Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Lambert, Nicole Lambert.
ˈärdər botanicals is a mother/daughter owned canna-wellness brand, focusing on luxury products made exclusively for women. Co-Founders and Co-Owners, Heather and Nicole Lambert, operate their e-commerce business out of Augusta, GA. The company’s unique approach to the rising CBD market, combined with their focus on cannabis education, are great assets in bringing mainstream focus to legalization and reform efforts throughout the state.
Heather – “My mom and I are both lifelong sufferers of endometriosis, something we sadly have in common with way too many women. The pain, bloating, fatigue, etc. that accompany that condition, can range from a nuisance on the best days, to totally debilitating on the worst. Searching for better treatment options led us to cannabis as a natural treatment alternative, and soon after we formulated our first product, Blood Magick Menstrual Relief Balm. We chose CBD because well, we’re in Georgia, a non-legal state. CBD, short for Cannabidiol, is one of many cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant (THC being the main one people think of) but can be extracted legally from hemp. It’s a very amazing, and versatile compound that’s known for its anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, and anxiety-reducing effects.
I honestly don’t think either one of us expected the results we got. The difference in relief with CBD alone was astonishing! So much so, we made everybody we know to try it, because we just couldn’t believe it ourselves. Family and friends turned into friends of friends, and before we knew it, we had created this business that neither of us saw coming. We kept that same plan going forward with other products, choosing very intentional ingredients for very specific issues. For instance, our Blood Magick line of products focuses on menstrual relief, but will still work for other ailments, and work on men too. It’s just going to work best for period-related issues because that’s what we created it for.”
Nicole – “We both just became obsessed with learning everything about it! Heather had just graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BS in Biology; a degree she chose in preparation of plans to attend Medical College of Georgia. She was home to continue shadowing through the summer when we began really playing around with our new find. We started adding CBD to our own recipes, tweaking and testing things, researching, and talking with experts in the field of cannabis. I think that was the catalyst that really set an entirely different, and unexpected path in motion.”
Heather – “I’ll be honest, it’s hard not to become disillusioned with the current state of medical care. It was frustrating to see patients unable to benefit from better treatment options, not because doctors don’t know how to help, but because their hands are tied, bureaucratically. It’s a dark side of medicine that I was desperately trying to find a way to the stomach. This company has given me a way to help people, while also nurturing my own mental and physical wellbeing. It just feels right, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Heather – “It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. In fact, I’d say we probably picked the ultimate worst business to get started in! Banks hate the cannabis industry, credit card processors hate the cannabis industry, insurance companies hate the cannabis industry. Basically, all of the things that any other business requires, we have to jump through ten hoops and pay three times the price for. Even then, it’s not uncommon to find your shop suddenly, and without warning, unable to take orders. Even though CBD is completely legal, it’s still considered a high-risk industry on the corporate side of things.
Thankfully, as laws become less restrictive around the country, new options are opening up. Just last week, a major player in credit card servicing announced their intention to begin accepting CBD businesses, immediately. It’s something so basic, but it’s probably the best news we’ve had since we launched!”
Nicole – “On the opposite end of the spectrum, our largest hurdle has been reaching a point where we can connect with professionals in various fields of expertise for help. ˈärdər has literally been a two-woman show from the start; be it packaging design, product creation, website building, the actual manufacturing, we’ve done it all. We’re finally getting in a space to take some of the burdens off of ourselves; we can’t be experts in everything, despite how much we may try! We have, and do continue to learn so much, but at the end of the day, the value that comes from building a team of talented individuals is unmatched.
We’re especially proud to now be working with Elizabeth Moriarty, owner of Luminary Medicine Company and Founder of hemp cannabis brand Empathica. Elizabeth is a Clinical Herbalist and Formulator, who has been producing botanical therapies for nearly 30 years. Her experience and expertise is really helping us take ˈärdər to the next level. We’re working really hard to assure each product we have is formulated to the highest standard possible, as well as working on some new products that’ll be added soon. Currently, Elizabeth is working with us to formulate our first elixir, which is set to debut at The Oscars this February. We were invited to showcase our brand at a special CBD Celebrity Gifting Suite, hosted by TMG International and Madison 8/MG Magazine. This will be our largest event to date, and working with Elizabeth has definitely helped this process go more smoothly, and solidified our confidence.”
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about ˈärdər botanicals – what should we know?
Nicole – “We wanted to approach the CBD market by formulating products that incorporated cannabidiol as an active ingredient, rather than the primary selling point. It’s our magic ingredient, so to speak! At the moment, there are still so many people who have never even heard of CBD, or have a false perception of cannabis as a whole. We want to reach those people, so we basically worked backwards by creating luxury products that could stand on their own, then added the CBD. We took special ingredients we already loved treating ourselves to; hand-harvested salt from France for our favorite detox bath, silky smooth organic shea and mango butters for our balm, real 24k gold, crushed crystals, herbs, botanicals, and fruits from around the world, and used those in our formulations. We’ve also taken great care to ensure our products contain only the most potent, clean, domestically grown cannabidiol available on the market. It can’t be stated enough how important it is to know where your CBD comes from. You don’t want toxic pesticides or any other bad things in something that is meant to be good for you.
What we make for ourselves, are the same products we make for you. We do this as a small way to indulge ourselves, and we wanted other women to feel pampered like that. Who says self-care has to feel medicinal? If we can deliver a beautiful package that feels like a gift, but also has the ability to enhance your overall wellness, we’ve achieved our ultimate goal. The rest, the aesthetics, that’s just us. We’re both very detail oriented people, and care about presentation, and customer experience, just as much as we do a great product. When you look at our website or get one of our packages, that’s 100% us. Our personality, our style, basically we’re just putting ourselves out there and hoping people like us, so they also connect with our brand. It’s terrifying, but has also been a great lesson in self-acceptance.”
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Heather – “One of the most important things for us to remember is to always be ourselves. People, whether they know it or not, can sense when you’re not being authentic. If it’s a project you’re not fully invested in, or you’re trying to act a certain way because you’re nervous and putting up a front, it’s not going to work out in the long run. We’re not scared to admit what we don’t know, and try to improve where we can. As long as you approach a situation owning your truth 100% of the time, you can be confident regardless of the outcome.
We also believe support goes a long way. Not necessarily support for ourselves, but support for other women. We’re building our brand with the future in mind, and constantly coming up with ideas of how our expansion can benefit others. Our goal is to build a community, not just a company.”
Contact Info:
- Website: arderbotanicals.com
- Email: info@arderbotanicals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arderbotanicals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arderbotanicals
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/arderbotanicals
Image Credit:
Zach Thompson
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