We were lucky to catch up with Gina Giblin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gina, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
My journey began when I couldn’t find a shampoo that my dog, Ellie, wasn’t allergic too. As a consumer of natural products for my family and being a recreational soap maker, I knew most liquid shampoos contain synthetic ingredients and chemicals which I believed were the culprit of her issues. So, I rolled up my sleeves and decided I would make a natural shampoo bar for Ellie using gentle ingredients. I researched dog’s skin, their coats, differences in breeds and started experimenting. After testing many recipes, I had success with a goat milk, turmeric and oatmeal bar, which ultimately became, Happy Dog. It was gentle, non-irritating and I loved the ease of bathing her with a bar over drippy liquid. And best of all, no plastic bottle to add to our recycle bin.
After sharing Happy Dog and receiving positive feedback and encouragement, I decided to launch Cordoba Farms. I started with four shampoo bars created for Ellie’s pack of friends with different skin issues. I knew the shampoo was the linchpin in my vision of creating a high-quality pet care line that not only used natural, plant-based ingredients but would be plastic-free.
I was aware there was competition in the marketplace, but felt our story and vision would hopefully set us apart. And years later after listening to our customers, our skin care line now includes Cat Shampoo, Spray Deodorizer, Bug Spray, Skin and Paw Balm, UV Sun Blocker, Itch Relief Spray and more products are in the works!
I am so grateful for everyone who supports our business, and our success has allowed us to give back. We donate a portion of shampoo sales to local non-profit rescue organizations and we also donate many shampoo bars to foster families, charity auctions and fundraisers across the country.
I’m on a mission to educate owners that choosing natural grooming care is better for pets health and better for the environment. From the ingredients we source, our packaging and shipping material, we only use high-quality sustainable products while reusing and recycling whenever we can… our shop is even powered by solar. We are on a plastic-free and reef-safe movement.
You can read all about our ingredients and the packaging we use on our website under “get the scoop”
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I live in the foothills of San Diego County with my husband, daughter, dog, cat and a flock of chickens (yes…they all have names). I love nature and enjoy hiking, camping, gardening, and a glass of wine at the end of the day. I’ve worked in the Marketing and Graphic Design field for over 20 years in various outlets such as publishing and entertainment as well as working with entrepreneurs and start-ups to help design and build their brand identity. I love the process, but I’m always looking for a creative outlet away from the computer.
In my free time, I’m usually crafting, painting, baking, cooking and whatever other creative projects I can find. Years ago when I tried soap making at a friends house, I was hooked! I loved the process and started making soap for family and friends. I could have never imagined it would have been the starting point of creating my own line of dog skin care!
Through all the researching, developing and learning along the way, I’m proud to offer a natural alternative in the pet grooming space while staying true to my personal values of reducing plastic consumption. I love that my skin care adds very minimal waste into the marketplace.
Every morning begins with a cup of coffee working in my studio for a few hours before I switch gears to my day job. From making all the products, packing orders, handling graphic and web design and all other business operations, I am a one-women show. It is a lot to manage, but as I’ve watched ideas succeed and fail throughout my career, I understand the importance of having a balance between growth and realistic expectations. For now, I am happy with my journey and look forward to see where this road will lead.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
This is a great question and the years of Covid were a huge growth period for me. We just started getting into the groove of sales with Cordoba Farms when everything was shut down and I lost most of my marketing and graphic work. Needless to say, I had a lot of time on my hands. Since Cordoba Farms was fairly new, I decide to use this time to learn more about my industry, competitors and develop a long-term plan on my product development. It turned out to be a hug asset as I was able to get a good head-start on my business plan and get the kinks out as orders slowly started to come in. In retrospect, I know that time helped my growth and get my business to where it is today.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
My initial investment was minimal and was used for ingredients, material to build molds and goods to make the product. My workstation, shelving and storage for the studio was either recycled or found at yard/estate sales. And since I handle all creative and marketing I didn’t have those costs to get up and running.. it was just my time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cordobafarms.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cordobafarms/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cordobafarms/