Unique Aromatherapy Gifts For Babies And Mums - Meet Catherine Cervasio Of Aromababy
| My guest today is Catherine Cervasio. It is an absolute honor to interview Catherine for DotComMothers…I remember reading about her after my daughter was born in 2001…I was fascinated with what she had done and how she had managed to balance her family and business. And since then I have followed her success very keenly. She has inspired me in many ways…
The year was 1994 - Catherine wanted to use good natural and organic skin care products for her new born son. She could not however find any product in the market that fitted her requirements. So she set about creating her own baby products. She handpicked pure, natural and organic ingredients for their therapeutic properties and thus enhanced the benefits of these products beyond any others. Fast Forward today - Almost 15 years later - Catherine’s business, AromaBaby is a multi million dollar business. Numerous players entered the market in the past 10 years - But AromaBaby was able to hold on to its market leader position in Australia - Thanks to its products’ far superior quality. Catherine has won numerous awards in Australia - Her company also has a very strong foot hold in the export market. In 2004 AromaBaby won the ‘Export Entrepreneur Of The Year’ award. AromaBaby exports to USA, Dubai, New Zealand, Korea and few other Asian countries. AromaBaby has now diversified into the skin care products for men and women. The products have a big celebrity following.AromaBaby’s products are perfect and unique gifts for babies and mothers. Catherine is an inspiring woman - The fact that she was a pioneer in her industry and still was able to create a strong name for herself makes business success story very interesting….Read and Be Inspired…. |
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| You are one of the pioneers in this industry. My understanding is that it is your interest in natural therapies that moved you towards this business. But in the beginning how confident were you that there was going to be a market for your products? Were you scared? |
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I had worked in product development for some major Aussie fashion retailers for some years prior to starting Aromababy. This involved travel to London, Paris and New York for example and enabled me to understand what trends were emerging in which countries. My specialty was adapting those trends to suit our domestic market. There were no natural/organic mum & baby care brands 14 years ago. I had a strong passion for and understanding of natural health. In Australia we are known for actually ‘creating the category’. More than a dozen years on our first brand Aromababy still remains in a class of its own based on our key points of difference. I believe my commitment to research (both marketing and dermatological) sets us apart from any would-be competitors even today. I was a little worried about the market’s acceptance of this brand new concept – caring for babies’ skin with natural ingredients however my strategy to enter the market via retailers and hospitals proved a winner. | |||
| A lot of mums start a business and do well but the business stays reasonably small. You started small and today you have converted it into a multi million dollar business. What do you think is your point of difference? (I mean what do you think is different in your business philosophy that has helped you to grow to such a huge level)? | ||||
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I’m the kind of person who sets goals and thinks ‘big’. From the time I launched Aromababy I had very specific goals – for example to be available in a department store chain, to appear in Vogue editorially, to reach my first million dollar sales in a year, to be accepted by hospitals/health professionals, to export and so on I always envisaged Aromababy would be a world-wide brand. I knew that to be global I had to create a brand that was identifiable and strong. It had to continually evolve, launching new products, sponsoring relative events and organisations. And I built my own personal profile to go along with the business. I went back to school and studied for a Diploma in Aromatherapy. Then I trained as an Infant Massage Instructor. When stores or international distributors deal with Aromababy, they also deal with me – my qualifications, my market knowledge, media connections etc. I have dozens of published articles, have presented dozens of workshops and am involved in various organic and skincare/cosmetics associations. Its one thing to be ‘first in the market’ with a new product or service – there will always be copy-cats within a short time. But to remain ahead of the pack and to have strong key points of difference is really hard work. I’ve pumped a lot of money back in to the business to ensure its longevity, to ensure the brand strength and never compromised on our market positioning or ingredients. We are not a ‘supermarket’ brand. We are a professional, more ‘clinical’ brand that oozes prestige and expertise. There’s nothing like Aromababy in the market. | |||
| You export your products to US and Asia. Do you treat each market differently or do you apply the same principles to every market? | ||||
