We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maricruz Carrillo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Maricruz thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

My Everyday Oil is probably my favorite product. It is also a fan favorite amongst my customers! But one customer in particular has had great success in using my everyday oil and I would love to share his story. I have asked him for permission but I will use Jose as him name for this true story to not reveal his identity. Jose suffers from psoriasis, which is thought to be an immune system problem that causes skin cells to grow faster than usual. In the most common type of psoriasis, known as plaque psoriasis, this rapid turnover of cells results in dry, scaly patches. He works with my sister and so she mentioned I make “potions” for all different kinds of things (which I do) and so he reached out to me and I immediately told him he had to try my Everyday Oil. And so he did, not just that time but he has bought 4 more refills since then and bought 3 bottles for his family. He mentioned to me that he puts it on everyday and loves it! Not only that, he has been able to reduce the amount of prescription medication he uses which is great because he didn’t like the side effects. Although I am not surprised that my oil had this amazing effect it was truly special to hear it directly from him.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Maricruz Carrillo, I am 30 years young and I was born in Rosarito, Mexico. I am a woman of color, I am an immigrant to this country, I am a conscious entrepreneur, an engineering PhD student, a mechanical engineer, an environmentalist, a dancer, a sustainability expert and hold many other identities! I created Menos Waste because a saw a need. A need for affordable natural products and accessible sustainability content. Menos Waste is not just a sustainable product company, it is a community and lifestyle that focuses on what is good for YOU, your WALLET and the PLANET.

All of my products are handmade with intention and love. I make them in small batches to ensure the quality and energy that is put into each is up to my standards. I love making all my products because everything smells so good! Specially my herbal tea blends, carefully mixing together these aromatic herbs is the best! Examples of my products include toothpaste, deodorant, bug repellent, all-in-one Everyday oil, and herbal teas. I don’t sell anything I don’t use myself in my everyday life. Furthermore, when you shop at my store, you know you have a product that was thoughtfully made just for you.

One of my favorite things to do is community workshops, sustainability talks and motivational speeches all over my community. I regularly host events as well, mostly beach clean-ups :)

Aside from the physical & educational products I also am creating a community on Instagram and YouTube. One of my passions is making educational and inspirational content absolutely free. I move through life with an equitable lense in all of my content and strive to be as inclusive as possible in a world that very often is not.

I hope you come join me in creating Menos Waste!

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

The best source of new clients for me has been Markets! There is something about being in person with your product and describing to the person in front of you all the love and thought that went into it! Word of mouth has definitely also helped a lot!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had to pivot various times while building up Menos Waste! It is in the job description almost given that sustainability is my main priority. I’ll explain… Sustainability is such a complex topic with new information coming out everyday! Initially, I thought avoiding plastic was the #1 priority in sustainability. Now, I understand that there are various other factors that determine whether something is sustainable or not. For example, getting an ingredient in bulk in a plastic bucket from Northern California is way more sustainable than getting a big glass bottle of that same ingredient from China. Little refinements like these have happened constantly and, honestly, I love it! I am always learning and growing!

Contact Info:

• Website: menoswaste.com
• Instagram: @_menoswaste_
• Youtube: MenosWaste
• Other: TikTok @_menoswaste_