As sustainable lifestyle trends are introduced into everyday living, D2C brands have realigned their goals to meet the expectations and demands of conscious consumers.
From product development to production, to purchase, to use, and disposal, businesses have been experiencing radical shifts to meet customers needs and make the world a better place to live in.
BeKoherent is one such D2C team that is on a mission to make conscious, responsible, and regenerative consumption a habit for shoppers.
In conversation with Kaus, Co-founder of Mason, is Adriana Henao, Founder at Bekoherent; who reveals what it is like to run a sustainable DTC business on a journey to building their online presence and creating a difference—both environmentally and socially.
Henao comes with over 20 years of professional experience in sustainability, having worked with NGOs, the government and community-based organizations, particularly across Latin America and the Caribbean communities.
“My purpose in life is to create and offer inclusive and regenerative solutions that empower people in vulnerable situations to improve their quality of life and their socioeconomic well-being.”
How did BeKoherent come into existence?
Adriana: I started looking for plastic-free options for my family to reduce our plastic consumption as a family. I started purchasing different brands from all over the world but I wasn't very happy with their performance.
At the same time, I was researching toxic ingredients and the levels of toxicity in our everyday lifestyle products. So I started working with a laboratory in California to develop our first formulation, then when I reviewed the main ingredients and the options, I realized that many of the ingredients were the ones that I had come across while working with disadvantaged communities in rural areas who are trying to earn a living by selling their produce to the market.
I remember I would tell them to create ‘value-added’ products rather than simply selling raw materials. It is here where I saw an excellent opportunity, so I put both things together.
I began working with my best friend and a great formulator in Columbia to create what we offer today. Although Veronica and I had zero experience in creating cosmetics or marketing, we managed to create a lineup of products made with potent natural ingredients straight from Amazon.
Moreover, a lot of research also went into the biodegradability of the complete product, packaging and the age of ingredients used. To sum it up, everything we produced came from start to finish, came from nature and went back to nature without any trace left in the environment.
In a nutshell, the core of BeKoherent lies in the word ‘regenerative’—like not enough to be sustainable now. We are at the point where we need to restore our planet, our body and our relationship with the environment.
Everything is interconnected lest we forget.
Hence it becomes essential that we as a brand educate consumers on how we can restore the balance and live a better, beautiful life.
How did you gather insights and data about concept iteration and experimentation?
Adriana: Not only did we conduct extensive market research via surveys and different interviews, but we also analyzed existing brands in-depth.
In 2018, there was an increase in market demand for personal care or self-care.
In terms of market research, from 2020 onwards, we had started conducting workforce research. We discovered that more people were seeking conscious or sustainable products to build a healthier lifestyle and leave a positive impact. It is here, in early 2021, that we decided to come into the picture to fulfil the increasing consumer demands for sustainable products that left a positive impact across the funnel.
As more consumers became aware of the troubles of disadvantaged communities, the impact of climate change on their life, and how their choices, as consumers, had a role to play in it all, a conscious shift swept in, and we slowly but surely began to grow.
“All I wanted to do was make a difference for my children, their future and my community by leaving behind a clean, green world.
It's is a long way to go, but change is coming. It's happening…”
For sales, how does a marketplace like Amazon help? What were some of the challenges you faced?
Adriana: At the beginning, I admit, I was reluctant to sell on Amazon because I would see the Amazon Prime car that would come for delivery where I live (Washington D.C.) 10 times a day. Since we are a carbon-neutral enterprise, we focused on developing an eco-friendly and conscious way of shipping and delivery, and Amazon was nothing like it.
However, soon enough, I realized that if I wanted to make a difference, I must be in it to change it. So, I entered Amazon, and today I am relieved to see the efforts they are putting into logistics and supply chain to ensure an eco-friendly, sustainable process from beginning to end.
A case in point, they ship from warehouses closest to the delivery spot, making it more efficient than before.
It also helps that they have warehouses across the country, far and wide, that makes it easier for us to reach customers across the globe.
Plus, they have begun to veer away from non-recyclable material to more eco-friendly packaging.
Currently, our focus is on hiring an Amazon specialist who can help us make the most of Amazon as a marketplace across countries and optimize the store for different regions based on the consumer habits of that location.
We had realized that we were not being able to convey our purpose or mission more purposefully to our customers, and we were losing our voice in the crowd.
To remove this pain point, we began finding marketing and branding specialists, especially for the problem we were experiencing, and it helped.
Hopefully, we can reach more countries and make a positive dent in communities.
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