These are some of the ace brands we include in our care packs:
The Australian Natural Soap Company
Humble beginnings had Emma, a journalist, and her husband, Anthony, a Doctor, making soap in their kitchen after they grew tired of seeing nasty sulfates, parabens, detergents, and artificial fragrances amongst other irritants in store bought soap.
Friends and family eventually cottoned on to their new hobby and fell in love with the all natural, vegan, palm oil free, sulfate free, paraben free, detergent free sudsy creations. A love that eventually outgrew Anthony and Emma’s kitchen and found them opening their first shop at South Melbourne market in 2013, where their soaps still have a loyal customer base.
Fast forward to today, and our soaps can be found in hundreds of stores across Australia and the world. But they are still all handmade in Dandenong, Melbourne. At the ANSC, they believe that our environment knows best when it comes to nourishing, and sustaining healthy beautiful skin. So the team only uses the highest quality plant oils to create soap, and a skincare range for all skin types. The beautiful fragrances are created with pure essential oils, each with their own unique benefits.
They also have strict policies against animal testing and the use of palm oil; each product is guaranteed cruelty free, vegan, and palm oil free! It’s important for the community, and the culture of their team to give back, and so they hold regular fundraisers and donation systems for not-for-profit organisations as well.
Grounded Pleasures
Grounded Pleasures is a family owned business, run by Craig and Sophie in Ballaarat (historical spelling), and they’re the kind of people you definitely want to know. They are fascinated by the depth, diversity, complexity and flavours of the cocoa world. They taste test like wine connoisseurs and experiment with blends like coffee connoisseurs. Basically they’re cocoa connoisseurs.
So it goes without saying that they only produce products of the highest quality, they process their beans naturally and minimally with care, and they strive to bring the most delicious and unique moments to you as a result.
Minimal yet beautiful packaging is the icing on the cake, and take it from us, you'll need to taste-test quite a few of their flavours.. **brb must go make one now..**
Hey Tiger
Hey Tiger are a premium, handmade, Australian chocolate brand and social enterprise, on a mission to make change in the cocoa industry. So far they’ve donated $253,773 via their charitable partner, The Hunger Project, to support everything from micro-loans to women farmers, cocoa farming communities in Ghana, and childhood education programs to HIV prevention (all of which impact these communities and are important components to changing the industry).
Currently, there are still 2.2 million children in child labour on cocoa farms in West Africa and the average cocoa farmer earns 0.73c per day, far below the poverty line. It is their belief that everyone in the chocolate industry deserves to prosper, and that is their mission.
As such, they source their chocolate from suppliers with strict rules in place so that cacao is be purchased above the average market price to help secure livelihoods for farmers (they have a specific focus on ensuring child labour is not part of the supply chain!), and all suppliers must uphold environmental practices to ensure the viability of cacao farming for the long term.
Juju
JuJu was founded in 2009 by Brenda Tootell, who was driven by her desire to provide individuals with period care products that are better for their bodies, better for the environment and more economical.
Supporting our local economy and workforce is important to the Juju team, which is why they prefer to manufacture in Australia. All JuJu packaging is designed and printed locally, using recyclable paper and plant-based inks. They also use a local packaging assembly service that provides employment opportunities to individuals of varying abilities and skill levels who may otherwise experience challenges with entering the workforce.
'Access to menstrual hygiene products is still a major issue for people around the world, especially in communities that are economically disadvantage or where there is strong shame and stigma attached to menstruation. It is Juju's belief that all people with periods should be empowered to care for their bodies and be free from discrimination that prevents them from participating in social, cultural or educational activities during menstruation.
This is why they are proud supporters of charities ‘Share the Dignity’ and ‘Days for Girls’. Both of these organisations are committed to ending period poverty through providing personal care products and health education to disadvantaged people within Australia and abroad.'
We simply adore everything about the Juju mission and have followed their journey intently over the last decade. We love their products and are proud to include them in our "Periodical" care packs.
