My spirit is soaring high today….my store’s finally back in full swing. It’ve been a month now.
The newly introduced category of kampung (countryside) gourmet products are receiving a very good response from my international customers especially….none of the fancy packaging as usual, just a very basic kraft paper packing…I was a bit tempted to re-invent the labels and go all glossy stickers and all…but then, I will be going against my own principle and philosophy: keep the packaging minimal, but no short-cuts on the quality of my ingredients…
Some people do not get the idea that when making or creating a product, I spend lavishly on the ingredients using only the best quality ingredients I can lay my hands on. For example, when I use pure essential oils, I only choose to buy essential oils from the land/country it is grown on, usually from small producers, not from a middleman. Therefore, when I mentioned French Alpine Lavender, it comes directly from the place it is grown on, from the French Alps, not from a remote central warehouse in India or China.
You know, a few months back, an aspiring traditional medicine businessman said to me when I commented why not he just let his product stays natural and free of colors, fragrances and preservatives : “apa kelas ada pada barangan natural, no class la…(hahaha…no, I didn’t say anything. Let him think that way, I figure he must have never heard of etsy.com and such. He is putting every known cosmetic chemicals and colors and scents into his ‘natural’ wares, destroying the ‘living’ quality of his own product).
Last month, I saw a pharmaceutical chain store in Pavillion offering some organic and natural cosmetic range by a well-known Japanese brand in very pretty packagings…I was so excited, I was about to purchase some moisturizers but my spirits went down when I look at the ingredients. What’s the use of putting in “Organic & Natural Green Apple Extract” in a chemical soup? I do envy those who can actually play around with most cosmetic brands without a blemish on their skin. My sister and I (both with ultrasensitive skin) would end up with red blotches and spots even when using the so-called best cosmetic brand money can buy.
Anyway, I love making my own natural and raw products, I’ve been making my own mineral make-up, skincare, potions, soaps and baby care products ever since the birth of my darling eldest daughter, Nuha, 7 years ago…I am not rich but I am glad to say that I know my ‘natural’ products well and I gained great friends and fellow natural diy enthusiasts from across the globe…I’m currrently learning and acquiring knowledge in holistic medicine especially the Unani and native herbalism.
And after 5 years of GreenVanillaStore.com being online, I am also very proud of the store’s loyal customers and suppliers from around the world who stayed with the store, lift my morale up, boost my spirit despite of the constant Murphy’s Law batterings, hiccups and let-downs.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FAITH & TRUST IN GREENVANILLASTORE! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I LOVE YOU ALL! GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
It’s very,very difficult operating without a capital, it’s equally hard trying float an indie business here in Malaysia….but I finally pulled through, hurray!
