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gift of seeds |
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honey bee clock |
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earth greetings recycled card |
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tree hugga founder kylie davies with daughter tilly |
Whether you are water wise in the garden, diligently separate the recycling from general waste, grow your own veggies or build a house which embraces passive solar design, every little bit helps in leading a more sustainable life. It also helps to shop locally or if browsing online seek out stores which are eco-conscious producers. One such online store is Tree Hugga which opened it's doors for trading last month. Created by Kylie Davies, who was inspired to provide an ethically minded store Tree Hugga is stocked with an array of items which are organic, sustainable, recycled and fair-trade. Grouped by their green credentials and categorised by themes such as live & play and beautify + nurture, you can find everything from bamboo sunglasses, to surfboards, homewares and chocolate. Check out the range here.
How would
you describe yourself?
Healthy, motivated, compassionate, adventurous, busy.
What was
your childhood dream?
As a little girl I lived on 188 acres of bushland and
dreamed of being a farmer and having a pet monkey. I was totally in love with apes and playing
by crystal creeks and dams. I thought by
becoming a farmer I could do this all day.
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humming way engraved bamboo iPhone case |
What inspired you to launch Tree Hugga?
I love eco and ethical products. But I also love modern day luxuries like the
majority of the population. Hence I
wanted to design a space that would educate everyday Australians that we can
still enjoy totally gorgeous and luxurious items without making a huge
environmental footprint.
I had thought about this idea amongst many others for
quiet sometime, especially since eco, ethical and sustainable options are
growing by the week. However it took me
going back to a full time job in the workforce to take the step. After three months I realised that full time work (with two young children and another on the way)
did not suit our family's needs and our lifestyle goals. I needed to
do something about it, so I did.
What do
you love most about what you do?
I love that I can be creative with the e-shop design,
marketing and promotions. I love that I
can source amazing products and talk to some pretty damn inspirational and
creative people along the way. Plus I
love that I can work on my time, so I can always put my family first.
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maya organic children's toys |
What do
you stock and how do you source your product range?
I stock a diverse range of organic, sustainable, recycled
and/or fair products. These products
generally fall into several categories: eat & cook, live & play, wear
& explore or beautify & nurture. So the range is large and caters for men women and kids.
I am really excited to continue to expand our product
range over the coming 12 months as the business starts to grow. I have a massive list of items that I am
busting to launch!! I research products
daily, from local suppliers at markets and fetes to international businesses
making fair and recycled products in counties such as Spain and Ethiopia.
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love mae bedding |
Who are some of your
favourite finds?
For me I love all of our recycled fair trade jewellery. They are unique one of a kind items handmade
in Ethiopia and India. The beads are
recycled from melted down bullet castings found around local villages(talk
about making something beautiful out of something so negative).
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hyams mango wood necklace |
What sets
your store apart?
I think it’s our unique design and search capabilities. I wanted to create a store that was gorgeous,
that created a luxurious boutique feel with an earthy edge. I didn’t want it to feel hippy or daggy.
We also offer very personalised service as we are not
a huge and impersonal like many online retailers...if customers have a
question or concern generally they will hear from me directly.
What
challenges have you had to overcome?
Challenges namely lie in learning the technical side
of maintaining a website site and e-commerce store. But this was expected as it should be when
you try something new!
What's been a 'pinch
yourself' moment?
Seeing Tree Hugga go “live”! After so much thought and planning to see the
final product up and working felt amazing. It was as if my designer could read my mind... she completely nailed the
design image in my brief.
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love mae bamboo dinner set |
Do you try to lead a sustainable lifestyle?
I live on at Copacabana on the NSW Central
Coast.For me and my family life is all
about balance. We love modern day
luxuries but try and enjoy these by making eco-friendly and ethical buying
decisions. We use organic and natural
products in the home, kitchen, bathroom and garden. We also have some lovely vegetable patches
and a worm garden to keep us busy and immersed in nature on the weekends. In
our seaside environment it’s hard not to be active and outdoors most days.
What are your hopes
for Treehugga?
I hope that Tree Hugga becomes one
of Australia’s most loved e-shops for not only our lovely different product
range but also as a place to gain great information on all things eco and ethical. Our social hub on our home page is the start
of this.
What are your top creative
resources?
What's next?
At the moment there are two main things: Firstly to continually promote Tree Hugga so
that people actually find us! Secondly,
I am due to have my third baby in a few months so that’s bound to keep
me on my toes!
When the weekend
rolls around what do you love to:
Read – Green Lifestyle Magazine.
Watch- The kids playing on the sand.
Cook- Healthy Sunday brekkie -beans,
mushrooms and spinach.
Create- Raw chocolate recipes.
Listen to – The kids laughing.
Dream about- Future travel/camping expeditions
and adventures.
Look forward to- Checking the surf for the perfect
mini-mal wave.