Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Natural Products Expo West 2009! Great Show!
From Garden of Life with Jordan Rubin to a Fashion show for the Eco-friendly fashion, Expo West was a great show! The Organic Center held their annual dinner and we were asked to supply the salt for the table along with an organic pepper. Judy Brooks, Jordan Rubin, and even Prince Charles of England made an appearance in some form. The PR opportunities were endless and we are proud to have Ty Stevens on our team as our new "PR guy." Thanks Ty!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Small Business of the Year 2008 - Runner Up
Owner Takes It With A Grain
Selina Guerra was just 17 when she boarded a bus for the West Coast, eager to see the world outside her hometown of Indianapolis. In Chico, Calif., she and a friend were carrying a couch from a Goodwill store to their tiny apartment when a guy pulled up and asked if they needed help. Two years later, she and Philippe DeLangre wed.The following year - 1979 - she began working for her father-in-law, a pioneer in macrobiotics, a dietary regimen that eschews processed foods. He had started The Grain and Salt Society® to sell its Celtic Sea Salt® Brand sea salt, harvested on the coast of Brittany, France. But he ran the mail-order business as more of a passion than a moneymaking venture. She saw more potential in it.
That same year, she bore a son with cerebral palsy, causing her to embrace her father-in-law's ideas about nutrition as she explored alternative treatments. After he died in 1993, she and her husband bought the business for $150,000. French-speaking Philippe became its president and coordinated the salt purchases. As vice president, she focused on marketing and networking with influential people in the health-food industry such as nutritionists, doctors, chefs and authors.
"I promoted them in my newsletter and catalog, and they promoted me in their product lines and ingredient formulations. We grew together."
She tired of California and, after researching other places, took a shine to Asheville, where they moved the company and incorporated it as Celtic Ocean International in 1996. It continued to grow, shipping salt to stores across the U.S., including the Earth Fare, Whole Foods and Wild Oats chains. They expanded the catalog to include organic grains, healthy-lifestyle books, green teas and skin-care products.
But as the company grew, their marriage crumbled: Working together and raising a handicapped child had taken its toll. Divorced in 1999, they engaged in a long, nasty battle over the business, reaching an agreement four years later. She bought him out for $600,000, borrowed from her father, who owned some service stations. "To this day, I feel a little guilty because it was his father's business. But I needed the company's resources for my children." A year later, she moved its headquarters to an 18,000-square-foot building in nearby Arden. A few weeks before the move, rain caused flooding that destroyed $487,000 of equipment and inventory, including 24 new computers. A friend let her use some storage space. "My staff managed to contact all the vendors and had them overnight as much inventory as possible to help us fulfill our orders. Somehow we did it. I almost had a heart attack, but we pulled through."
But the trials of a small-business owner continued. During the last five years, DeLangre, now 50, has spent more than $300,000 to fight brand infringement. Her most costly battle came last year with Clinton, Mich.-based Eden Foods, which contended that Celtic sea salt is a generic term. "That case cost me $92,000," she says. Finally, they settled. "But it showed other companies that I will spend money and fight to protect my brand"
Last year, the company began doing business as Selina Naturally", which she feels better represents the range of products it now offers, including salt from Portugal and Hawaii, herbs, almonds, olive oil and beauty products. Celtic Sea Salt® Brand still generates about 70% of revenue.
Growth has slowed in recent years as large retailers such as Wal-Mart have gotten into the natural-food business. "The market has reached a saturation point. But this just means we've got to work harder to stay ahead."
by Sam Boykin
Monday, March 2, 2009
Family harvesting salt in France
The Delangre ladies spent part of last summer harvesting the salt in Brittany, themselves. This was a great experience in understanding the strenuous yet delicate method used in maintaining the pristine, ancient harvesting technique. In the pictures above they are harvesting the Flower of the Ocean by carefully skimming the very top of the water, making sure to not go even an inch too deep, otherwise the clay from the bed would muddy the soft pink crystals. The ancient Celts used this method for hundreds of years in the Brittany area, instinctively knowing that this was the most sustainable method of extracting the salt from the water for the environment. Each of these salt ponds had their own little eco system complete with beautiful brine and seaweed. The air smelled fresh, salty and sweet! The hard work was worth every moment when you tasted the fresh pink Flower of the Ocean just seconds out of the pond. The pink hue and floral scent of the Flower of the Ocean took on this character due to the living plankton. There are only a few places on this planet that still have the beauty and life in a natural healthy seasoning.
Professionals who support Celtic Sea Salt
Dr. Christiane Northrup
Christiane Northrup, MD, obstetrician/gynecologist, is an empowering, internationally known visionary in women’s health and wellness. As a practicing physician for over twenty years, Dr. Northrup is a leading proponent of medicine and healing that acknowledge the unity of the mind and body, as well as the powerful role of the human spirit in creating health.
Garden of Life®
With the health of our nation at a point of crisis, now is the time to take charge of your personal health and wellness. Garden of Life's vision is to change the way people eat and view nutrition. "From the soil to you, we offer only high quality whole food nutritional supplements. We are committed to giving consumers the tools they need to manage their health and healing at the highest level." quote from Jordan Rubin, Garden of Life Founder & Author of The Maker's Diet.
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