Just Blends
Just Blends is an Australian owned business on a mission to bring you the very best superfoods whilst also supporting the environment, climate change and global sustainability.
One of the ways they achieve this is by partnering with a fantastic family-run business in Vietnam that recycle the thousands of coconut shells that are discarded locally. Employing only local craftspeople at well above fair trade standards, they cut, sand and polish to make the shells into bowls that are food safe, reusable and can last a lifetime. The perfect eco-friendly addition to any table.
We stock their delicious powders and a few of our care packs feature their Coconut spoons which are made from the palm wood from Coconut trees. The Coconut Palm wood is one of the most sustainable woods on the planet.
Coconut trees begin bearing fruit (coconuts) within 4 years of being planted, and they continue to produce coconuts for around 60 years before they begin to die. Tropical Coconut plantations cut these trees down and plant new trees to begin harvesting coconuts again. This process continues in a cycle, however many plantations have no use for the trees once cut down and they are often burned as waste. For maximum longevity, each Just Blends handmade coconut utensil is cut, sanded and cleaned before a virgin coconut oil polish is applied.
Kakadu Plum Co
We instantly fell in love with @kakaduplumco ’s thoughtful product range, because it’s not only beautiful, but each product holds a plethora of local, natural, native ingredients for healing and nutrition. But then, we listened to their story, and fell even more in love.
Kakadu Plum Co is a social enterprise celebrating Indigenous culture and Australian native ingredients, and as such they work directly with Traditional Owners and growers. Not only that, but they are committed to giving back to local Aboriginal Indigenous communities.
Their products also feature indigenous artworks and are packaged locally in Melbourne by a company that employs individuals with a disability.
Needless to say, we’re very chuffed to include their products in our lovingly curated care packs.
Little Balm
Little Balm is run by one pair of hands and one big heart. Both the hands and the heart belong to a wonderful person called Cindy, and we’re very excited to be featuring her lovely products in our care packs. Every Little Balm creation is lovingly handcrafted in small batches in Sydney, from 100% natural, sustainable and fair trade ingredients. There are no harmful chemicals or artificial colouring / fragrance.
The Little Balm journey began when Cindy was pregnant with her first child in 2016. She began learning about the sheer number of toxins that exist in commercial skincare products and how they get absorbed into the bloodstream. This realisation inspired her to demand more from her skincare routine, and in the products her family used.
From then on, she tirelessly studied ingredients and began to swap toxic traditional skincare products with her own replacements made from real, recognisable and wholly natural ingredients. Through her efforts to improve products for her and her family’s use, Cindy also noticed a positive impact on her well-being as she found new rituals of self-care in precious moments away from the stresses and strains of life.
She now crafts clean products that are safe, effective and skin loving and hopes that they will add value to your self care routine and encourage you to pause each day to breathe and nurture the skin you’re in.
We stock Little Balm's face mask powders, application brushes, lip tints and hand sanitisers. The hand sani even comes consciously packaged in a lovely glass spray bottle, so that you’ll always have it accessible when you’re on the go. To be extra kind to our planet, you can purchase a larger refill to keep it topped up and never have to throw it out. The lip tints are in super lovely, thoughtfully packaged cardboard tubes, and can be recycled after you're done with them!
What’s not to love?
Mask Planet
Mask Planet was born out of a desire to help keep our communities safe, to reduce face mask waste going to landfill by providing a sustainable, reusable alternative, and to give back to vulnerable groups when they needed it most.
So far they’ve donated over $3800 to numerous charities including: Beyond Blue, Bridging the Gap Foundation, Surfrider Foundation, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and the RSPCA, Arts Access Australia, The Black Dog Institute, SEED and Tangaroa Blue.
Each mask order is packaged in plant-based cellophane and sent out in either compostable corn-starch mailers or recyclable envelopes. Their Melbourne studio is also powered by 100% renewable energy form windfarms, and they deliver via 100% carbon-neutral courier.
