SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS The Beeswax Company was launched due to Founder Fran Beer noticing a gap in the market for sustainable alternatives to cling film. The venture was a success from the start, with collaborations forged between the likes of the National Trust and Cath Kidston When did you start up and why? I founded The Beeswax Wrap Co. in 2017 in a bid to live more sustainably and plastic-free, starting within my home. Sadly, I found little to no alternatives to cling film on the market. So, blending my love of crafting and the planet, a journey to create a product that was planetfriendly, useful and beautiful began – and The Beeswax Wrap Co. was born! From day one, my mission was to create a company as sustainable and eco-friendly as our wraps, so I work hard to this day to maintain a sustainable supply chain and encourage our suppliers to make ecofriendly changes. What prompted you to launch the business? I began crafting beeswax wraps in my kitchen here in the Cotswolds for myself, my friends and family. More and more people were asking for beeswax wraps, so I thought, why not make them for a local market? They were hugely popular at our first market stall, and our second, and third. and it dawned on me just how many people must be looking for a plastic-free alternative – just like me. The demand was so big that I took the plunge, built my own website and from there my business boomed! What challenges have you overcome since the company’s launch? Apart from ruining plenty of irons (whoops!), we had an incredible launch and our first few years were a roaring success. With the broadcast of Blue Planet and talks about our environment being in the public eye, it was clear people were listening and making sustainable changes. However, business did become more challenging due to Brexit and throughout the pandemic. As with many other businesses that offer wholesale, we lost some trade accounts in 2020. This encouraged us to focus our attention on strengthening our B2C sales. We were fortunate to bridge the gap through direct-to-customer sales and we started building a brilliantly engaged community through social content. The journey so far has given us a great understanding of direct consumer demand and we are excited to continue to grow this, alongside building up wholesale with new ideas throughout 2022. Tell us about your product offering. We are the UK’s leading maker of handcrafted beeswax wraps and vegan wax wraps and our list of sustainable swaps keeps growing. Alongside our awardwinning wraps and waxed bags, you can fill your basket with our hand poured Solid Dishwashing Soap (a plastic-free 74
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