Balsam Living
At Balsam, people come first. Success follows.
We love to reimagine eCommerce and retail in ways that thrill our customers, and to leave a lasting impact on the world around us. We're a dynamic, fun-loving team that sees possibilities, solves complex puzzles, and innovates in all that we do.
Who we are
Founded in 2006, privately-held Balsam Brands designs and sells home décor and consumer products directly to customers. Our flagship brand is Balsam Hill™, the world's leading retailer of artificial Christmas trees and related holiday décor products.
Our fast-growing team is based in Boise, Redwood City, Ireland, and the Philippines.
...when you work with outstanding people, colleagues become true friends. And this redefines how you think about 'work'.
Meet our leadership team
Our Story
We've achieved tremendous growth since our launch, but like all great things, we started small. Take a stroll through our company history and our favorite moments.
2006
1
TEAM MEMBER
100+
Products
1
Location
It all started with a sneeze. After learning his brother-in-law was allergic to live Christmas trees, our soon-to-be CEO searched the market for high-quality, realistic artificial trees and came up short. And hence came an idea! After manufacturing the first batch, he soon couldn't keep up with demand, and thus, Balsam Brands was formed.
2007
5
TEAM MEMBER
350+
Products
1
Location
In only its second season, Balsam Hill's trees, wreaths and garlands wowed the Ellen audience in her holiday set reveal, paving the way for the brand to become the top choice for set designers nationwide.
2008
8
TEAM MEMBER
350+
Products
1
Location
Recognized for their stunning realism and premium quality, Balsam Hill trees, wreaths, and garlands are backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal. A valued emblem of consumer trust, the seal has been retained ever since, reassuring customers that what they receive is the highest in quality and beauty.
2009
11
TEAM MEMBER
375+
Products
1
Location
Coming out of the 2008 recession, Balsam Brands stands out from its peers by keeping the team fully intact. More bonded than ever, we celebrate one hundred shared lunches as a team. We also set our internal record of eight consecutive sneezes by a single team member.
2010
20
TEAM MEMBER
800+
Products
2
Location
With the popularity of artificial Christmas trees on the rise, The New York Times stood up and took notice. Balsam Hill leads the pack.
Balsam expands across the ocean, hiring its first team members in Manila, Philippines. What began as a team of writers quickly begins to grow and represent several functions within the company!
2011
28
TEAM MEMBER
1000+
Products
3
Location
Balsam Brands opens its second corporate office in the United States in Boise, ID. After a blockbuster year, the company surprises its team members with a celebration trip to Hawaii. Families were invited, work was not!
Also this year, flagship brand Balsam Hill crossed the pond to introduce beautifully realistic products to families in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
2012
39
TEAM MEMBER
1100+
Products
3
Location
Balsam Hill travels to the Land Down Under to celebrate the holidays in Australian style. Shrimp on the barbie, anyone?
Never afraid to step into a new marketing channel, Balsam Hill debuted our trees on TV with our very first commercial.
Less of a surprise, but just as exciting, Balsam Brands heads back to Hawaii for a second time to catch more waves and sunshine.
2013
51
TEAM MEMBER
1900+
Products
3
Location
Balsam Brands moved 8 miles south to Redwood City, where the "Climate is Best By Government Test!"
We opened a seasonal showroom in Burlingame, California, where our customers experienced the beauty and realism of our products in person.
Lastly, we launched our very first catalog with much success.
2014
62
TEAM MEMBER
2100+
Products
3
Location
Always looking for ways to grow our business, Balsam Hill expands into holiday and home décor, launching 450 new products for the 2014 season.
Balsam Hill becomes the exclusive home of the Flip Tree®, a revolutionary advance in artificial tree technology.
2015
105
TEAM MEMBER
2500+
Products
4
Location
Balsam Brands establishes a regional headquarters in Manila, nearly doubling its employee count overnight and expanding its comprehensive healthcare benefits across the ocean.
Balsam also adds Europe to its continent checklist, opening an office in Dublin, Ireland. Who knows where we'll land next?
2016
125
TEAM MEMBER
3000+
Products
4
Location
Balsam Brands is honored to be named by Forbes as one of America's Best Small Companies. The 25 privately-held "Small Giants" on the list were recognized for choosing to become standouts in their industry, rather than grow as big as possible as quickly as possible.
The Forbes recognition comes as Balsam Brands' flagship brand Balsam Hill moves into its 10th year!
2017
149
TEAM MEMBER
3000+
Products
4
Location
With the aim of offering products for all seasons, Balsam Hill launches a collection of exquisite spring florals designed with the same level of realism found in our Christmas trees.
Balsam Brands' Idaho team joins the downtown Boise community by becoming the anchor tenant of the Union Block building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
2018
192
TEAM MEMBER
4000+
Products
4
Location
Thos. Baker and Maine Cottage furniture companies become a part of the Balsam Brands Family, introducing premium indoor and outdoor furniture to our product offerings.
In honor of the 2018 Winter Olympics, we held an Olympic Ping Pong tournament in the office, bringing friendly competition to new heights.
2019
262
TEAM MEMBER
4000+
Products
4
Location
2019 is the year of updates - not only did our Redwood City office get a facelift, we updated our company logo and employer branding.
The team continues to celebrate growth together with teams in America and Dublin venturing to Santa Cruz to cruise the boardwalk and bond with each other. Our team in Manila traveled North of the Philippines to rediscover the country's rich history in Bataan, while giving back to the local school by painting some of its classrooms and cleaning up its park.
2020
281
TEAM MEMBER
4000+
Products
4
Location
A year like no other, Balsam Brands navigated 2020 bound by a common purpose: create joy together.
When the COVID pandemic began, we wanted to help in any way we could. For several months in the Spring, we launched a philanthropic initiative, Balsam Provisions, to make food and household essentials accessible online to customers in rural or hard to reach areas across the United States. In Manila, various fund-raising efforts helped support over 1,500 public school children as they geared up for the year's unprecedented challenges.
Through it all, we still found time to celebrate the silver linings - including meeting company targets earlier than expected, and continuing to grow our team.
I have not worn socks since the world shutdown.
— Lucas
Balsam Living
Source: https://www.balsambrands.com/