Did you know every single one of our care packs comes with a reusable, washable fabric face mask in a creative, personality-filled print? With your order, you can choose any one of the @MaskPlanet designs, comforted by the knowledge that you’re supporting the Melbourne artists and makers behind their brand and that 20% of their profits always go to ace local charities.
Melbourne Beard Oil
Andrew from Melbourne Beard Oil hails from Brunswick, north of Melbourne.
After a few months of growing his first decent length beard, he found himself with a dry, wiry beard far too often. After a lot of questioning research, he discovered other guys were using beard oil. But sadly, he also found that the Australian options were either over priced, or poor quality. The US stuff was better, but paying postage was often not worth it, and the fragrance options still weren’t great.
Andrew put the hard yards in to experimentation and realised he could make a better product for a better price himself. So after a lot of learning about oils, fragrances, online stores and how men like their beards, Melbourne Beard Oil was born. Hand bottled and labelled, each order is personally looked after from the moment you place it, to the moment it gets mailed to you.
So there's no mahoosive carbon footprint, and you get personal service to boot. Glass jars with droppers mean the containers are recyclable as well. Now that's something we can get behind.
My Humble Earth
We’re so glad to know the co-founder of My Humble Earth, Perth local Jessica Ross. She’s currently completing her Masters in Sustainability and Climate Policy and is passionate about environmental awareness and education. Along with co-founder Harrison Barlow (a web developer currently working in the astronomy department at Curtin Uni), they share a common goal:
"To help Australian families reduce their household waste by providing reusable and sustainable products for their home, so that we can all cut single use plastics out of our lives for good"
My Humble Earth donates 5% of its sales towards providing menstrual products to female refuges & domestic violence victims through Zonta.
We stock My Humble Earth's Bamboo Toothbrushes, Activated Charcoal Bamboo Dental Floss, and Organic Cotton and Bamboo Period Panties. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth. Since it contains naturally occurring antimicrobial agents, there is no need to use fertilisers or pesticides during its cultivation, and it's a lot less thirsty than water. The bamboo used in these toothbrushes is totally organic and sustainably sourced.
Peggy and Finn
Peggy and Finn hair from Torquay and proudly produce personality-filled men's accessories for fun dudes. Their designs feature original hand painted and hand drawn prints by local artists living by the Surf coast. Their prints are unique to their products and are inspired by the flora of the coastline.
They are always looking for ways to minimise the environmental impact of the production, marketing and distribution of their products, which is great news. Their products are packed with an eco-friendly cardboard wrap and sent in 100% biodegradable, compostable satchels. All of their products are ethically sourced and made from sustainable materials including bamboo, recycled timber and 100% Cotton.
We simply love the vibrant and uniqueness of their designs, and are very stoked to be bringing some of their range to you in our Blokey Box care packs.
The TOM Co
The TOM Co are a local manufacturer, based in St Kilda, Melbourne. They are Australian Certified Organic and a Certified B Corporation. We stock their organic cotton tampons,
We are 100% behind those ethics and love, love, love their product range.
Winki Zinc
Winki Zinc are a small local business with a big smiley heart.
They make beautiful zinc that’s kind on our skin, and kind to the earth.
They care deeply about the delicate ecologies of our wild oceans, our reefs and marine life. Winki Zinc started based on an unfloundering belief in the power of creating local solutions to global problems. They believe wholeheartedly in doing good.
The makers of Winki Zinc live, surf and play on Wadawurrung country, on the wild southern coastlines of Australia. Amidst the delightful backdrop of pink and yellow skies, they chase dreamy little waves, and big dreams. Every Winki Zinc product is produced in small batches to ensure optimal quality, and packaged by hand in their little lab by the sea.
These beautiful humans really do care about doing good, in the way they make their beautiful products with love and integrity, in their sustainable packaging choices and in their support for grassroots community projects that are creating a better world.
Good for people, good for the earth, good for the oceans.
Good things all round!
