly helped by the launch of our YouTube channel showcasing what Jesmonite is all about.”

Casting Co was created by architect Halim Wahab and interior designer Joyce Orallo to stock Jesmonite after using it for a year in their craft business Chokmah and receiving increasing numbers of enquiries for Jesmonite from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

Halim said: “In architecture in Singapore we use a lot of concrete. The country has been struggling to find and use a more green and environmentally friendly material – and this is it. We are very excited that we can now become a distributor and make the process of getting Jesmonite quicker for people in South East Asia.”

Family-run Fibertek has become the first distributor of Jesmonite in Canada – a move which has meant a huge shift in the focus of their business.

Rick Jarnell, of Fibertek, said: “We had numerous artists that had used Jesmonite while working in the UK and we kept getting asked if we could bring the material into Canada. There was a huge demand and we just couldn’t say no as we knew the market was there. Once the TikTok video release of Jesmonite went viral, we got calls from as far away as Jamaica and Mexico.”

Junghwa Lee decided to launch Kaster in Korea to help with the health of both the artists and the earth in her country.

She said: “Jesmonite Korea supports creators to produce works and encourages bespoke objects with the sustainable creating environment for the future.

“The main reason I chose to introduce Jesmonite to Korea through Kaster is that it is a non-toxic material and it means artists can work freely in a healthy environment.”

George Grammatopoulos has run Silgram in Greece for almost 25 years, selling silicone for mold making to architects and the creative industries. He was introduced to Jesmonite and despite no one having asked him if he sold it, he decided he had to become a distributor.

He said: “I now have lots of new customers who keep contacting me – big businesses for bathrooms and statues as well as people who want to make small creative models from it. I look forward to demonstrating and showing people how to use Jesmonite as well as seeing how creative people can be with it.”