Eric Hui with a variety of clothing created by Terracea (Photo by Matthew J. Mowry)
When Eric Hui moved from his native Hawaii to Boston in 2010 to earn a business degree from Northeastern University, he did not experience culture shock as much as weather shock. Used to warm weather climates, Hui packed a lightweight jacket that didn’t do much for the winter and soon found that was little protection from a harsh New England winter.
As a student with no car, he quickly found the coat may have looked nice but was a huge mistake. “That year Boston got dumped on by 10 feet of snow,” Hui says. “I was not prepared for the cold. I did not have fun as I had to walk everywhere.”
Little did he know that winter would shape his entire future. While Hui, a supply chain specialist, secured a job in the pharmaceutical industry to appease his family who urged him to find a job with a steady paycheck, his heart wasn’t in it. “I was going through the motions,” Hui says. “There was always something missing.”
Hui had an entrepreneurial itch, leading he and a friend to launch an outdoor apparel company designing jackets and bibs that appealed to skiers. However, it’s a challenging and expensive industry to break into and after a year, Hui’s friend called it quits for more stable employment as he started a family. Hui faced his own choice. “Do I quit too or try something new?” he says.
Determined, Hui decided to balance his full-time job with being a solo entrepreneur and in 2017 officially launched his company,
Terracea, which roughly translates from Latin to “Solutions for the elements.”
“Terracea was inspired by the weather. Weather is in the DNA of the brand,” says Hui, who is founder and CEO of the company. And it has been a stormy entrepreneurial journey. He struggled to initially find a factory and funding. One experienced apparel entrepreneur basically told him to give up as he didn’t have enough capital to make it work. Hui doubled down on his efforts, gave up his day job and worked with a designer to develop a three-in-one jacket with a fleece liner, a shell and an insulated coat that could take the customer from a mild fall day through a harsh winter night.
A Kickstarter campaign raised $200,000 in seed money, allowing Hui to put together a minimal production order. He also cashed out his 401(k) and raised money from family. However, after fulfilling orders from the Kickstarter campaign and some initial orders, sales went flat as Terracea did not have enough money for marketing. Hui, the sole employee of the company, hit the pause button and sought out another designer in Colorado, who he still works with. “I told my wife, who I was dating at the time but now we are married with two kids, that I think there is something there,” Hui recalls.
Hui and his wife moved to NH, but as he was trying to relaunch, the COVID pandemic hit. During COVID, the company pivoted away from retail to wholesale and Hui was able to hire a sales rep. Terracea remained focused on wholesale until 2022 when it became obvious that model wasn’t sustainable. “We had no business being a wholesale business,” Hui says, lamenting the deep price cuts it demanded as well as the need to create new products every season.
In 2023, the company, based in Somersworth, pivoted again to focus on online sales and also developed a small B2B arm that provides products with company logos. Terracea now offers sweatshirts, hats, insulated jackets with shells, ski bibs, puffer jackets, and more. Terracea is also expanding beyond fall and winter offerings to develop a line of spring and summer clothing that could debut this year depending on business circumstances.
Hui has brought on a business partner/general manager and now has a team of about eight contractors assisting them. Terracea won Best Overall Shell of the Year from Outside magazine. Hui is contemplating the possibility of opening a storefront this year. “This is a big year for us,” Hui says, adding he is seeking a post-seed round of funding to take the company to the next level by introducing new products and investing in more marketing.
He also rolled out a charitable program whereby previous Terracea customers can trade in a gently used Terracea jacket for 25% off of a new piece of Terracea gear while new customers can donate a gently used coat or jacket for 10% off their online order. The donated jackets will go to local charities. For more information, visit terracea.com.
