Transcript Podcast Episode 001 with Heather Urquhart of Huna Natural Apothecary, Inc. & host Ellen Hielkema.

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1 Transcript Podcast Episode 001 with Heather Urquhart of Huna Natural Apothecary, Inc. & host Ellen Hielkema. *Musical intro* You are listening to the power women in green podcast. I get to talk to a power woman in green. These women are doing business in a new way and it s feminine and from the heart. Behind every one of these women in sustainable business is a story worth being told. Join me and learn from her road to success and how to incorporate her knowledge into your own life and career. Welcome to the very first episode of the bi-weekly podcast. I m so excited to get this project off of the ground. I must warn you that the audio quality of this podcast episode isn t great. Thank you for baring with me. It s a one-woman show and the quality of the show will get better as we go along. What you ll learn from Heather in today s episode is how you ll overcome obstacles as a woman in green business as well as when growing a business from a single product to a full-blown business model with continuous growth and rapid expansion. She ll explain to us how she has leveraged all opportunities that has come her way over the years and incorporated them into her business. We ll also learn what high-quality and potent ingredients Huna uses in their amazing products. *Music* Heather Urquhart is the founder, formulator and owner of Huna Natural Apothecary, Inc. A cosmetics company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Many of the botanicals used in the Huna product-line are grown on Huna s 3000 square foot organic botanical garden grown on her family-own farm. Heather is a botanist, herbalist-in-training, natural cosmetics formulator and passionate entrepreneur. She considers beauty to be holistic and strongly linked together with nature and beauty to be holistic and strongly linked together with nature and beauty as a part of a bigger global movement moving towards holistic, more natural and healthier living. Ellen ;So welcome, Heather! First things first: how did Huna begin? Heather: Thanks for having me, Ellen. Ellen: It s so great to have you. Heather: Well, Huna began as a hobby for the most part and then it transformed into a business when I launched the Hunt website across Canada, and that was back in November I was creating skincare formulations for myself and it was really kind of to address my own skin concerns at the time, but I was also taking some courses on

2 natural cosmetics formulating just out of passion and interest and my friends and family started asking me about what I was using on my skin because my skin started looking a lot healthier and brighter and more vibrant and I found that I had a little kind of tiny market. A local market of people to share my natural formulations with. So that was exciting, and then it started growing through word-of-mouth and at the same time when I was studying formulating I was taking business courses so then I started building a website, I photographed all of the products and then launched it kind of into an official dream business and it s been growing and evolving ever since. Ellen: that is so great, and yeah your skin looks beautiful and tell us a little bit about your background. Heather: Sure! So, in University I worked at Lancome cosmetics and that s actually where I developed a passion for beauty and everything related to skincare and I m also a trained botanist and herbalist and so I really have a passion for plants as well so I spent several years learning business kind of more hands-on when I was working in the corporate world for a few years like many of us do so I did sales and trade marketing some global brand development, strategic planning and insights roles and then while I was studying natural cosmetics formulating as a hobby, I was at the same time studying strategic management at Harvard University through their online program. And that program really, really focused on entrepreneurship and innovation and startups and then so everything kind of just came together in my life as a perfect storm and that just totally motivated me and inspired me to launch Hunt into a real business from there. Ellen: wow it sounds like all these little seeds were being planted for you to start Huna. Heather: yes, exactly. Ellen: that is so great. Plant power! Heather: plant power! Ellen: so what makes Huna Natural Apothecary unique compared to all those other beauty brands out there? Heather: That s an awesome question. So, what makes us unique is that Huna Natural Apothecary actually owns the entire value chain in the business from start to end product. And that s really quite unusual in the cosmetics industry or skincare industry nowadays. So, we grow our own organic botanicals on our family farm in southern Manitoba and we use those to create our proprietary ingredients, or our active ingredients in our blends, so we harvest them and we carefully refine the botanicals before we incorporate them into our skincare formulations. And we are the first company in Canada to take this approach and we kind of like to call it seed to serum and it s a ton of work but it s truly a labor of love. We re also the first skincare brand in North America to partner with a major university for production and research, so we re at the university of Manitoba now and we have access to worldclass manufacturing and lab space. We ve got skilled talent through the university s pipeline of science, agriculture and

