Bio & Nature specializes in argan, castor, sweet almond and coconut oils, as well as goat, sheep and donkey milk soaps.
Company name and activity
Located near Lake Annecy in France, Bio & Nature is a family business created in 2021 by Carole Coirier and her son Théo Lavillat.
This company’s mission is to offer a range of products accessible to all and of high quality. Bio & Nature specializes in argan, castor, sweet almond and coconut oils, as well as goat, sheep and donkey milk soaps. These products are certified 100% organic and natural and are manufactured with respect for the environment, animals and the consumer. This company is going to expand and will soon expand to offer additional oils such as avocado oil, apricot oil and many more… Bio & Nature can also offer rarer oils on request such as broccoli, raspberry, pomegranate, mustard, and hazelnut oil. You can find all the products on the site bio-et-nature.com as a professional or individual.
History and motivation
Convinced that our beautiful country has enormous bio and natural wealth, we who are neither producers nor farmers, we wondered about a subject that is close to our hearts. How to participate and encourage people to consume organic and natural?
How can we value the French farmers, producers and craftsmen who go to so much trouble for our well-being? In our research we have known great people passionate about their job who lacked visibility or were very busy with their production and did not have time for communication and marketing.
We have therefore decided to build the Bio & Nature site in order to offer bio, ecological quality products, and respectful of the environment, of French production for the most part and European for the others.
The selection of our partners is done according to our criteria. No animal cruelty is tolerated, good waste management is required (recycling and no discharge into nature), and the products must be certified bio, and 100% natural.
We are fortunate to work in a setting close to nature and we take advantage of it every day to inspire us.
In the stages of creating the company, we ourselves created the site from scratch. Théo was in charge of the website creation while I took care of the marketing strategy and product research. It took about 3 months before we could take care of the administrative part. The creation and development of the company taken about 6 months in total.
The challenges the business/market is facing
We do not work with brands that do not respect the environment by practicing and using overproduction, pesticides, and rejecting waste in nature. Indeed, many consumers are not aware of certain practices of this kind and participate indirectly in the destruction of our planet.
As for us, it is unthinkable to test products, cosmetics or otherwise on animals. This is an act of cruelty in which we do not want to participate.
Many industrialists deforest in order to expand their production. This leads to massacres of animal and plant species, and considerably reduces their territory. Indirectly, this pushes the wild animals to get closer to the dwellings and to confront them with humans. Similarly, the use of pesticides can eradicate certain beneficial insects such as bees (essential for pollination and agriculture) and mutate other invasive species which will become increasingly resistant.
In addition, the repeated use of these same pesticides can cause certain more or less serious diseases and infections in humans.
We have therefore decided to work with small local farmers concerned about the preservation of nature, but also to keep a short circuit of expedition in order to participate in the reduction of the carbon footprint.
We hope in this way to encourage people to consume natural products which do not destroy the planet and which are not harmful to health.
In addition, all products and their packaging are created in such a way as to avoid waste. Thus, the products will be consumed entirely before the expiration date / best before date. No excess product will be discharged into nature.
The opportunities the business/market is facing
Wishing to be innovative and always looking for new ideas to satisfy our customers, we will soon be able to offer a range of products under our own brand. This will allow us to choose the ingredients of our soaps and our natural oils ourselves. We will establish and respect very precise specifications containing our values and our ethics for all the items we produce.
We are open to all small producers and professionals who share the same values and who would like to work with us. To do so, we invite you to contact us via our website. We will of course take care to answer each question or request for contact.
Our products will be intended for individuals but also for professionals such as hotels, spas, beauty or massage salons, organic stores and beauticians. They will be available on our Bio & Nature site, and we will also approach professionals. On customer request, other oils can be produced.
We are also about to open a blog on the site that will detail the use and benefits of each product. This will make it possible to advise the customer towards soaps or oils according to their needs. We can for example mention castor oil which strengthens and maintains the nails, the hair and even the beard.
Argan oil can be used for the whole body. It firms and hydrates the skin and hair. However, this is not recommended for pregnant women. We also recommend sweet almond for the skin, especially that of babies. Finally, we offer coconut oil and butter for teeth, hair and skin. As for soaps, they soften the skin and some calm eczema. All this will be detailed with application tips on our blog.
We prove that it is possible to take care of your skin, hairs and all of your body with natural products just by asking local producers next door and without destroying environment around you.
Advice to others about business
Getting started as a start-up can be tough, especially when the competition is high. We could see this when we faced the overwhelming awareness of the big brands. However, you have to persevere and know how to surround yourself with the right people in order to start your professional activity correctly.
In our case, we first took stock of our skills. Théo was working on the development of the website while my 40 years of experience in commerce allowed me to do in-depth market research. We reflect together on each point concerning the management of the company and each of us finds our place.
However, this does not exclude continuing to learn about new web trends and continuing to learn in order to get out of our comfort zone. Nothing is ever taken for granted, especially in a world that is changing so quickly.
Do not hesitate to question yourself when something does not work. For example, we have made the mistake of giving in to the whims of those around us. A product that appeals to one person is not necessarily a flagship and attractive product for others. We therefore spent a lot of energy and time in research that did not have sufficient results for the company.
It is therefore important to stay focused on the initial objective and to ensure that we are heading in the right direction if we want to progress in the long term. Your business is YOUR business, and not that of your neighbour, your acquaintances, or those around you. We do not all have the same values and this can lead to inconsistencies in your action plan.
This is all the more important if you want to grow your business with new ideas, new concepts and new products.
For our part, we have chosen products that correspond to us. That is to say healthy products, good for health, and respectful for the planet. We want to be honest with you: that it was particularly difficult to find producers who agreed to follow us in our adventure for several reasons. The lack of notoriety, the lack of time and the fear of launching on the web were the main factors of the refusals.
At this moment, you absolutely need to persevere and keep in mind your objectives. A lot of refusals can considerably affect your determination over time and it can be difficult to stay motivated.
To finish, we sincerely thank all the producers who have agreed to work with us and who have dared to put their products on our site. We are aware that their work is particularly difficult and that the specifications for organic products are very strict. Like us, they are passionate people who devote a lot of time to their work in order to contribute to the preservation of fauna and flora while offering quality products.
All the stages of our adventure are enriching on a professional level, but also personally, and have allowed us to flourish in our activity.
Bio & Nature is beauty through naturalness.
Sleep specialist
Using the acquired academic and professional experience, I advise patients with various complaints about mental health - depressed mood, nervousness, lack of energy and interest, sleep disorders, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts and anxieties, difficulty concentrating, and stress. In my free time, I love to paint and go on long walks on the beach. One of my latest obsessions is sudoku – a wonderful activity to calm an unease mind.
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