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The same principals apply to every market our skincare is exported to. We have earned our stripes as a brand and have a business model that works. Having been established for so long offers lower risk to our export partners. Even though each market differs and consumer spending habits or cultures may vary considerably, we research the country ourselves and then work with our partners on the best ways to advertise, market and educate on natural babycare. We observe competitors in each region and provide our partners with strategies to deal with each. Having specialised in one specific market for so long, we are experts at what we do when it comes to organic and natural formulations, interactions with neonatal skin, aesthetic appeal, education etc. We now have a ‘bank’ of information and experience we can draw from to support each market. | |||
| You have also got another product range called ‘Pure Spa’. This already has a huge celebrity following (big names like George Clooney and Tom Cruise among others). Tell us a bit about Pure Spa and what plans do you have for it in the future? |
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| Pure Spa was launched to provide a slightly lower priced brand in the organic/natural mum & baby care market. We don’t want to be known for only one brand but rather be involved in the entire category. We therefore need to have several brands under the one umbrella. Pure Spa is a smaller, uniquely formulated brand offering a range of babycare essentials. Our massage oil contains 99% certified organic ingredients – more than some competitor products which sell for 50% more so our content is still premium. With so many baby brands launching and failing, store buyers become frustrated and lack confidence in taking on a new range. Our Company is known for its expertise in natural mum & babycare – not simply for having launched Aromababy. This offers peace of mind. We find particularly with export partners, they have a desire to deal with our Company – if one of our brands has already been snapped up for a particular region, they will ask for one of our others. It is working well. Having a ‘gorgeous’ brands as opposed to a grocery brand means we get the opportunity to market in some great ways. Last year I had the pleasure of being asked to provide Pure Spa men’s organic face crème to a host of US celebrities. I was in LA for the event which was attended by the likes of George Clooney and Leonardo Dicaprio. It’s a real buzz to be amongst Hollywood royalty because you’ve worked hard to develop a great brand. Aromababy too has been put in the hands of many well known faces including Princes Mary and Sly Stallone. | ||||
| Can you tell us the most effective marketing/publicity you have ever done for your business? | ||||
| Certainly the US events I’ve participated in have generated sales and exposure – it’s such a huge market there; you only need a small slice of that market to be successful. George Clooney was definitely a drawcard for publicity. He’s a big name. I don’t know of any other brand owner that has dined at an event with Robin Williams or Morgan Freeman or had their products delivered to Tom Cruise. Of course something like this is a sizeable financial investment. The flight to US, the hotel room in Beverly Hills, the outfit for the event (it’s a hard life…) No, really. If you’re going to think big and you want your products to make a big splash, you have to put your money where your mouth is. You have to look the part. Our products are not for everyone. They are mid to top end. I need to ensure my marketing strategy matches my brands’ image. I think this is something that some fail to realise. There is no point marketing to hospitals if you don’t understand how neonatal skin reacts with certain ingredients (even natural ingredients) or marketing to celebrities if your products are not positioned as ‘luxurious’. Last year we celebrated our official 10th birthday – our events attracted many local identities and coverage appeared in the social pages of a number of leading newspapers and magazines. It was a great pr exercise. | ||||
| If you had a chance all over again is there anything in your business that you will do differently? |
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| There are several things I would do differently if I had my time over. I’ve learned so much that it would be impossible to say I’d do things exactly the same. An example is that I invested in trademarks for USA then launched in UAE first. Had I been more strategic about my export foray, I could have invested more wisely in IP for the right region, which would have then eased the cash-flow pressures which resulted from investing in a market which was not generating income. | ||||
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| Finally, your five keys to success? | ||||
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| Sites Of Interest | ||||
| http://www.aromababy.com/ | ||||
| http://purespa.com.au/ | ||||
| This interview was published on 25th July 2007 | ||||
| Visit Catherine’s website to get more information about her aromatherapy products - unique gifts for babies…. | ||||
| This interview was published on 18th January 2007 To read more stories about women in hip maternity clothes and natural baby care products businesses click Natural Baby Care Products |
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Add comment May 22nd, 2008
