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Here’s the first post, in case you missed it.

I had to share some more of the promo for the event. This appeared on Facebook via the
CALIFORNIA Cafe.Bar.Grill’s profile page (which is where the event is being held). This is the “official” launch of the Snoloha brand in Germany, thanks to our distributor “Customfashion International Trends” and of course the hardwork of my licensee in Spain “Makani Lanakila S.L.”

There will be Snoloha Coffee, they will feature Snoloha the Drink, there will be Snoloha gear, models wearing Snoloha gear on inline skates and a skateboard show.

“Klingt wie Spaß” (sounds like fun…I think I said that right).

This is pretty cool…our German distributor Customfashion International Trends is hosting a “Snoloha Street Party” at the CALIFORNIA Cafe.Bar.Grill located in Nürnberg, Germany at the end of this month (August 28th).

From their newsletter (click here to check it our yourself):

“Zum Thema Sommer passt unser neues Label ebenfalls “SNOLOHA”

Wie auch immer, Snoloha ist mehr als nur eine Marke oder der Schauplatz von einer Insel. Snoloha ist Lebensart. Snoloha ist der Ausdruck wie wir Leben, Arbeiten, Spielen, unsere Freizeit gestallten einfach das Leben genießen von hier bis zur Antarktis. Es ist der Lifestyle für jeden Tag, manchmal, einmal im Leben oder gar für immer. Es verleitet zum Träumen und weckt die Sehnsucht in uns zu entfliehen auf unsere kleine private Insel. “

Here’s a shot of Snoloha on display at a kids only store located in Almunecar, Spain. The store is called “Duendes”, which according to Google Translate means “elves” or “little people”.

Here’s a couple of pics of one of our new retailers carrying Snoloha in Santa Fe, Spain. Santa Fe is located in Granada, which is the southern part of Spain near the Mediterranean. The town was originally built by the Catholic armies besieging Granada (c. 1490) after a fire destroyed much of their encampment. One of its sister cities is Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Apparently there is more news to share with Snoloha International growth…and I’ll do just that when I learn more.

Notice the sweet Snoloha banner we had printed up for them to use.

The news continues to be pretty bleak regarding the European economy, and even more so in the country where my Snoloha Licensee in located…Spain.

However, we are not just sitting back on our hands, hoping and waiting. We continue to be proactive and focused on slow and smart growth…pretty much the same strategy I’m following here in the US.

As a result of this balancing act of being being patient, yet proactive, there are still exciting steps forward being made across the pond.

The new Snoloha distributor in Germany recently sent out the newsletter you will see below. Though I have no idea what it says, it features the Snoloha brand…pretty darn cool to see.

And our next Snoloha retailer is located in Santa Fe (Granada, Spain), which this is the place where Columbus signed the agreement, financing the trip with the Spanish Catholic Monarchs in 1492, before he bumped into the Americas.

We will have photos soon of some of our Spanish retailers.

I’ve been working with my Licensee in Spain (Makani Lanakila S.L) and our efforts of growing Snoloha throughout Europe. As many of you readers may know, we struck a licensing deal about 2 years ago. Makani Lanakila S.L has the rights to manufacture, market and sell Snoloha throughout the European Union.

Growth has been slow, but mostly for 2 reasons:

The first we have control over…we are planning on slow, manageable growth while keeping the integrity of the brand in tact.

The second…not so much control over. The economic meltdown didn’t just happen here in the U.S. Spain has been hit hard. According to a recent New York Times article, for the 27 members of the European Union, the rate in February was a more moderate 9.6 percent and the highest rate recorded in a major European economy was in Spain, at 19 percent.

So yes, we are dealing with that.

However we are not resting our efforts just with Spain. Earlier this year we signed a distribution deal for Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Greece. And according to that same NYT article, the lowest unemployment level was in the Netherlands, at 4 percent and the German Federal Employment Agency said that unemployment in that country fell in March.

Our German distributor is having a new website built, which will also sell Snoloha, so we will have brick and mortar along with an online presence.

Yes, things are moving slow, but at the same time they are moving forward.

