In the weeks since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau coined the phrase “speaking moistly” while addressing the media during a coronavirus briefing, the term has become a certified meme.
It’s spawned a very catchy song (and subsequent covers), and a fashion-forward philanthropic T-shirt, but the expression is now also raising money for a different but equally great cause.
Ontario’s Painted People Tattoo Co. has been selling “Speaking Moistly” lip balms at $4.99 a pop, with $2 from each one going to the North York Harvest Food Bank.
Nick Radivojevic, one of the company’s owners, said the idea came to them a few days after they heard about Trudeau’s use of the phrase “speaking moistly.”
“A couple of days later we were singing along to the speaking moistly song (which is hilarious), we decided to make a handful of lip balms for our friends… and thought it might make a decent name for a lip balm. A day later we printed labels, changed our lip balm recipe slightly and put it on the web,” he told HuffPost Canada in an email.
So far, they’ve sold 2,000 lip balms and raised $4,000 for the charity, which is their local food bank organization.
“Food banks need support more now than ever (we’ve used a food bank in the past, as have some of our clients, this seemed like a great opportunity to raise money). We’re blessed enough to have a roof over our heads and ability to still purchase groceries. So many of us do not. Being able to give back even a little bit is an amazing feeling,” Radivojevic said.
Painted People Tattoo’s website says the natural lip balms are all made by the company’s co-owner, Asia Maruszak, with mostly locally sourced ingredients, and they’re free of any artificial scents or flavourings. The formula includes Canadian beeswax, coconut, cherry and apricot kernel oils and rosemary.
The couple have ordered more ingredients and are making the balms as quickly as they can, and hope to keep helping the North York Harvest Food Bank as long as possible.
Radivojevic said he didn’t know if Trudeau had heard about their product but he said he was happy to donate on the prime minister’s behalf and send him some of the balms.
The company doesn’t have any more meme inspired plans for the future, but is working on a hand lotion inspired by one of their clients who is a nurse, he added.
Radivojevic said the reception for the balms has been “overwhelmingly positive” and thanked people for supporting the food bank and their local businesses.
“We’re honoured to be able to help bring some joy through this. Thanks to [Prime Minister] Trudeau for his blunder and bringing some laughs to so many people during these hard times, even inadvertently.”
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