We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Borge. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.

Angela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

This whole journey to business ownership began as a major risk and continues to be challenging and rewarding. After I graduated college I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I got a degree in social work, but was not ready to enter the working world as a social worker and I did not feel ready to go to grad school either. I decided to take some time off and pursue my education in herbalism. Simultaneously my mother asked if I wanted to try to make soap, something she has always wanted to do, but never had. I said yes and from that first batch we were hooked. Now the bars turned out misshapen and not the most attractive, but the soap was the best I had ever used. I also loved that we created something together; something I did not even know we could make. From there we began making soap for family, friends, and of course ourselves. I have had sensitive skin since my late teens and struggles with severe acne for many years. I found that all the products I was trying just made my skin worse. But when we started making our own products, with natural ingredients I found my skin was beginning to clear up. We focused on sustainable ingredients that are good for the planet and our skin; our biggest organ. We had so much fun formulating and trying out products that I felt made a positive impact in my life and I wanted to share with others who were maybe also struggling with skin issues. I asked my mom if she wanted to take a risk and start a business together. She agreed and we invited my brother to join in the family fun. We created our brand, Humble Bee Herbal. We only use the best ingredients and eco friendly packaging. Next we expanded our business over the course of a couple of years from farmers markets, to small businesses, to online sales. Through our expansion we met the owner of a refill shop in Sebastopol called homebody refill. We connected over our love of natural, sustainable products and making soap. She also got her start making soap, but found that she did not have enough time to run the store and keep up on soap production. She asked if we would be interested in making her soaps for her. We agreed. We were also able to get our own products into her store. When she informed us that she was unable to keep the store running and would no longer need us to make her soaps we were heartbroken. We so believe in the mission of the refill movement and felt that the community needed a sustainable option instead of continuing to contribute to the plastic waste epidemic we are all suffering from. During this time my mom and brother really stepped forward in our business while I went back to school for my masters degree. I was able to go home every two weeks to help make product during the first year because classes were online due to the pandemic.
When the store owner told us about her store closing I asked my family if we should offer to buy it. I know, a huge risk. We had no experience in running a storefront. So naturally, they said no. I said that I thought it was a great idea and an important business for the community and that I really thought we should at least ask if she’d be willing to sell. They said no. I kept pushing until I sent the email, just to ask. After all, what’s the harm in asking?
After I sent that email I was nervous and excited about the prospect. I had always wanted to have a shop. Originally I thought it would be an herb store, but a refillery is just as good. Especially in a town with a lovely herb store already. The owner emailed back and said she hadn’t thought about selling, but that she was sad to see the business end. She said yes. Then I started to scramble to get everything in place and everyone on board.
Since we took over ownership during the pandemic there have been some major difficulties. There have been supply chain issues, cost increases, illnesses, and lots to learn about the inner workings of a storefront and new business. But with all of that it has been so worth it. We feel passionate about sustainability and zero waste. We are blessed to be in a wonderful community that supports us. It has made each of us more aware of limiting the waste we generate in our own households. And it is something we can feel good about. We feel good about offering sustainable alternatives to products that are poisoning and polluting our earth. We are offering an alternative to supporting big corporations who do not care about their ecological impact. We care about the earth and our community and we are trying everyday to make them both more future focused and sustainable.

Angela, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Angela. I grew up in Sacramento and left as soon as I could to New York. After a few years there I realized that the east coast was not for me and I moved to Humboldt County where I finished school and discovered herbalism. My mother says she was too young to be a hippie, but she also had save the whale pins and brought tofu to a family dinner, so you tell me. I grew up hiking, camping, and enjoying nature. From a young age I loved being outside and making potions in the backyard with all the flowers, leaves, and mud. As I got older, around high school, I started to buy into all the messages about the vast variety of skin care products I was supposed to use. The more products I used the more my skin would break out. By the time I was twenty, my face and back were covered with acne. I was so frustrated because I was doing everything “right” and my skin was just getting worse.
When I switch from New York to Humboldt I started to get re-immersed in nature and began to cut out all products that had ingredients I did not recognize. I began learning about herbs and food sensitivities. From there my understanding of myself, my skin, and my life trajectory began to change and expand. After I graduated I needed to step away from social work. I had a really difficult internship doing crisis work and I felt like I needed time to ground. I went deep into herbs and took herbalism coursed, I went back to my roots of growing plants and making potions in the backyard. I was making my own skin care products and seeing what worked for me. At this time my mom came to visit me and she asked if I wanted to try to make soap with her. She had always wanted to try it and I was curious so I said yes. We made three different kinds of soap the first time either of us had attempted to make it. We went big even though we had no idea what we were doing and we did not have the best equipment either. We stirred soap batter for three days, unsure if it would harden and become useable bars of soap. But when the time came to turn the loafs out of their molds, they were solid (and a little hard to get out). We were amazed. All that work, all that struggle, all that unsureness and we did it. We had made soap. And it was great too. It didn’t look the best, but it lathered nicely and did not dry out my skin. It was great. From there we made soap for all the holidays. We look back now and laugh at the look of those first Christmas soap bars. They looked a mess. But the soap was nice and that’s what matters,
That first soap adventure inspired us to keep going and to make all kinds of different products. I loved it so much I decided it could be a business. My mom was retired from teaching and cannot sit still and I was kind of waffling, unsure of what I wanted to do so we joined forces and began Humble Bee Herbal. We invited my brother to join and the rest is history.
We make a variety of soaps, different kinds of lotions, bath products, skin care, and masculine products as well. We emphasize sustainable, natural ingredients. No SLS, palm oil, almond oil, preservatives, micas, or other dyes. We only use herbs and clays for color, We also only use sustainable packaging. No single use plastic, only glass, metal, and paper. We have also made shaving products, like shavings soap, aftershave, and beard oils made of only the best natural ingredients. Our deodorant comes in paper tubes, never plastic and our lip balm comes in tins. Our products are not only good for people, but good for the earth as well.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

We bought homebody refill September of 2022. We had already been making soaps for the original owner and when she said she was unable to keep the store we offered to buy it. We had no idea what we were getting into. She set her price and we were approved for our first ever business loan to cover the acquisition cost. The process was relatively easy as we had an established rapport with the previous owner and trusted her to be honest about the business. We were quite naive and just lucky that everything has worked out thus far. We had considered what it would look like to manage two LLCs, but that seemed very complicated so I did some research and we went with a DBA option instead. So now we have one LLC with a DBA under it. I felt strongly about buying homebody refill because I believe strongly in the zero waste movement. I am passionate about trying to leave the earth better than when I got here. Our small shop is right across the street from Wholefoods so every customer we get feels like a win over big corporations. We feel that sustainability is essential to our communities and the world and feel like we are making a positive impact. Every bottle someone comes to refill is one less bottle in a landfill.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

For us the best source of new clients is word of mouth. For both Humble Bee and homebody we have found that once people try our products, they not only come back for more, but they also tell their friends and family about us. We work hard to maintain quality products and we try to keep it as affordable as possible. We often ask people how they have heard about us and most of the time they respond that someone they know suggested our products or store.

Contact Info:

• Website: humblebeeherbal.com/homebodyrefill.com
• Instagram: humblebeeherbal/homebodyrefill
• Facebook: humblebeeherbal/homebodyrefill