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Ullara Newsletter #2

Ullara Newsletter #2

Thank you for your support!

The ullara.com website has been up and running for a couple of weeks and we're overwhelmed by the support we've received. It seems there are many thoughtful and caring people that wish to buy ethical products and support deserving charities in the process. So please accept our heartfelt thanks for your orders, questions, messages of support and congratulations - you've made our first few weeks of operation a joy.

As well as the usual flurry of activity around the office, answering customer queries, researching, and packing orders, we've also been working hard to bring you a new line of cosmetics. The first taste of which was launched earlier this week with the addition of Earth Lab's Eye Liner and Mascara to our store. Further exciting additions will be made in the coming weeks - watch this space!

We also released the first of many gift packs to the public. These gift packs have a set donation attached to them. For example, for each Men's Gift Pack purchased, $4 will go to our featured charity!

We've been busy blogging away with a list of our most recent posts below. Check out the Ullara Blog and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Tumblr for regular updates.

Recent Blogs

Meet Our Namesake - Ullara!

We announced our sponsorship of an orphaned wildcat that came in to the hands of Merazonia Wildlife Refuge, our current featured charity. Ullara donated $1,000 toward a new rehabilitation enclosure for our feline friend.

Where to from here?

Our plans for a user friendly, interactive donation platform. The goal - more money to deserving charities and more transparency for those donating.

Mother's Day Gift Pack and Giveaway

We launched our Mother's Day gift pack and giveaway competition. $5 from the sale of each pack will be donated to our featured charity so thanks to those of you who ordered- the extra funds will be greatly appreciated by Merazonia Wildlife Refuge.

Jojoba The Wonder Wax!

In this post we explore the natural wonders and many uses of Jojoba Oil, truly a remarkable substance!

And the winner is...

We announced the winner of our Mother's Day Pack giveaway. Thanks to everyone that entered, we'll continue having giveaways so check back regularly for details!

Oil Pulling - Coconut Oil Continued

More (quirky) uses for this amazing oil! Follow Caitlin as she trials the ancient practice of oil pulling! 

Meet Ullara - our new mascot, in transit to his new home at Merazonia Wildlife Refuge

Thanks for reading! If you've got any comments, advice, questions or stories please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!

Be sure to check out the Ullara Blog for up to date news. Otherwise we'll be in touch again soon!

Much love, The Team at Ullara

P.S Did you know, we now stock Dindi Natural's Dog Wash! Now your poochy can be palm oil and cruelty free too!

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[ullara]

Jojoba The Wonder Wax!

Last week I wrote a blog post one of of my favourite new multi-use products, Coconut Oil. Another multipurpose product I'm loving at the moment is Jojoba Oil. I love the fact that our 100% Pure Australian Jojoba Oil has one ingredient instead of 50 odd that we see in many other beauty products. And it probably works a lot better than all those complex formulations anyway- it's as nature intended. We stock The Australian Jojoba Company's Jojoba Oil because it's Australian grown, 100% pure and it's cold pressed to get the best product. Plus I love the glass packaging! This bottle's got booty!

Jojoba Oil is in fact a waxy ester and not an oil at all. This wax ester is very similar to the sebum that occurs naturally in our skin to retain skin moisture. As we age, less sebum is produced making the skin dry and prone to damage- hence why we need Jojoba!

The Jojoba plant is native to many parts of The Americas but grows remarkably well in semi dessert areas of Australia. The liquid gold is extracted from the seed of the Jojoba plant.

The Jojoba seed, ready for pressing

Naturally, the best way to use Jojoba is to smear it on your skin and let the waxy esters do their best to drop you back into the fountain of youth. Here are the best tips I found for using Jojoba Oil:

Spread a few drops over your face at night to get all the benefits of the Jojoba without blinding people by your complexion reflection in the light of the day.

As an a-la-natural lip balm.

Cuticle treatment.

As an easy-to-apply, after shower, moisturiser. It absorbs perfectly with the extra heat on your skin from the shower.

Split end and frizzy hair treatment, just smooth a couple of drops through the ends of  your hair.

Make up remover.

Acne treatment, seems counterintuitive but people seem to get results!

Let me know if there are any other Jojoba uses you know of!

PS My limited Spanish skills make me think it's pronounced ho-ho-ba!

By Caitlin Comrie

[ullara]

Last couple of days of our launch sale. 10% off store wide. Just use ULLARALAUNCH at checkout for the discount! Ends on April 30 so hurry in now!

[ullara]

Where to from here?

After months of running around like headless chickens we've finally got something live to show off. From our point of view however this is just the very beginning. We've had long laid plans for Ullara that we're just starting to put in place. As a small, self-funded, startup these things take time, as living off the smell of an oily rag doesn't make expansion easy.

