018. Adaptogenic Apothecary
The herbal alchemists turning medicinal mushrooms into potent wellbeing blends.
Anita & Caroline, friends and now co-founders of the Richmond-based brand MadeKind, set out on a mission to create safer cleaning products and reduce plastic waste.
Here’s a little glimpse into their world.
MadeKind launched in November 2020, although the idea started a couple of years prior.
We had both worked in retail buying and merchandising so were familiar with the impact fast fashion has on the environment.
We were discussing the effects harsh chemicals in cleaning products have on our families’ health as well as the amount of plastic packaging we use and recycle, but that still ends up in the ocean.
We decided to do something about it.
Our team is us with our dogs; Molly, Lola and Chester. Our families do help too.
At the moment we work in Caroline’s kitchen with our dogs at our feet, listening to inspirational podcasts.
Three years ago we had a dream of having an office by the river and that dream is becoming a reality when we move to our new riverside office in the Spring.
Our Signature Blend
When developing our natural cleaning products we experimented with our own formulas before discovering an incredible family run manufacturer who finessed the products.
We designed a signature blend of lavender, rosemary and peppermint essential oils which not only have fantastic antibacterial properties but also make your home smell like a spa.
Our formulas have been carefully created to clean effectively but be safe for your family and the environment.
Our Product
Offering refills to eliminate waste was high on our list of priorities, and also making the glass bottles look stylish so that you can leave them out on your kitchen counter.
We had ambitions that all the every day products we use in our homes should be as good for you as they are for the planet, so we developed a range of body products including a nourishing hand wash.
Our Memorable Moments
We are very proud to only have 5 star reviews of our products but we remember the first time we received a review from a stranger, and we were so excited and kept checking that neither of us knew them!
We had a pouch disaster – we filled 100 pouches with hand wash and when we went to pack them ready for orders we discovered that they had leaked as the heat sealing had failed! Fortunately that issue was quickly resolved!
Our Vision & Values
Our business has been driven by our desires to create products that are safe for our families and do not impact that the environment.
We strongly feel that our homes should be a place where you can breathe safely without toxic chemicals, and that we have a responsibility to provide a process where people can easily reduce their plastic waste.
We would love to see our products in homes up and down the country where MadeKind is the first choice for natural, refillable products.
This really is a kitchen table brand success story and what an exciting moment it must have been to blend a formula that not only delivers in a practical sense but leaves our homes smelling like a spa.
Thank you both for sharing, we look forward to seeing what you create next! – Lyndsey
The herbal alchemists turning medicinal mushrooms into potent wellbeing blends.
From a kitchen table to global stockists, the inspiring story of a one woman business.
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