Tonight we are chatting with a great organic/green, local Victorian brand – Moje Essentials. Founded by Cal & Dee, who both shared a passion for green living and creating better environments for their children.

I have been using both the Hand & Body Wash plus the Dishwashing Liquid, the range is free from parabens, sulphates, bleach and synthetic fragrances. Instead the use of natural ingredients such as sweet orange oil act as an antibacterial.

I have been using their Hand & Body Wash plus the Dishwashing Liquid, which smell so good! The Hand & Body Wash leaves a delightful scent and leaves my hands feeling clean. I love the bright & happy packaging – it makes the bathroom pop!

With two different scent ranges, the Hand & Body Wash comes in Lemon Myrtle and Avocado or Lavender and Ylang Ylang. While the Dishwashing Liquid comes in Lavender or Sweet Orange & Clementine.
Recently the welcomed the Sweet Orange Room Mist to the collection, this is next on my list!

R. Welcome Cal & Dee to Meet the Makers! I am super excited to hear about your journey and a little about moJè Essentials! Tell me, what made you both think of starting moJè Essentials?

C&D. We’ve both had a passion for natural living and making our own products for some time now and having children just made it so much more important to us. That’s when we decided to turn that passion into a business and help spread the word about using less chemicals.

R. “What if” you weren’t running moJè Essentials? What do you think you would both be doing?

C&D. That’s a tough one, we’d probably be in a job we didn’t really love and working out how to start this business.

R. It’s so common to get stuck in a job you don’t want to do, but have to do right? It’s wonderful that you were both able to form a partnership and work on this beautiful brand. What do you find the biggest challenge in business?

C&D. Balancing family life and business life. You never switch off when you run a business so trying to find the right balance can be challenging at times.

R. Balance, it’s a common theme I keep hearing. I can fully understand, it can be so tricky to switch off and just be present in the moment.
How do you deal with negativity & self doubt?

C&D. I think that’s one of the great things about having 2 of us in the business, talking through any negativity is so important, we try and brush ourselves off and get on with it.

R. I love that, it’s so important to have a support person and great that you are able to bounce things off each other – what a team! What does any given day look like for you both?

C&D. We both have families so it starts with getting everyone ready and out of the house in time for school and activities. We try to squeeze a workout in as much as time allows then its business time. Returning emails, scheduling social media, writing blogs, packing orders and all the fun admin behind the scenes. Then we put our Mum hats back on until the kids go to bed, when we finish up any business that needs taking care of.

R. You mentioned above that you are both passionate about natural living, with that being said how important is the use of organic/natural ingredients to you and your brand

C&D. We use 100% natural ingredients in our products which is extremely important for our brand. We want our customers to be putting nothing but goodness on their skin and in their homes. It’s our job to help make that happen.

R. Anything new or exciting around the corner for moJè Essentials?

C&D. There’s always something in the pipeline here at moJé essentials. We are extremely excited about our most recent product, our Sweet Orange Room Mist. Our Room Mist is perfect to uplift and freshen up any room in your home, your gym bag, your dogs bed and even bubs room after changing their smelly nappy. It’s a Multi purpose spray that can me used by many people.

R. Yes! The Sweet Orange Room Mist is next on my list, the bright & happy label is the best. The perfect addition to any room.
We face many challenges in day to day living, especially in business. When you are faced with a challenge, how do you unwind?

C&D. We both find exercise really helpful when relieving stress and a glass of wine always helps too!!

R. Haha, yes a good glass of wine definitely helps with stress relief! Outside of moJè Essentials, what hobbies do you both have?

Dee – We love to get away in our caravan as often as we can, I love to exercise and a good cook up when I have the time.

Cal – I like to exercise and experiment in the kitchen.

R. To be honest, I’ve always been pretty slack on the exercise front but lately I’ve been trying to do more and I agree, it really helps me feel better! 
Have you both figured out your purpose?

Dee – definitely to be the best Mum and Wife I possibly can be and make a difference in people’s lives by switching to natural.

Cal – I try to be the best version of myself. I think your purpose can change over time. Before I had my children I used to challenge myself in my career but now it’s trying to be a good mum and create a business brand which people love and that resonates with them.

R. How about gratitude, is this something you both practice?

Dee – I like to think I’m quite a thoughtful person and try to help people and show compassion as much as I can.

Cal – My family answer two questions at the dinner table each night. What was a good thing that happened today and a not so good thing. We discuss the answers and this can often lead to conversations about how to be kind to people and help others.

R. Oh wow, I love that Cal. I think I might try that with my Hubby this week! 
Where do you both draw inspiration from?

Dee – My kids and my hubby! They’re my entire world and I feel very lucky to have two healthy children and a loving hard-working husband.

Cal – The amount of energy my children have and how selfless and caring my partner is. They inspire me to be a better person.

R. This last week has been pretty rough for me, I’ve had a heap on and still battling this nasty flu. I realised I haven’t really been making time for me. With such a busy workload, juggling the kids and home life how do you both practice self-care?

Dee – Take time out for yourself, whether it’s coffee with a friend or a walk in the sunshine. It can make all the difference to our sometimes stressful lives.

Cal – Remember you can’t do it all and its okay to have some me time every once in a while.

R. So true, actually today I was walking in the sunshine and it instantly made my food elevate. Onto beauty, what does your beauty routine look like?

Dee – I absolutely can’t start or finish my day without cleansing and moisturising and I never leave the house without my mineral make up on.

Cal – I have never been one for lots of makeup but I do wear mascara most days and my natural lip balm and natural deodorant is a must.

R. I am a cleanser addict, I absolutely love them! Favourite skincare or make up product?

Dee – I’m totally in love with my fit cover mineral make up! It’s vegan, cruelty free and Australian Made.

Cal – I absolutely love using our lemon myrtle and avocado hand and body wash in the shower each morning. The smell wakes me up and leaves my skin nice and smooth.

R. I have absolutely loved getting to know you both! Do you have anything else you would like to add?

C&D. Thanks for promoting natural products and small businesses Renee. We love being surrounded by people such as yourself who are passionate about natural living and supporting small businesses. We have really enjoyed chatting with you.

R. I love that, thank you for the compliment! Don’t worry, I’m over here in your corner shouting your praises! 

Cal & Dee are offering 10% off their products, purchased from their website using code HAPPY10.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks Meet the Makers!

Renee
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