Check out my recent interview with Make it MN!
About Us
Healthy living and nature have always been a big part of my life. During the summers in high school, I went on extended backpacking trips to Alaska, Wyoming, and Idaho. My love of the outdoors prompted me to attend college in Bozeman, Montana where I enrolled in the health and nutrition program. While in Bozeman I took classes on natural healing at local food co-ops and continued to go on backpacking trips and outdoor adventures. Bozeman is also where I attended my first lotion and lip balm making class at the cutest herb shop. I fell in love with the ingredients, the aromas, the process and the endless formulation possibilities. I was hooked right away!
Eventually, I realized that the college setting and learning style wasn’t for me. I am more of a creative and hands-on learner, and I crave adventure. I found a summer program that allowed me to get college credits for studying botany and ecology while backpacking in Utah. It was there that I first learned that the root of the yucca plant (I call yucca my gateway herb) contains saponins and can be rubbed with water and used as soap. That was intriguing to me and introduced me to many other interesting properties of plants. Unfortunately, opportunities like the one in Utah are very limited and costly, so I decided to take a break from college and focus on my training as a CNA.
I moved back to Mankato and worked as a CNA while spending my free time studying and foraging for local plants with my fiancé. Our first joint purchase was a book called “Edible and medicinal plants of Minnesota and Wisconsin.” We ate and harvested Stinging nettle, Solomon's Seal, Burdock, Virginia Waterleaf, Indian Potato, Cattail, Violet, and much more.
We got married in 2005, and in 2006 our first daughter was born. This was when I started making cold process soap as a hobby. I made 2-pound batches of soap in our basement (during nap time) using essential oils and local plants. We gave it out as gifts and set up a small table at the Mankato Farmers’ Market. We now make 22 pounds of soap at a time which is about 100 bars, and we still sell our soap and full product line at the Mankato Farmers’ Market.
I continued to learn about holistic and healthy living and studied Thai Massage in Thailand, became a certified doula (labor coach) and just recently completed the Intermediate Course at The Herbal Academy. I am currently enrolled in an Anatomy and Physiology course with an emphasis on how herbs work in the body. I use my knowledge and experience while creating formulas for Herbal Beauty. I feel fortunate that I get to share my creativity and passion through my products.
My husband and I have always wanted to be self-employed, so we’d have the freedom to be creative and to have our kids involved in our work. In 2010, we quit our part-time jobs and committed to Herbal Beauty full time.
A lot of people ask me, and you may be wondering "how can you be business partners with you husband?” I admit, being business partners with my husband and working from home can be challenging at times, especially with a house full of kids. Some days we wish we had the typical 9-5 job. But 99% of the time, we love it. We have learned to accept our weaknesses and focus more on our strengths. One example of this is when I come up with a new product idea; my husband makes the tools to produce them efficiently. Also, to have a healthy working relationship with my husband, open communication and planning our days are crucial.
We feel very fortunate to be self-employed, have our kids involved in our work, and to have the freedom to be creative and set our hours.
We currently live in Wells, MN on a small farm with our four kids, sheep and chickens. This is also the location of our studio and where we make, bottle, label, market, and formulate all of our products.
Eventually, I realized that the college setting and learning style wasn’t for me. I am more of a creative and hands-on learner, and I crave adventure. I found a summer program that allowed me to get college credits for studying botany and ecology while backpacking in Utah. It was there that I first learned that the root of the yucca plant (I call yucca my gateway herb) contains saponins and can be rubbed with water and used as soap. That was intriguing to me and introduced me to many other interesting properties of plants. Unfortunately, opportunities like the one in Utah are very limited and costly, so I decided to take a break from college and focus on my training as a CNA.
I moved back to Mankato and worked as a CNA while spending my free time studying and foraging for local plants with my fiancé. Our first joint purchase was a book called “Edible and medicinal plants of Minnesota and Wisconsin.” We ate and harvested Stinging nettle, Solomon's Seal, Burdock, Virginia Waterleaf, Indian Potato, Cattail, Violet, and much more.
We got married in 2005, and in 2006 our first daughter was born. This was when I started making cold process soap as a hobby. I made 2-pound batches of soap in our basement (during nap time) using essential oils and local plants. We gave it out as gifts and set up a small table at the Mankato Farmers’ Market. We now make 22 pounds of soap at a time which is about 100 bars, and we still sell our soap and full product line at the Mankato Farmers’ Market.
I continued to learn about holistic and healthy living and studied Thai Massage in Thailand, became a certified doula (labor coach) and just recently completed the Intermediate Course at The Herbal Academy. I am currently enrolled in an Anatomy and Physiology course with an emphasis on how herbs work in the body. I use my knowledge and experience while creating formulas for Herbal Beauty. I feel fortunate that I get to share my creativity and passion through my products.
My husband and I have always wanted to be self-employed, so we’d have the freedom to be creative and to have our kids involved in our work. In 2010, we quit our part-time jobs and committed to Herbal Beauty full time.
A lot of people ask me, and you may be wondering "how can you be business partners with you husband?” I admit, being business partners with my husband and working from home can be challenging at times, especially with a house full of kids. Some days we wish we had the typical 9-5 job. But 99% of the time, we love it. We have learned to accept our weaknesses and focus more on our strengths. One example of this is when I come up with a new product idea; my husband makes the tools to produce them efficiently. Also, to have a healthy working relationship with my husband, open communication and planning our days are crucial.
We feel very fortunate to be self-employed, have our kids involved in our work, and to have the freedom to be creative and set our hours.
We currently live in Wells, MN on a small farm with our four kids, sheep and chickens. This is also the location of our studio and where we make, bottle, label, market, and formulate all of our products.