The brand has been very well received thus far and the simple fact that Snoloha already has growth across the pond is crazy!

Here’s a couple pics of Snoloha gear printed in Spain and of the area that Makani Lanakila S.L is located in southern Spain, near the coast of the Mediterranean.

My Licensee in Spain recently finished a deal with a distributor for Snoloha throughout Germany beginning in 2010. This is very exciting, or “sehr aufregend”…I think. They have already included Snoloha at a tradeshow and in the Christmas card they mailed to all of their customers. Oliver of Makani Lanakila S.L (the official & legal name of the Snoloha Licensee, but will be better known as Snoloha International) asked the new distributor to send a card my way and I thought I’d share.

The name of the new Snoloha German distributor? “Eva-Csilla Leonidopoulos und Ioannis Leonidopoulos GbR”.

Keep an eye out for changes to the website that will reflect our international growth and efforts in 2010.

“Frohe Weihnachten Und Ein Gluckliches Neus Jahr”

For those that didn’t already know, the Snoloha brand is being launched across the Atlantic throughout Europe. About a year ago, I was contacted by a gentlemen located in southern Spain along the coast of the Mediterranean. His distribution company was interested in becoming the exclusive distributor for Snoloha. After doing my homework, I quickly realized I was not interested in the exporting business. So, we began to discuss a licensing deal. After a few months of back-and-forth negotiations, the agreement was signed earlier this year.

I spoke to my licensee just before the holidays for a quick update on life and business in Spain. Growth has been slower than we had both anticipated. However, the global economic crisis is something we didn’t anticipate either. Our original plan was to grow the brand throughout Spain, then eventually into other European countries. But given the economic climate we are now faced with, those plans have changed. Yes, growth in Spain is still ongoing. But we are now looking at reps and retailers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. There are current talks with a distribution company in Germany, which is exciting. Overall, the feedback has been very positive from the folks that have been introduced to the brand in Europe. I’ve received one of the very first Snoloha t-shirts produced in Spain, and the quality is great. 2009 should be an exciting year for Snoloha International.

Es oficial – Snoloha va a Espana!

Yes, it is official – Snoloha is going to Spain…and eventually other countries throughout Europe. I’m proud to announce after nearly 3 1/2 months of planning, researching, phone conversations, legal fees, and email exchanges that Robe-World distribution is the licensee of the Snoloha brand.

The launch will begin this summer in southern Spain along the coast of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. There will be a website developed in conjunction with this relationship as well.

If you would have ask me a year ago where I envisioned the Snoloha brand today, I wouldn’t have even considered Spain. Sure, I’ve had a long-term idea in mind of an international presence, but to have this opportunity with a brand that is only 16 months old is an amazing feeling. I feel truly blessed for this opportunity. The reality that this name, “Snoloha”, this brand, and this company that I created will now be shared on an international level…well, it simply has not sunk in yet.

I’ll probably be writing a bit more about this in the coming days as it slowly sinks in and I can comprehend it more clearly.

Thanks Monica for translating the Snoloha definition for me:

La definicion de Snoloha es Una forma de vida compartida por los que viven, juegan, viajan, se van de vacaciones, se distienden, o simplemente gozan de la vida en algun lugar entre las islas y el artico.

This was a good story that I’ve enjoyed re-telling.

My new friend in Spain, the gentlemen that I’m working with to introduce the brand along the coast of the Mediterranean and throughout Spain, shared it with me. He was having a conversation with a business colleague and friend. This gentlemen happens to be German, so they were having the conversation in German. He does not speak English. Well, they were discussing Snoloha. His friend said to him, in German, that he likes Snoloha because “it has something to say”!

How great is that?

I guess that’s proof of the global appeal and connection of the Snoloha brand. It goes back to the simple fact that this is so much more than a “t-shirt company”. And it feels good to know that people are identifying with it. They understand it…regardless of the language they speak. This lifestyle in not restricted to a certain language or a certain geographical area. This lifestyle is shared by people around the world.

Yes, right now the product is limited to simple clothing. But there are plans on product development beyond clothing. All in due time.

Here’s another shot of Spain. I’ll post a “Snoloha Spain” update soon.