We're in a chocolatey mood this week for the Bloom by Blue Cactus podcast 😍

In this episode we speak with Maya Simler, the founder of @playinchoc They are a confectionary company that couples organically grown and ethical chocolate with recycled cardboard toys! 

Clare and Maya discuss the logistics of setting up a chocolate brand and how angel investments matched with crowdfunding can really help with funding your business.

Our new episode of the Bloom by Blue Cactus podcast is now available for you to listen too🌵

This week we have been speaking to Dejan Mit, CEO and Co-Founder of Moree. They are a reusable and refill services offering B2C companies the opportunity to help reduce their waste!

Clare and Dejan discuss changing consumer habits towards sustainability, and how finding investment as a business owner can take up a lot of your time!

In episode 10 of the Bloom by Blue Cactus Podcast, we talk to Francesca Bruni, co-founder of Two Brrooks, a hard seltzer brand. Two Brooks was set up as the Covid pandemic took hold, but that has worked to the company's advantage as people began drinking at home instead of in the pub.

The company has gone from strength-to-strength. It's entirely self-funded and has managed to grow fast in the last few years.

Francesca explains why it's so important to invest in branding and a decent website, but also reveals investment mistakes her and her brothers have made along the way.

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Bloom by Blue Cactus podcast, available now!

We speak with Ben the founder of Bare Fruit: The drinks brand that turns fresh fruit into a delicious and nutritious drink, giving a new take on the smoothie.

We talk to Ben about:🌵How the business was set up🌵How the idea came about 🌵Why subscription was the way forward 🌵How growth occurred with a tiny investment 🌵The struggles and successes of bootstrapping🌵Time management 🌵Navigating the food & beverage industry

In episode 8 of the Bloom by Blue Cactus podcast, our founder Clare chats to Mark Hirschel, co-founder of Hownd, a natural dog grooming and food brand. Mark discusses how the brand has developed to offer a new product offering, his experience with investors and plans for the future. It's a must-listen for any pet-based brands or businesses looking to grow with investment.

In the 7th episode of the Bloom by Blue Cactus Podcast, we chat to Nadia Hamila, founder of Amboora, an innovative spice and sauce brand that has sustainability and culture at the heart of everything it does. Clare talks to Nadia about distribution and how she's responding to customer demand, deals with minimum order quantities and packaging!

On this weeks podcast we spoke to Laura Clacey, founder of Sxollie (a craft cider with sustainability at its core).

We discussed:

How Sxollie was founded

The meaning behind the name

The struggle with gaining investment and how this was overcome

The most valuable thing to the business

Did you know that Sxollie ciders are 100% vegan, gluten free, no concentrate, no added flavourings, lower in calories & no added sugar!

Listen below or save for later!

We chat to Laura Harnett, founder of @seep, a plastic-free cleaning company focused on using natural, innovative materials for all your cleaning needs. Founded ONLY a year ago when discovering the difficulties of finding plastic-free cleaning products in the supermarket. Current ranges include, compostable sponges, bin-liners and recyclable copper scourers. We talk about:

Founding and setting up a business

Sourcing the materials of these eco-friendly designs

Developing products in response to customer demand

New product launches

THIS is a must, for anyone interested in eco-friendly alternatives or anyone who is looking for some tips when starting up their own business!

We spoke to Zane Bermaka, founder of @atlantis.skincare - an all natural skin care brand. 

Atlantis focuses on 100% natural skincare products that are handcrafted in the UK. Based around anti-ageing natural health and beauty encouraging people to appreciate our environment and pay attention our surrounding plants as they can teach us a lot.

We talk about: 

🌱 How the business was founded🌱 Developing formulations and marketing 🌱 Experiences learnt from developing Atlantis skincare🌱 Opportunity to learn online and re-establish as an online marketplace🌱 Valuable lessons learnt 🌱 Marketing to a global audience🌱 Researching global markets🌱 Tips for start ups

In this episode of the Bloom by Blue Cactus podcast, Clare chats to Aleksandra Matthews, a super-successful fashion entrepreneur who's built up eco-minded children's clothing brand Raspberry Plum.

The brand has had huge success with PR and social media marketing, catching the attention of premium retailers, with its clothing sitting beside Karl Lagerfeld, Givenchy and Fendi in Selfridges and Farfetch.

Aleksandra is definitely a doer, but she chats to us about what it's like to be a creative in the entrepreneur world and why it's so important to try everything as a business owner, before deciding what you're good at and what you're not so good at!