Independent health store advice on Mother’s Day gifts

Looking for advice on natural health and wellbeing? Your local independent health store can offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise. This month we speak to marketing manager Cristina Dimetto and Natural Remedies Buyer Blanca Spencer from As Nature Intended.

Independent health shops such as ours are a great place for unique Mother’s Day gifts that are not usually available to buy from the high street. We work with small companies that produce limited quantities of their products and this adds the uniqueness factor as well as being more artisan and original.

Increasing numbers of consumers are becoming interested in the sustainability and eco-friendliness of the gifts they buy, and this is something that we are mindful of at As Nature Intended. We carefully select all the products we stock and always have in mind the impact that they have on the environment. Recently we expanded our eco-friendly offering and customers can now choose from products such as SOL Cups (reusable hand-blown glass tea or coffee cups), Sip by Swell metal reusable bottles and Dearest Fanny Ditsy Cloth Make up Removers. All of these would make for unusual and eco-conscious Mother’s Day gifts.

Focused and conscientious

As mentioned, we offer a focused, conscientious eco-friendly range. As Nature Intended means food as it should be – no manufactured herbicides, artificial fertilisers, or artificial sweeteners. We select organic whenever possible, however, if a product is not available as organic, we source the best alternative that passes our strict quality standards requirements. We say no to GM (Genetically Modified) foods and ingredients, no to artificial flavours and colours, no to artificial sweeteners, no to hydrogenated fats and no to parabens. Yes to products as nature intended! With this in mind, we stock some wonderful raw vegan chocolate which would make a great gift for Mother’s Day. For example we have the luxurious Pana Organic chocolate or the classic Booja Booja organic champagne chocolate truffles. Either of these could be paired with a bottle of organic Prosecco for a memorable gift. On the lookout for something more original? Why not gift mum with a decorative Ecoffee Reusable Cup and some BioBloom Organic Hemp flower tea which improves productivity and helps with staying focused!

Gift inspiration

Natural and organic beauty products make fantastic presents. We believe that what you put on your body is as important as what you put in your body – that’s why our body care is paraben-free as well as cruelty-free. Our supplements do not contain any artificial fillers and all the make-up is toxin-free. Our vast range of vegan cosmetics by Inika Organic and natural and organic skincare such as Weleda, Green People, Sukin and Antipodes offer excellent inspiration for gift ideas. We also sell natural salt lamps, vegan perfumes, essential oils and diffusers, as well as plant wax candles. These are just a few examples of gift ideas available in our shops.

There is a growing need for consumers to make responsible choices as our environment depends on this, and fortunately we are seeing that more and more customers are making these choices and demanding more natural, organic and ethical products.

As Nature Intended

As Nature Intended was created in 2000 by Sir Malcolm Walker (Iceland founder and chief executive) due to his strong passion for organic food. In 2002, Caroline Gooding (Malcolm’s daughter) took over the business, after gaining invaluable experience in the retail industry working for Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.

Since then the company has grown to six stores and an online web shop (with more plans to grow). Cristina says: “We only stock products that pass our strict quality standards requirements, free from any nasties and as much as nature intended as possible! We have always been keen to offer sustainable products to our customers like, for example, giving them the chance to buy staple items in bulk (rice, pulses etc). Thanks to the growing demand for eco-friendly goods, we can offer more and more sustainable and eco-friendly products and we keep partnering with companies that have these values in common with us.

To contact the store, visit www.asnatureintended.uk.com or find them on Facebook: AsNatureIntendedUK Twitter: @AsNatureInt and Instagram: @asnatureintendeduk