About Us
Purchase with purpose
Oyster is a branding agency with a focus on sustainable customized merchandise.
We are passionate about empowering our clients to tell their story through merch that aligns with their values and connects with their audience. Our mission is to help you translate your organization’s high-level sustainability goals into products that bolster your brand—a chance to show how you care about both the smaller, tangible details and the big picture.
Our extensive experience in corporate and brand marketing combined with in-house graphic design and a focus on sustainable options means our clients can purchase with peace of mind, knowing their branded merchandise proudly reflects their organization’s values.
We take pride in collaborating with our clients: if you have an idea for something that you can’t find on our website, let us know. We love finding just the right thing to fit the bill for orders big and small, and we are committed to getting your merch to you on budget and on time.
Why
Sustainability is at the heart of our vision: we want the sustainable option to become the standard. If companies reach for sustainable choices first, we believe manufacturers will be inspired to provide better quality options at a similar price point, enhancing the roster of sustainable products to choose from.
To us, sustainability isn’t just about using recycled materials, it’s also about where products are made, who they’re made by and how they’re getting to you. We are proud to offer items made in Canada as well as products that are made from recycled, biodegradable or organic materials.
Who We Are
Jane Mitchell - Founder
Jane spent much of her career working in international sports marketing, strategic communications and brand management. As time passed, she noticed a gap in the market for more sustainable branded merchandise, merging her marketing and branding expertise with her passion for sustainability to launch Oyster Promo Inc. in 2015.
Jane loves working with clients to find merch that meets their needs in terms of both branding and values, whether for a large, multinational corporation or a small-scale event for a group of friends. Outside of work, she takes any opportunity she can to spend time in nature—often in the forest or near the ocean—and enjoys staying as active as possible.
Holly Foxall
Holly is a sustainability associate with Oyster. After completing a BSc from Queen’s University in Environmental Science, Holly went on to do a Masters of Technology, Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Saint Mary’s University. Holly works with Oyster on various initiatives, and she is particularly passionate about women’s empowerment.
Services
Sustainable branded merchandise
Kitting and drop shipping
Kitting is just what it sounds like: creating a curated collection of merch for a specific purpose, whether it’s for new employee packages, events or as gifts. Selecting multiple pieces and packaging them together as a kit gives a certain wow factor and impact to your branded merch, and shipping multiple items as part of a kit streamlines the shipping process.
Online stores
Frequently asked questions
To begin the ordering process, you can look through our catalog of products and request a quote for any items you are interested in. Each item’s page lists the price point and the minimum order quantity. When you hit the ‘request a quote’ button, you will be asked for your contact information so we can follow up quickly with more details.
We aim to respond to quote requests within 24 hours.
Yes, you can order online through our quote system or by sending us an email. We will need your approval for artwork, but contact is by email and can be as minimal as you’d like.
Minimum order quantity (MOQ) varies by product. A good rule of thumb is that the more expensive a product is, the lower the minimum quantities are.
The price point for items has a range depending on how many are ordered: smaller quantities will be at the higher end of the price point, and higher quantities will be priced lower on a per-unit basis.
Each order is different and we often will give a discount on larger orders. For most products, the more you purchase, the lower the price point.
Yes, we can send a sample. Usually, we cover the cost of the product sample and ask that you cover the shipping cost.
We accept payment by credit card, including American Express.
Product delivery times vary. Some products can be ordered and delivered in a week, others take several weeks. The approximate time from artwork approval to shipping is 10 business days.
We can do rush orders on many items but not everything. A rush order can be done as quickly as overnight and shipped the next day.
Yes, we can source from thousands of products. Our website has a small selection of products to give an idea of what we offer. If you don’t see it on our site, chances are we can find it for you.
Decorating is when we put your brand logo or artwork onto a product. There are a number of ways we can decorate a product: silkscreening, embroidery, pad printing or even stitching on a patch.
The space available for your logo varies by the product.
Yes, you can have multiple logos on most products. If the imprint area is small (like on a pen) it can be difficult to fit more than one logo, but usually, there is the option for more than one logo or design.
Artwork needs to be submitted as a high resolution vector, either as an .eps or .ai file.
Yes, we will send a proof before printing and get your approval before production starts.
This is possible on a limited number of items, mainly apparel.
Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) takes plastic that has already been created, usually plastic bottles, and chops the bottles into tiny flakes. These flakes are then melted to separate the core polyethylene terephthalate (PET) ingredient inside of the bottle. This PET can then be used to make anything from a sweater to another plastic bottle. Not only is up to 50 per cent less energy used than making PET from scratch, but by using existing bottles already created, it ensures these bottles don’t end up in landfill.
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. If a product is FSC-certified, it means it is a product of sustainable forestry practices. This includes zero deforestation, fair wages and work environments for staff, protection for local animals and plants and appropriate consultation with local communities. For more information on the different FSC labels, click here.
BPA stands for Bisphenol-A, which is an industrial chemical used to manufacture certain plastics and resins. It has been linked to various health problems, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. BPA-free means the product does not contain BPA.
B Corp certification means that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on a variety of factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. To become certified, companies must demonstrate high social and environmental performance, make a legal commitment to become accountable to all stakeholders – not just shareholders – and be transparent about their performance by publicly displaying information on B Lab’s website.