Hey, it's me Natalie, Managing Director of Colleague Box! Happy International Women's Day!
I have always been a passionate supporter of local businesses, female-owned businesses and independent businesses. So when thinking about how to commemorate International Women's Day 2022, it didn't take long to pull together my list of inspirational, female-owned, independent, Derbyshire-based businesses to collaborate with for this special edition gift box.
It's my pleasure to introduce to you the six incredible females behind the contents of our very special gift box. I'm in awe of every single one of them and feel privileged to work alongside them on this project.
Me with Carla, Lesley, Kerry, Lauren, Dani and Rach.
Carla is a smiler, daydreamer and doodler from Spondon, Derby and indie biz owner of Love Lalaland, a cute and colourful world where anything is possible! Carla’s rainbowtastic designs are influenced by pop culture, Kawaii style and cartoon-like fun, and all her happy things are made with positive pink power to spread good vibes and #LalalandLove.
I was brought up by two strong inspirational women, my lovely mum and mama (who sadly is no longer with us!) They taught me to be kind, and gave me heaps of confidence and the courage to stand up for what I believe in. When women support each other, incredible things happen like this awesome collaboration box with amazing locally talented women I admire. I hope you enjoy it!
You can find Carla's positive quote button badges in the gift box.
My name is Danielle Dunn, 35 years old from Swadlincote. I founded Divine Box at the beginning of the first lockdown. Now I have a strong team of 6 making everything pamper and self-care. From bath bombs to shower gel, candles to room sprays we have a wide product range to suit all. We aim to encourage people to take time from a busy day for themselves.
You can find Danielle's chill pill bath bomb in the gift box.
I’m Kerry the founder of Letterbox Love Ltd!
I love all things small biz, empowering women and getting creative! Letterbox was born off the back of a passion in the first national lockdown, I had the vision to create a small and friendly gifting company with a mission to celebrate life, appreciate the small wins as well as the big ones, empower and above all, to spread a lot of love and kindness. Initially, it began as a small store on Etsy which I ran whilst balancing my career in Recruitment, with just a few poems and bracelets for sale it was more of a hobby than a business. Within weeks, the store quickly gathered momentum and sales started coming in thick and fast. Fast forward to now I run my dream business with my husband and we are proud to have our gorgeous jewellery gifts stocked in shops & garden centres across the country, shipping worldwide and have bought smiles to 1000’s of happy customers!
Find us on Instagram for light-hearted fun, plenty of daft reels and all things Letterbox Love! @letterboxloveofficial
Find Kerry's bracelets in the gift box.
Lesley So left her corporate job in 2020 to pursue her dream of building a start up with a social purpose. So Good Kombucha is a BIPOC women-owned social venture based out of Derby with a big dream to do good in the following areas: to introduce the UK to the most delicious and authentically healthy Kombucha money can buy, and to be an eco-friendly business that cares for our planet and employs refugees.
Most fizzy drinks are full of artificial ingredients, sugars, and alcohol that’s bad for you. So Good Kombucha offers a fresh new alternative - a deliciously fizzy and tangy taste that is 100% organic and packed with all the good stuff – probiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, and healthy acids. Each bottle is handcrafted in Derbyshire using the So Family recipe and is raw and unfiltered, vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and made with cold-pressed organic ingredients.
We believe that a good fizzy drink can be both super tasty and healthy; and that a Good business is one that cares for our planet and the marginalised in our local communities. Learn more about us @sogoodkombuchauk and https://sogoodkombucha.com/
Find Lesley's kombucha in our gift box.
Pat a cake is everyone’s favourite pink bakery! Offering wholesome sweet treats, bespoke cakes, corporate orders and bringing everyone’s sweet dreams to life. As a 2nd generation baker, bespoke cakes were Laurens way of life for almost 6 years, until lockdown hit and she started to offer Pat a cake treat boxes. Now the Pat a cake team bake for charities, local businesses and international corporations. We live and breathe cake. Welcome to our world of cake.
Find Lauren's jammy dodger pink blondie in our gift box.
Hi, My name is Rach and I am the founder of Candle-Mad.
Born and raised in Derby, I live with my husband, teenage son and two cockapoo's.
Candle-Mad was designed out of my love for candles and wax melts and I have added a fun (mad) twist to the packaging and branding by incorporating Pop Art in all of my designs.
Each of the handmade products are hand poured by myself and I only use 100% Soy wax, natural cotton wicks and non toxic fragrance oils that are vegan friendly, cruelty free and natural.
All of my packaging is recyclable and eco friendly and I was determined when I started my business to create luxury and natural products that are not only affordable but fun too!
I feel it is important to be a part of International Women's Day to not only celebrate the achievements of women but also to raise awareness about women's equality and to combat gender bias and discrimination and I am proud to be part of this global day.
Find Rach's wax melts in our gift box.
So there we have it, the voices and the faces behind the fantastic brands of Candle Mad, Letterbox Love, Patacake, So Good Kombucha, Love Lalaland and Divine Box.
Who run the world.... girls!
Not just for IWD, this special limited edition gift box will be available throughout the month of March. We will be donating 25% of our profits in March to the Save the Children Ukraine appeal.
Please Note:
Gift boxes mentioned in this blog at the time of publishing may not be available at a later date.