Sustain nature to experience wellness
We speak to Chalimah Jeanne, naturopath and founder of Organic Merchant, and find out more about their “earth to earth” sustainability model.
- OM’s purpose and vision
- OM’s commitment to people and planetary health
- The future of wellness
- Receiving industry recognition
- Choosing a favourite blend
From Wellbeing Magazine
Please share Organic Merchant’s purpose and vision.
Our purpose is to sustain nature to experience wellness. Our “earth to earth” sustainability model has been created to support people and planetary health now and in the future. We also align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) through our model.
After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. Therefore we want to ensure that at every step in our product lifecycle we are adopting sustainable practices — to reduce our footprint and at the same time deliver premium wholistic wellness experiences for people and planetary health.
It’s possibly a tall order for a boutique company to hold ourselves to the highest of standards; however, we don’t believe we can authentically deliver to our purpose if we don’t.
How does Organic Merchant commit to improving the people and planetary health now and into the future? How does OM work to sustain nature?
How does Organic Merchant commit to improving the people and planetary health now and into the future? How does OM work to sustain nature?Each component of our sustainability model has been meticulously planned and refined to ensure trust, transparency and traceability in line with the ethos of our organic certification. We have five key areas of the model that we focus on: partnerships,
wholistic health outcomes, organic certification, production and packaging.
This includes ethical partnerships — we consciously align with other companies that are Australian-owned and -operated, Australian Certified Organic (ACO) or ethically and fairly traded.
Our blends are naturopathically formulated for enhanced natural health and well-being with ourselves, each other and the natural world.
Being certified with the ACO offers trust, transparency and traceability of our supply chain. Our products are chemical- and additive-free, environmentally friendly and non-GMO.
OM’s production methods and our products are artisan-blended in small batches and hand-packaged with care using lean
manufacturing techniques. Thus, we ensure the delivery of fresh, vital blends with minimal waste. Our facilities are energy-efficient and enact sustainable and environmental practices to reduce our footprint.
We have sourced and created our multi-award-winning sustainable packaging options with environmental stewardship at the core. Therefore we are proudly plastic-free, and all our packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.
Looking to the future, we are working towards becoming a B Corp Certified business. Additionally, we have made a commmittment to building on our existing governance, procedures and processes ongoingly.
Tell us, what does the future of wellness look like?
There is a growing movement towards integrative health that puts the whole person first, utilising conventional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine to create optimal health and wellbeing.
This really resonates with me as I’ve always worked in this way. In fact, my first role as a naturopath was working in a clinic with general practitioners, other doctors and complementary therapists.
The world is increasingly accepting and interested in ancient healing modalities, exploring how to integrate them into modern practices. Accordingly, I see a shift towards nature, energy medicine and natural rhythms and I’m excited about seeing how these manifest and what new practices start to appear.
Your incredible blends have won numerous awards over the years, including the prestigious Australian Organic Industry Awards and the Golden Leaf Awards. Please tell us more about what those awards mean to you.
Your incredible blends have won numerous awards over the years, including the prestigious Australian Organic Industry Awards and the Golden Leaf Awards. Please tell us more about what those awards mean to you.It’s very humbling and reassuring to know that the quality of our formulations, our taste profiles and our practices and standards are acknowledged by our industry peers.
From our manufacturing to our website and packaging, to the products themselves, overall we’ve acquired over 60 industry awards over the past five years, both locally and internationally. Hence, we are vastly becoming Australia’s most-awarded wellness brand.
Of all the teas and blends you’ve created, what is your favourite (if you were to choose favourites!)?
That’s a tough question to answer as I love all our blends! My favourites are typically seasonal — for example I love Spicy Chai in winter and Ruby Rose Iced Tea in summer.
At present my morning ritual involves French Earl Grey or Australian Breakfast with plant milk. Then, my evening ritual is a warm cup of Shine Dust while soaking my feet in our copper bathing bowl and our Radiance Spa Soak. And when I’m entertaining, Australian Bush Blush with sparking mineral water is a must. It’s tangy taste and vibrant colour is always a talking point. With winter approaching, an additional morning cacao ritual will sneak in too. I love watching the sun rise on a crisp winter morning holding a warm cup of cacao against my heart.