Vegan condoms? Dayton hooks up with one of the nation's largest retailers
DAYTON, OHIO (Dayton Business Journal) The company started with just one line of products: Condoms.
That was in early 2017, when Centerville native Neil Mehta launched Royal. What began as an online condom marketplace now offers a wide range of products, including organic lube, eco-friendly wipes, vegan body wash and cruelty-free lotion.
In just four years, Royal has sold more than 1 million units. Now, the Beavercreek-based sexual hygiene and body care company is making its retail debut.
Meijer Inc. has begun selling Royal products in its 250-plus locations across the Midwest. Effective Oct. 16, the privately held supercenter chain has Royal condoms, lube and body wipes available on store shelves.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Mehta told me. “As a kid, I would walk down the aisles with my mom at Meijer, and I never would have thought I’d be going back to one of those stores and seeing one of my own products there.”
Royal’s mission is inclusivity, and that’s what sets it apart from multinational brands like Trojan and Durex, Mehta said. Nearly half of its customers are women — a rarity for an industry that caters predominantly to men.
The company also uses discreet packaging to eliminate the stigma some customers feel when buying condoms or lube in stores.
Its products are uniquely made, too. Most mass-market condoms are manufactured with casein, a milk protein that makes latex smoother. But Royal’s condoms are vegan, meaning they don’t contain casein or any other animal derivatives.