Reflecting upon the past 15 years, during which XGEN Products grew from a relatively small distributor into a multi-brand manufacturer with 20 of its own brands and 3,000 items it sells worldwide, CEO Andy Green’s expression is nearly one of disbelief.
“The general mood at our head office is one of pride and a job well done — but not complete,” says Green. “There is much more to accomplish in the next 15 years. Our staff is hungry for more, always motivated by new items, customer relationships, and new ideas and concepts to bring to life.”
We have an amazing foundation that will be our springboard to the next 15 years.
Green started working for an adult distributor warehouse in 1996, while attending college at Temple University in Philadelphia. After graduating, Green went full-time with his adult industry employer. Then, he says, “one thing led to another” until, a dozen years later, he was an industry veteran ready to strike out on his own.
“We launched XGEN in 2009, when stores were really seeing a downtrend in DVD sales and needed other types of items to fill the void,” Green explains. “We looked for items that would add a different dynamic to the store, soften it up a bit and entice new types of customers to shop. We started with lingerie, wigs, sexual position cushions, pasties and things like that, before we ventured into toys.”
Headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania, XGEN now includes established brands that have been household names for years, like Baci Lingerie and Bodywand. However, even the company’s newer collections, like Whipsmart kink accessories and Envy sex toys, are making waves in retail.
Green ensures that XGEN’s focus is evenly divided between the lingerie and sex toy worlds, and his team is ready to respond to trends in whichever space they arise. In 2023, for instance, the XGEN team put pedal to metal on its myriad men’s brands, including the long-standing ZOLO collection of masturbators, and Envy toys, a new sex toy collection released under the decade-old Envy brand of men’s intimate wear.
“ZOLO continues to come out with the most amazing automated strokers on the market,” says Green. “Our most advanced item was just released: the Blowstation. It is designed to be used as a game controller would be, and has vibrating, stroking and heating functions that can be used simultaneously or on their own.
“Envy toys just debuted in 2023 and is starting to make an impact,” Green also highlights. “The crossover potential for stores is huge, as the Envy name has been a trusted brand in men’s underwear for over 10 years, and now offers toys as well.”
Green’s team has also given the veteran lines just as much attention, with new releases happening each month.
“Our first brand, Bodywand, which we started back in 2011, just debuted a new collection of three wands,” Green notes. “The Powerwand is now shipping and I believe it is the lightest yet most powerful wand we have ever put out.
“Lingerie brands such as Baci and Lapdance have seasonal collections and we can produce new colors and prints to keep the assortment fresh and attractive to consumers,” Green continues. “All together, we have two or three new releases per month, whether they are just one item or a grouping of six to eight items. Annually, we are releasing 125 to 150 new items.”
Green credits the industry’s dynamism with keeping him excited and inspired in his work.
“I walk through a trade show and see so much energy and creativity,” he says. “That’s what drives us to keep going.”
XGEN has also hired Miami sex therapist Dr. Mindy DeSeta to contribute her professional expertise as the company’s resident sexologist. Green was pleasantly surprised when DeSeta initiated the collaboration after picking up a dual-stim vibrator from XGEN’s The Rabbit Company collection, which so impressed her that she began recommending XGEN brands to clients, eventually forging a path to represent the company’s brands at trade shows, events and in industry publications.
Green and XGEN encounter similar enthusiasm from colleagues and clients alike, all of whom Green sees as indispensable for growing and running XGEN.
“We are in a fun industry, forged by amazing customer relationships,” Green says. “Those relationships are two-way, and neither side can be successful without the other. I have made some of my best friends from being in the industry for most of the past 30 years. These are good, solid people who would lay it all on the line for you.”
Looking into the future, Green advises folks in the industry to keep their eyes peeled for plenty of new releases — including entries in new product categories, if everything falls into place. Green hopes to see his colleagues and fellow creators continue to push the envelope and expand upon the kinds of products the industry can offer consumers.
As for XGEN Products, Green says the company will continue to offer the attentive, follow-through approach to sales that his clients have come to expect and appreciate.
“We pride ourselves on our customer service and order turnaround, which are second to none,” declares Green. “See the transaction all the way through, and be a good listener as to what is going on out there and how to help if needed.”
In 2022, Green says, XGEN partnered with a private equity company.
“To help propel us to the next level and realize the fruits of all of our hard work,” he explains, always emphasizing the “us” and “our.”
“I am truly grateful to have such an amazing staff that have been with me for almost the entire 15 years,” Green says. “From the warehouse to sales to marketing to our front office, all are seasoned professionals who give their all every day, no matter what. When times are good or when times are bad and you really have to grind, we all stay positive and know that the best years are still ahead of us.
“We have an amazing foundation,” he concludes. “That will be our springboard to the next 15 years.”