In conversation with MELLA - Ethical and Socially Responsible Beauty
CONSCIOUS CONVERSATIONS SERIES
I love connecting with people and other small business owners in real life (it’s hilarious how that is even a thing now) but Zoom calls with Melanie from MELLA are an absolute treat.
Unst, a remote Scottish island is the northernmost inhabited British Isles and is home to Melanie and her small handmade soap company MELLA. Remote island life has its marvels and unique challenges. A call with Melanie is never dull, from spotting rogue sheep out of her window to mad dashes to catch the only ferry that day to mainland Scotland (a 12-hour journey!) Life and business on Unst are very different from what most of us are used to.
After travelling all over the world, Melanie decided to return home to Unst to set up her own business, MELLA in 2016.
Inspired by the fresh Atlantic air, the wild clean seas and the abundance of summer wild flowers Melanie creates a range of socially and ethically responsible natural, palm oil free soaps, lip balms and natural wax candles.
Read on to find out what Melanie’s big mission is, how she supports her own wellbeing as a busy entrepreneur and what saved her business during lockdown. You’ll also find cosy Christmas gift inspiration in this one too!
Read to the end to discover your MELLA 15% discount code.
MELLA - a small handmade soap company based in Unst, Shetland
ETHICALLY AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE BEAUTY
“Creating beautiful, carefully made products that I am proud of and that people from Shetland can be proud to say... ‘That's made here’ makes it so worthwhile.” Melanie, founder of MELLA
I love to hear about people's career and business journeys, as it’s rarely linear. What were you doing before you founded MELLA?
I was teaching in Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country before I started MELLA.
I was making soaps, lip balms and lotions in my free time and holidays for a year or two and when I decided that I'd quite like to come back to the UK I thought that maybe I could start a little business side hustle, it's taken a few years but it's now my main employment!
Why did you decide to launch your own business?
I had spent a lot of years working, studying and travelling all over the world and was thinking that it would be quite nice to come back to the UK, I wasn't sure at first if I wanted to come back to Shetland or not. However, Shetland is a really creative place with a really supportive community, still my best and most loyal customers are here! Plus my mum has MS and I felt that it was a good time to come home so I could support her and my dad and spend more time with them too.
Any entrepreneur knows there are plenty of tough days, along with the good ones. What is your big WHY or mission that you come back to on those tougher days/weeks/months?
There sure are a lot of tough days and running a business on Britain's most northerly island really does have some unique challenges that most business owners would never even have to think about!
But for me, working for myself, creating beautiful, carefully made products that I am proud of that people from Shetland can be proud to say... “That's made here” makes it so worthwhile.
It can be difficult to find work in Unst, especially with a Spanish language degree! I always wanted to do something creative and to work for myself. I worked for big organisations and in target-driven jobs but when you set your own goals and targets it seems so much more worthwhile.
If you could start your business all over again what, if anything, would you do differently?
There are SO MANY things I would do differently!
Like trying not to do too much, or have too many products and making things to add to my product range just because someone said that would be a good idea! I’d also outsource the things that I am not good at or really hate doing......find a bookkeeper or an accountant!
What core values drive your business decisions?
I want my products to be of great quality, made from carefully sourced ingredients and packaged beautifully in a sustainable way.
“You really can’t have a business without a website… My website really saved my business during lockdown and I have reached customers all over the world!”
How has your website helped your business?
You really can't have a business without a website and it's something I am constantly working on and updating, maybe not as frequently as I should. I would love to blog more and share more about what the life of a soap maker is like here in Shetland! My website really saved my business during lockdown and I have reached customers all over the world!
What has been your biggest website or tech challenge? And how did you overcome it?
I'm still trying to get my head around SEO and find that really challenging,
Writing good web copy is such a skill. Relying on ChatGPT and AI isn't going to cut it. So my biggest challenge is still by far coming up with good words and descriptions for my products.
If you were given £5k to spend on your website and/or branding, how would you spend it?
Wow, that's a lot of money! I realised quite a while ago that really great photography is essential for your website and social media so I have already invested in that, but you always need more!
I'd probably find a great copywriter to help me come up with some great descriptions and blog posts. And I would invest in a website for my trade customers so they can order from me more easily. I love supplying small independent shops and they are often just one-person businesses too, so making the ordering process easier for them would be great for all of us!
What small steps are you taking to run your business in a more sustainable and ethical way?
I try and ensure that all my products are made from sustainably and ethically sourced ingredients.
My soaps and skincare have always been palm oil free. It was never a marketing thing, just something I really believed in from the beginning.
The shea butter used to make my soaps comes from a cooperative in Ghana which supports the women who harvest the shea nuts and ensures that they are paid fairly. I also work with a social enterprise who help me manufacture my soaps. They work with, and employ, ex-offenders and former drug addicts giving them meaningful employment in a very deprived community in the west of Scotland.
I also try and reuse as much packaging as I can when shipping out orders to my wholesale customers who also find themselves overwhelmed by packaging and containers!
Running a business is a tough. What do you do to look after your own well-being?
I have to remind myself to take time off work, which is really difficult when you are a one-woman show and your business is online.
I have felt completely burnt out at times and that can creep up on you. So now I make sure that I take time off, go for a walk.....I'm so lucky to have a beautiful beach right on my doorstep. I don't always take my own advice though! Currently, I am sea swimming most days to boost my energy, immune system and mood - it's working!
I journal to try and get down on paper all the things that stress and worry me and a bit of yoga practice, although I feel pretty hopeless at that.
I'm also taking online Spanish lessons. Sounds crazy with a degree in Spanish but I was beginning to feel that my Spanish was slipping away from me and when I was thinking about the things that bring me joy Spanish was one of them! So now I take an hour each week to chat to my Spanish teacher and do some grammar exercises, which I now remember not loving as much!
I love to support other small businesses by shopping independent and sharing gift ideas. Out of your lovely products, what would make an ideal Christmas gift?
The MELLA Festive Gift box is my favourite thing, not only because you have the most Christmassy MELLA candle plus a soap but I also work with three other small businesses to create a beautiful gift by adding gorgeous alpaca socks, delicious Spanish style hot chocolate and a letterpress Christmas card.
You can get 15% off MELLA products with the code: KOHLAB15
Melanie’s highlight product is the Festive MELLA gift box:
WILD SWIMMER’S GIFT BOX
A perfect present for those who love to dip in the sea
A beautiful collection sea-themed items including cold water salve, beach blend coffee and the cosiest Alpaca socks.
You can find out more about Melanie and all her wonderful MELLA products here:
Website: https://www.mellasoap.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mellahandmadesoap
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mellasoap
