Business

Natural ‘odor eliminating’ company signs deal with Crate and Barrel

A product made of bamboo and charcoal that Eric Rubin originally launched as a car deodorizer has become a best-selling, all-around household item.

Rubin, 36, who in 2010 founded Moso Natural, based in Asbury Park, NJ, just signed a deal with Crate and Barrel, which he projects will help double last year’s sales to $2 million in 2014. He’s also talking with Bed Bath & Beyond.

Rubin began by looking for an all-natural, nontoxic product that could eliminate bad odors without smelling up the place with fragrance.

Rubin’s global research led him to moso, a bamboo from China cooked in a kiln at very high temperatures.

The Chinese, who call it “black diamond,” use it to deodorize, purify water and even ingest. Rubin created new packaging for the material and suddenly had an odor-free and odor-eliminating product.

Realizing the item’s potential, he left his family’s business and now sells moso bags — on his website and Amazon.com — in sizes to fit shoes, closets, rooms and, as of last fall, to even suction-hang in the fridge.