Graftobian's new facility can be seen behind the company's parking lot.
By Ed Avis
NCA Vendor Member Graftobian has had a big year. Eric Coffman, the company’s president, bought out his partner, John Mazur, last June, and the company has moved the make-up manufacturing operations from New York to a new facility in Madison, Wisconsin. Graftobian manufactures a full range of theatrical and professional cosmetics used in TV, film and high-fashion.
“The new building is twice as large as the building in New York, so it gives us some space to expand,” Coffman says, adding that the grand opening of the new 11,000-square-foot facility is scheduled for late summer. “The new building is next door to our current building, and we’ll keep that.”
Mazur had run the company’s manufacturing in New York for 25 years. Coffman had run the business side of the company during that time, so once the buy-out was complete, he spent about half his time in New York learning the manufacturing side of the business.
“As of December 17th, John was officially retired, and by then he had taught me and my children and my son-in-law a crash course on using the machinery, filling the powder jars, making the blood, making the colored latex, everything. You name it, we made it.”
The New York factory officially closed February 22. Coffman's next generation is deeply involved in the coming phase. Daughter Jessica and her husband Rob Chantigian are in charge of creative and production, respectively. Son Skyler and his wife Annie handle general operations and PR/social media, respectively. Finally, son Calvin works in manufacturing while completing his college degree.
Coffman is confident that the advantages of keeping Graftobian’s manufacturing in the United States outweighs the potential cost savings of offshoring the work.
“If a place in China is making the stuff for you, maybe it will be cheaper, but you can’t control a huge number of variables,” he notes. “When you’re the manufacturer and make everything with your own pigments and chemicals and machinery, you have total control of what you’re making. We have some hair spray manufactured in Germany and pencils in Italy, but when it comes to the make-up, that’s our formula. We have control over it from moment one.”
Not only is quality easier to control when you have your own U.S.-based factory, but so is the supply chain, Coffman adds. He keeps a large supply of pigments and other essential ingredients, so that if an ingredient suddenly becomes unavailable, he can keep his factory running nevertheless.
Evie and Gene Coffman
Coffman’s father, Gratton “Gene” Coffman, founded the initial iteration of the company in 1961. His first product was Disguise Stix Face Paint, which didn’t succeed, and the company folded in 1965. In 1978, however, it was reborn after Gene attended an NCA meeting in Palatine, Illinois, and met a number of costume shop owners who wanted to buy the Disguise Stix. That experience inspired him to re-open the business.
“I was just 16 then and had aged out of being a newspaper boy,” Eric Coffman says. “My dad said, ‘I have a project for you and I’ll pay you.’ I manufactured the Disguise Stix in our basement. My dad’s den was the business office and our back porch was where the UPS guy picked up our packages. And then in 1981 we had grown enough that my dad built our building at 510 Tasman in Madison.”
Eric joined the company full-time in 1984, and he and his wife, Susan Coffman, took over when Gene and his wife, Evie, retired in 1995. Eric and Susan partnered with Mazur in 1997. Now that Coffman owns the business entirely, all operations are consolidated in Madison.
“We’re excited,” Coffman says. “Our sales are expanding, we have room to grow, and the next generation is fully engaged. And of course, none of this growth would have been possible without the hard work, great customer service and the dedication of our staff, many of whom have worked for Graftobian for over 20 years! Graftobian has a long future ahead of it.”