We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Britt Sanders. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Britt below.
Britt, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Spruce + Bee grew out of a need to take care of my own skin in a way that would nurture it, but also in a way that was sustainable. So many skincare products (and products in general) are so full of added ingredients that strip away all the good things and often leave behind harmful chemicals. My mission was to create truly small batch products with the cleanest ingredients possible, that work. Specifically for people with allergies and sensitive skin. In the last few years, Spruce + Bee has evolved to include completely fragrance free products and naturally infused oils.
Britt, 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?
I started Spruce + Bee in 2018 as a way to take back my life and my skin. For years, I suffered from acne and dermatitis and knew the things given to me to fix those issues were ultimately doing more harm than good. So I left my world of small business, where I ran other people’s companies and I started my own. It allowed me to spend more time with the people I love and to focus on a life I was proud to call mine. Nearly five years in, and it’s still just me, I make small-batch skincare products in my home studio in Rockford, MI using ingredients you can find in your pantry.
One of things I love most about Spruce + Bee is the name. People see the bee logo and always ask if all my products contain honey (they don’t). But I do love bees and their connection to nature and I think protecting them is essential to our existence. I’ve always had a great affinity for bees, my nickname growing up was Miss Bee and I knew when I started this business, bees needed to be front and center. Every year I donate a portion of all profits to organizations working to help protect the bees.Even though I started this sustainable skincare journey for myself, my customers are at the core of what I create here. Spruce + Bee is a small, intimate community of people who get to share stories, lift each other up, suggest new products and test new things and its just so much fun to be a part of it. Some of my best selling products are ideas brought to me by people who have been using Spruce + Bee for years, I love when someone comes to me with a problem I can create a solution for.I remember when covid hit and we were all so stressed out, the Spruce + Bee community was tired, kids were home and life was stressful. I created a CALM essential oil roller with clary sage, lavender, vanilla, chamomile + sweet orange oils and I still have people who tell me it saved their life.
Sure, at the end of the day, I just make skincare. But, when you can stand in front of the mirror and wash the dirt off from the day and feed your skin with nurturing ingredients and know that you’re doing something good for yourself, that matters. We all deserve to take care of our skin and ourselves. Is it always easy? No. Will you sometimes accidentally leave your mascara on when you go to bed? Yes. But that’s ok, Spruce +Bee is my way of giving back to an amazing group of people who want to put their skin and themselves first.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I feel like skincare is such a saturated market, and it is very much the story that makes any small company stand out. Figuring out how to relate back to your customers and give them the feeling that they need what you are selling. When I stared Spruce + Bee my thinking was that with a website that I own, I could be in control of everything. I could control the narrative and what products I was selling and when. I dabbled in Amazon Handmade and Etsy when I first started but ultimately got lost and found it challenging to track what products I was offering where. It all was just so cumbersome and not worth the time. More recently, I have listed products on wholesale sites like Tundra and Boutsy, but in my experience, unless you are paying for the promos on a constant basis, you aren’t getting the exposure. I have never been one to pay exorbitant amounts of money on marketing, because being so small, it isn’t something I have the budget for.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
My business model relies heavily on my ability to manufacture Spruce + Bee products myself. It allows for a higher profit margin and gives me control over quality and the flexibility to add and remove any product from the lineup and any time. I am constantly creating new things and trying new recipes. Working with a co-packer would just be a nightmare. Before I started the business, I was playing with different formulas that worked for my skin and with my allergies. I made very small batches and threw so many in the trash. Skincare is very much trial and error and ingredients like shea butter aren’t always consistent depending on the supplier. It’s a constant challenge. Certainly, finding suppliers is the biggest hurdle. Once I was able to settle on the brands that were reliable and met my standards for sustainability, I could write and scale the formulas. Luckily, in a previous life I was the operations gal for a small smoked meat and charcuterie company so supplier management and product formulation was something I had experience with. I knew what an immense challenge it was all going to before I even purchased my first jar of coconut oil. One of the most exciting things for me about making my own products is the ability to grow and forage many of the ingredients. The nettle I use for Hair + Healing oil grows at the edge of my woods. My mother-in-law grows calendula for me. I just planted several lavender plants which I am hoping will provide me with enough for next year’s production.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.spruceandbee.com
- Instagram: @spruceandbritt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spruceandbee
Image Credits
Britt Sanders