3 business graduates and the university at the same time gets a committed private company that s focussed on conducting research that s relevant to green beauty and the medical science community so it s totally a win-win for both of us. Huna is also unique because we re a science-based green beauty brand, so we use scientific and clinical data to formulate are products and so they actually deliver real results, so it s kind of a no bullshit approach but it differs I think from what mainstream beauty delivers. And we really specialize in formulating products that are pro-aging for women, so it s about positive anti-aging, we tend to focus on total body health rather than seeing beauty be as just skin-deep. We incorporate healthy and natural living and nutrition, yoga, fitness and stress management into our brand content as well. Ellen: wow yeah that s so important to incorporate the holistic aspects of beauty, what you were saying yoga and everything, because just putting a cream on your face is not enough if you re not eating healthy foods. Heather: absolutely. Ellen: the farm sounds like a dream. It s so amazing that you have seed to product. Can you tell me a little bit more about the farm? Heather: Yes, the farm is totally a dream. It s a huge passion of mine, so we grow a huge variety of species of botanicals and we use those in our current skincare line and also for some future products that we have coming in the pipeline. It s my parents property actually and it s passed onto us, it s our family s acreage everything is grown according to organic standards and we use a lot of traditional manual labor practices because we re dealing with really delicate little flowers and herbs and it s a place that I love to spend my time. I m out there almost every weekend and it s beautiful and peaceful and we also have a lot of support from the local community which is a beautiful thing. Ellen: that s great. And now the product range. I want to hear about the products. So, what products are there currently for sale at Hunt? Heather: Right now there are.. like, our products are specifically to slow and reverse the first signs of dermal aging so our target consumer is women who are in between the ages of 25 and 40, roughly around there. So our top selling product is our revitalizing age grace serum. And that s a daily anti-oxidant hydrating serum. It has rosehip, seabuckthorn and has proprietary age grace complex which is made of Calendula, Helechrysum, Green Tea and Rumix and that reverses and heals sun damage, promotes healthy skin regeneration, and it gives skin a really nice healthy glow. Then there s the Balance and Brighten Cleansing Powder and that s our second best-selling product. That s got coconut milk, rice, it s got licorice root and banana, and that is a really different way of cleaning your skin because it s a dry powder, so you add water once you use the product, so then we can avoid using sort of harsh preservative ingredients in it, so when you add water it turns into a nice creamy paste, and then it really gently but deeply cleanses the skin; it s beautiful.

4 Ellen: wow those both sound like amazing products and they have such unique ingredients that I don t think I see very often. I have been hearing a bit about Sea Buckthorn, that is a good thing for anti-aging, isn t it? Heather: Yeah it s fantastic at regenerating healthy skin-cells, and we actually have six gorgeous healthy Sea Buckthorn trees growing on our property. Ellen: ok, so what is new, what are some new and exciting initiatives you re planning at Huna? Heather: We ve got lots of exciting formulas coming in the pipeline, so we ve got, we re always doing R&D, so in addition to the serum and the cleanser that I just mentioned we ve got the skin toner, hydrating face mist and a face lotion, some exfoliators and masks, we re going to come out with some deep-cleansing and detoxifying clay masks, and a firming face toner which uses natures most potent plant astringent, so that will visibly firm and tone the skin, then we ve got an anti-inflammatory calming balm which will tone and heal inflammatory skin disorders, such as like eczema and dermatitis, in the long run we re looking at developing a color cosmetics line which will have pro-age ingredients, but also will be made of plant-based pigments, which is fairly unusual, usually it s mineral-based pigments. And then for initiatives we re currently selling online and across a few beauty boutiques in Canada, but we re launching into the United States and we re looking into earning some medical-grade certifications so that we can start selling our products to dermatologists, naturopaths and pharmacies, and to other medical health professionals. Beyond the US we have our eyes set on the European Union. Ellen: that is so cool. For me that s especially cool since I m in Europe. So what s your current favorite Huna product? Heather: that is a tough one. I d have to say that I really love the Revitalize Age Grace Serum, I use that every day, it gives antioxidant production and hydration and I kind of love the glow that it gives my skin, but I also really love our Renew and Replenish Cleansing Creme, that actually removes like every spec of makeup and I wear sunscreen every day and it removes all of the sunscreen and impurities and stuff from my skin, but it leaves my skin feeling really moisturized rather than kind of stripped and so I love that product too. Ellen: The Revitalizing Age Grace face serum, is that the first product that you ve made, but you ve upgraded it over the years? Heather: Yes, exactly. So that was our signature product, it took over a 1,5 to develop that product and that s the first one I came out with. And since then we ve added the Age Grace proprietary complex and we re always kind of into research and development and so we re always making improvements to our products as kind of new science and data comes out. Ellen: I love that you still use it.

5 Heather: yes, every day. *They laugh* Ellen: So, I believe that we re never really there, neither in life nor in business. And I think a lot of people think that once, you have these goals and then suddenly you re going to be there. I believe that s not really true. So what are your dreams for Huna in the future? Heather: I totally agree with you, Ellen, and I think life is.. life is a journey and so yeah my dream for Huna is fairly big and bold and I really want to change the global beauty industry to better serve women. I kind of want to blaze a new trail of mainstream beauty, one that challenges the current mainstream beauty industry and the mainstream current beauty paradigm. I want women to be offered a positive perspective on aging, one that promotes health and healthy skin and one that promotes healthy and organic skin. I think that modern beauty really should be about pro-aging, not anti-aging, it should be about health and healthy living and embracing rather than fighting against that body s natural aging process. It should be about offering natural and organic solutions because they work better for the skin, better for the body and better for the environment of course. So it s really key for me that the company doesn t conform to the mainstream model of preying on women s insecurities. We re a confidence-building company and we re a health-focused skincare brand, and so I d like to see that happen. And furthermore being a scientist and on the plant-lover s side I want to be the company that communicates and educates about plant-science and that s why we re all about being science-based. I want to share with the world what plants can do for overall skin and body health and like plants heal, right, so there s far better alternatives to chemical ingredients and even to a lot of the pharmaceuticals that are out there and in my opinion I believe that alternatives from nature actually deliver results without providing harmful toxins or side effects to the body and to the environment. We ve kind of gotten to a place in the society where we kind of have to accept harmful side-effects and toxins as being normal. We ve gotten used to them and I think we need to get away from that. I think there s a global movement that is getting away from that and so it s about plants healing and what they do holistically for the body. I m dreaming pretty big. Ellen: that s what I call THE mission. Thank you, Heather. What is one obstacle that you ve come across in your business and how did you overcome this? Heather: I ve come across quite a few obstacles in my business actually, Ellen, but I ve found that keeping the right mindset and focus on the big picture and what my actual goals are, the higher goals. That s what s bought me to overcome these obstacles, so I can think of three major ones if I can share all three of them? Ellen: yeah. Heather: So the first major obstacle had to do with confidence. It takes some creativity to imagine a part of the current world being quite different than what it is today, but you

