From supplements to essential oils, the wellness industry has become big business. Gold Coast entrepreneur Claire Mitchell is part of the Australian contingent tapping into the global trend – launching ECO. Modern Essentials in 2009 – a wellness brand with essential oils at its core.

Born from Claire’s passion for health and the environment, the company now exports to 14 countries – with a bulk of product shipped from its light-filled work space and warehouse in Robina. 

The brand also boasts a slew of business award nominations – including recently being named Best Health and Wellbeing product manufacturer at the 2018 Australian Enterprise Awards. 

InsideR spoke with Claire about the inspiration behind the business, plans for growth and her commitment to community – a value which remains at the heart of the ECO. brand.   

-When did you start ECO. Modern Essentials?

I am a qualified accountant and have worked as Chief Financial Officer for high-grade tech companies. My vision was to transfer my business skills and passion for growing businesses to my own venture – developing a product range that’s true to me and that I love.

I purchased The Natalie Group in 2009 before launching ECO. Modern Essentials, with the aim of exporting a high-quality Australian ‘eco’ brand to the rest of the world.

-How has your business grown?

We’ve grown from a team of two to 20 employees, exporting to 14 countries including the US, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Middle East, Dubai, Japan, China and Malaysia.

We work with retailers and distributors globally and remain focused on product development. We learn a lot from our export market regarding trends; the US is cutting-edge and China’s a big market for us, too. We are pretty nimble against big competitors; we innovate, release new products and are quick to market.

We’re proud to be an Australian company and proud to live on the Gold Coast. We carry out some manufacturing and supply at our Robina location, alongside a specialist production facility in Melbourne. Australia is a strong brand; we have such a great reputation for quality production which resonates with customers around the world.

Alongside our online store, our products are stocked in renowned wellness e-tailers, high-end pharmacies and health food stores. Our range is also found at the very heart of Australia’s tourism hubs, retailing at our domestic and international airports around the country, in pristine locations such as Uluru, and on four international cruise ships.

-Explain the product range. What are your best-sellers? How are they different to other products on the market?

To me, the concept of an ‘eco’ brand encompasses lifestyle. Our team is very passionate about the environment, including the Gold Coast’s beautiful beaches, and try to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

ECO. Modern Essentials is not simply a natural skin product. It’s a wellness brand which offers our customers a range of products to make them feel great about themselves. Essential oils are at the heart of our brand, and our most popular products are the ECO. Best-selling Blends 6 Pack and ECO. Deep-Sleep Aroma Trio.

Essential oils have been around for a long time and their benefits have been well-documented. We are passionate about educating our customers and ‘simplifying’ the use of oils – including the way we package and present them, so customers can learn about blends and how to develop their own.

-Charity is an important part of your business. Please tell us about your work?

For the ECO. team, it’s not just a matter of donating, but finding causes we really believe in. Our branding is so important, and our team lives and breathes the ‘eco’ philosophy. We remain true to the ECO. brand in everything we do.

We are passionate about animal welfare and support Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. They are a stockist of our products and we’re in discussions about how we can further assist animal rescue initiatives through Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.

As a ‘cruelty-free’ brand, we distribute in China via cross-border channels to avoid product registration, which requires testing on animals. We’d never do that, so we’re lucky to work with a distributor that understands our values.

We’re also really excited to have launched our ‘Aroma Trios’, featuring Indigenous artwork by Queensland creative, Jedess Hudson. We donate a percentage of profits from the kit to an Indigenous language project, which we see as an important part of celebrating our Australian heritage.

-What do you love about living and working on the Gold Coast?

Our business has been based on the Gold Coast for seven years and we just signed a new lease at our Robina premises. We’ve secured a clean and accessible space that meets all of our needs – an industrial site for warehousing, while still maintaining an ‘eco’ feel.

We’ve seen massive growth around Robina and it’s not hard to see why. Everything is within easy reach – from great shopping and food to major infrastructure, including the M1 and public transport.

We just celebrated a record quarter with a delicious feast at Taboon at The Easy T Centre – it’s our team’s favourite spot for a treat.

On weekends, I love the beach and our burgeoning cafe culture – visiting my favourite haunts in Broadbeach, including Social Eating House, No Name Lane and The Garden Bar at The Star Gold Coast.

-What’s next for ECO. Modern Essentials?

We launched our new website this year and are getting ready to go live with a new platform in the US ahead of Black Friday sales – the biggest retail event on the US calendar. We are also setting up third-party warehousing over there, to help service our growing customer base.

Our product development is driven by our customer base. We work closely with our manufacturing team and research and development is a massive part of the business. We love what we do and love making our customers happy.