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

Donna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

After several years of debilitating migraines, endless nights of research led to the realization that the candle industry uses toxic and harmful chemicals in the mass-produced candles I had brought into my home. This created a desire in me to provide a solution for myself and others who also experience similar health issues. This initial spark led to the founding of Wildflower Nation & Co.

Founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a passion for sustainability, luxury, and a love for the wild beauty this world offers has been a foundation for the way we operate our business. Our purpose has always been to provide handcrafted, environmentally conscious products that go beyond the ordinary. Each and every one of our candles and home products have become a testament to our commitment for quality and respect for our planet, as well as the health of those we love.

Donna, 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?

We’re extremely proud that we use zero harmful chemicals in our products. Wildflower Nation & Co. began it’s journey by determining not to use toxic products such as paraffin, phthalates, and parabens in our candles and instead use only health-conscious products. Our products are baby and pet-friendly and simply incredible for the air quality in your home compared to paraffin blend candles which have been shown to be detrimental to indoor air quality.,

As a company, we provide handcrafted and uniquely designed cement and concrete vessels and encourage our customers to give their vessels a second life. We accomplish this by promoting sustainability and encouraging a circular economy which we believe is the solution to the problem of single use products. Our vessels can be repurposed as planters and home decor to bring new life to your living space. Normal glass vessels can take up to 4,000 years to decompose in the environment, and even longer if it’s in a landfill. On the flip side of this ecological issue, cement can break down in as few as 50 years.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my business partner/now fiancé Brandon Chappelle on Christmas Eve of 2021 at a local karaoke bar in Winston-Salem, NC. After witnessing my riveting rendition of “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” and a few good laughs, we instantly hit it off. We made some significant life changes so that he could be dedicated full-time to the development of Wildflower Nation & Co. In that time, Brandon made significant improvements to our products, processes and developed so many solutions that propelled the business to where it’s at today.

One of my favorite memories of us is when we attended our first vendor market. It was a bone chilling 4am morning February of 2022. Neither one of us had ever attended a market before. We were nervous but excited and ended the day with smiles that could light up the town. We also made our very first connection to what would soon be our first wholesaler “Imagine Flowers” of Winston-Salem, NC. It was then that I knew both of us and the business were headed in the right direction.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Our true joy of growing this business has been attending local vendor markets here in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The support and encouragement for a small business from our local community in Winston-Salem has been significant and empowering for us as local handcrafted artisans. Between wholesale, our brick and mortar hosts, prize partnerships, other small business owners, and our customers we couldn’t ask for more in terms of the amount of affirmation and encouragement they’ve given us. We truly appreciate each and every one of these people we’ve come to call friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wildflowernationandco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildflowernationandco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildflowernationandco

Image Credits
Avonne Photo Studios