An interview with Black Palm
Clare of Black Palm
Business Owner
•
www.blackpalm.co.uk
@black_palm_official
Tell us about your business. Please describe your craft/products. What does your business do? Do you target a purpose or specific person?
Black Palm is a Natural Cosmetics company. We make zero waste, luxurious products with functionality and environmental impact at our heart.
What inspires you when you are working or creating new work?
The details. From natural, active ingredients that do their job and stimulate the senses right through to the packaging that contains them and the overall vibe of the product. We think of ourselves as 'zero waste cosmetics with a 70s soul' and I get a kick out of having a bit of a story behind a product. I think it takes the enjoyment to the next level when you are using them!
What are the core values in your business?
Sustainability is at the core of Black Palm and we are always looking for more ways to be even more eco friendly. We package in glass and aluminium. Where plastic is required in our pump tops, spray atomisers and oil based product labels, we ensure that the products are available for refill and we supply robust applicators to allow years of use before recycling. Our other labels are made from sugar cane and hemp fibre and are fully biodegradable and all of our packing and postal packaging is 100% biodegradable.
What is your biggest dream/goal for your business or have you already achieved it/them?
Our biggest dream is to have Black Palm products available in every local zero waste shop in the UK and beyond and obviously we would love to have our own branches launched so that people can come in and shop our growing product range and enjoy our soul vibe in person! We love meeting our customers, we have a very local base and I couldn't possibly get more joy from being able to chat to them in person and wrap their products in our beautiful tissue.
What is your favourite product you make and why?
That's a tricky one! I get joy from making all of our products but my favourite has got to be our Ocean Lotion. I add the Sea Buckthorn Oil last because it is a beautiful bright orange colour and when you start to blend it with the rest of the lotion ingredients you get this psychedelic pattern that's really satisfying to swirl in all different directions. It's very therapeutic.
What would you tell your younger self? (career focused)
I would tell my younger self to get back into education, learn new skills and not be so scared of failure.
What two things in your life can't you live without? (one life related and one business related)
Tea. A big old beautiful pot of loose leaf tea. Me and my partner usually drink gallons of the stuff! Give me a cup of good tea and plonk me down in the middle of some house plants and I'm happy as Larry. Business wise it's without a doubt my diary. I was always terrible at scheduling things or even using a brand new diary properly for more than a month but as Black Palm grew it was obvious that if I didn't write it down...things would get missed!
Please come up with one question that we can ask in our next interview. This could be as random or quirky as you want it to be.
If you could have started any other business, what would it have been?
Question from previous interview:
What brings you the most satisfaction and joy out of your work?
Hearing my customers feedback about how much they adore the products. It feels great to know that every day when they use them it sparks a little bit of joy.
Quick fire questions:
Sweet or savoury? Sweet
Morning or night? Morning
Radio1, Radio4 or 6music? 6music? ! I honestly don't listen to the radio much!
Holiday in the UK or abroad? Love both but I'm ready for a good travel abroad now after lockdown!
Bright colours or neutral colours? I have two personalities here that enjoy both. But generally, a neutral aesthetic wins!
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