6 really need solid confidence to try and action that. That s a really tough thing to do, especially, I think, for women because we re often taught to serve and support in society rather than lead and drive change. Sometimes women in society think they re not worthy or capable of driving change and I think that s really changing now and that s a beautiful thing. Women are the future, like, women are solving the major world s problems and I really love seeing that. So confidence is big. The second thing is, my mentor has actually challenged me to think bigger and think bigger again. So that was my second major obstacle, which was around thinking big. It was really tough for me in my business to shift from being a small business to a major global company, but major necessary since of the scale of the dream and really a necessity because innovation is kind of needed in the mainstream beauty industry, it s a little outdated now. The third major obstacle was in finding the right people to support me and to support building the dream, so when you start seeing some success everyone kind of wants a piece and they want to get on board and support you and that s wonderful but not everyone can support you and should support you, so it s about knowing who s authentic and knowing who aligns with your goals and who has the capability and the tools and resources to help you reach that dream and achieve it rather than just talking about it. Ellen: those are big. Especially the confidence one, I think for all of us women out here it s like the obstacle. Heather: yeah, it really is. Ellen: al right, thank you, and then I would like you to give our listeners one takeaway piece of advice that you ve maybe received in the past from a mentor or someone you admire or perhaps it s something you live by in your day-to-day life that motivates you. Heather: absolutely. I think I mentioned it in the biggest challenges just a couple of minutes ago and it really relates to think big and really push yourself to think bigger again. Women should allow themselves to think big, allow yourself the freedom to want more out of this life and to see more in this life, and to be creative and think about what needs to change in the world and to make it a better place basically and think about what you can do to make that happen, get the right people, and the right network to support you and go out there and do it. Ellen: just go out there and do it! Yeah, just take one little step and that s already so big. Ok, thank you so much, and I just want to say one more thing about because your listeners can t see your skin it s amazing, and I know it s partly because of the serum, but besides that one product that s amazing, what s one advice that you can give our listeners so that they can get great looking skin like yours? Heather: well, thank you, Ellen, you re such a sweetheart. My advice is to not neglect and care for your skin. When it comes down to it, skin is the body s largest organ and it actually serves a real function in protecting the body from evading bacteria, viruses, and pathogens, healthy skin really means a healthy body, so skin health goes way beyond just being about beauty. I also think that we shouldn t underestimate the link between diet and skin health. We create skincare products using science backed botanicals, but

7 if you don t have a healthy diet, then you really won t have healthy skin. So eat a diet that rich in Whole Foods, drink lots of water, and avoid some common skin-damaging foods which actually lead to premature aging. It leads to acne breakouts and inflammatory skin-disorders and that s gluten, dairy and processed sugars. So if you can limit those as much as possible, then you re really doing your skin a ton of favors. Then the other thing would be to smile often because I think that if you re happy then your whole face just glows. *they laugh* Ellen: that s such good advice. I m like I need to write this down, oh wait: I m recording this. Thanks so much, Heather. Is there anything else you would like to add? Anything you think: oh I should have touched on? Heather: no, I think you had excellent questions and I really appreciate the opportunity to share a little bit about our company and kind of our ethos and and where we re coming from and what we re trying to do and so that s it for me, so thank you Ellen. Ellen: That s a wrap for the very first podcast episode. It was such a joy to speak with Heather at Huna Natural Apothecary, Inc. I love doing this podcast, it s such a joy to bring together these amazing women in green business. And its such an honor to speak with heather as the first podcast guest and hopefully many more in the future. So thanks again for listening, and again, and again I apologize for the audio quality. Thank you for listening to the Power Women in Green podcast, head on over to powerwomeningreen.com. Here you can find the latest green news and the best ecoproducts from my favorite kind businesses. *Music*

BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET S MEET. HI! I AM MELISSA WEATHERALL

1 BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET S MEET. HI! I AM MELISSA WEATHERALL Have we met before? Well, today is a good time for me to present myself. I have been on a mission to inspire healthy living to everyone I meet!