So what are we doing? Firstly we're looking at many different ways to help drive donations to our partner charities. Our mission is to distribute as much money through deserving not for profit organisations across the globe. Currently we're donating a set percentage of monthly profit to our featured charity. This is a fantastic start but we've got much bigger dreams for this.

Our bigger vision includes the upcoming donation platform. We've been throwing designs around for a couple of months and working out the finer details on how everything is going to work. We feel like we're finally starting to make some progress with it all.

Essentially we want the donation platform to be a way for you, our customers and users, to decide where you think the donated money should be channeled. We want to enable you the flexibility to decide which area you'd like to donate to, which region, supporting which cause, and even which specific projects you'd like to sponsor. We want it to be an engaging model that is completely transparent. We're looking forward to releasing more details on this as we progress.

Our immediate focus is on giving you the best experience you can have shopping online. We want to offer the greatest customer service, with the best curated products in our space. We're constantly looking for new products to expand our range. We have very strict criteria to meet so you can understand why it takes a little longer to go through our research process. 

We only accept the best products from companies that have social responsibilities built into their ethos. In no way should the products they create cause a detrimental effect to people, animals, or the environment. This includes the sourcing of ingredients, production, and testing. You wouldn't believe how few products are out there that fit this criteria. It's staggering really.

One of our early prototype packs

Currently we're putting together a new line of packs that bring together some of the best products available on the market. Each one of these packs will have a fixed donation attached to them meaning more money gets directed into the hands of our deserving charity partners. We'll be experimenting with the make up of these packs to see what works best. We'll be kicking off in the next couple of days with Mother's Day packs. So treat your Mum to some of the best products on the market and get the warm fuzzies of knowing you'll be making a direct contribution our featured charity Merazonia.

As always we absolutely love getting feedback and suggestions from everyone. We take every bit of information we receive on board and use it to steer us in the right direction. So don't sit back and wait, get in touch with us and let us know what you think. If there's something you'd like us to look at stocking then let us know. We also love giving out random free stuff to those who help us, so don't be shy!

By Simon Guerin

[ullara]

Meet Ullara! Our new brand mascot

Kitten found! This little guy was found under a pile of leaves near Rio Negro, Ecuador. His mother was nowhere to be seen, and was most likely killed for her skin. Left alone, this little kitten would most certainly have died in the wild by himself. Thankfully he came into the care of the team at the nearby Merazonia Wildlife Refuge. 

Ullara in transit to Merazonia Wildlife Refuge

Merazonia put out an urgent call for funds to help build a new enclosure. With a total cost of only $4000, the enclosure will be used to house and rehabilitate the kitten as he grows and learns skills needed for his release. We're happy to announce that Ullara has donated $1000 toward the cost of the enclosure. For this Merazonia have afforded us the honour of naming the cat! We have of course chosen "Ullara". We see this as a great reflection of the beginning of our respective journeys. Young Ullara starting out his life in the jungles of Ecuador, while our Ullara is just finding its feet in the jungle of the Internet.

So far we know this orphan is about 2 months old. Obviously he is some sort of feline, either a Margay, Ocelot or an Oncilla. It's difficult to tell exactly what species he is as they all look very similar at this age. Even the experienced folk at camp are not entirely sure what little Ullara is. The latest guess is that he's an Oncilla. Oncilla are small cats, a bit longer than a domestic cat but only weighing about  2.4kg. They live in the dense forest of the Amazon basin. Oncilla are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss and exploitation for the fur trade. We'll keep you updated on our namesake's progress and hope to see him back in the wild as soon as possible. 

The team at Merazonia are working around the clock to get the new enclosure built. Ullara (the cat) already has some hunting instincts and is considered to be very 'wild'. These are fantastic traits to see in an animal that you're hoping to release back into the wild. It's also because of this that the enclosure is so desperately needed now. The enclosure needs to be big and high enough that our furry friend can keep progressing with his hunting skills. It also needs to be built far away from camp so there is no disturbance from humans.

Ullara getting settled in to his temporary enclosure at Merazonia

Whatever he is, he's damn cute and in dire need of some help to get back in the wild. If you'd like to donate directly to Merazonia please see their details below. Merazonia are also our featured charity for the months of April and May so any purchase you make at ullara.com during this time will help little Ullara and the other animals at Merazonia.

Please pass this on to your friends and family. We'd love to see the donation goal met and Ullara in his new home as quickly as possible.

Let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or comments. We love hearing from you!

By Caitlin Comrie

[ullara]

Introducing Merazonia, our featured charity for May

Merazonia Wildlife Refuge

We're very happy to be able to introduce Merazonia as our very first featured charity for the month of April/May. Based out of the small and charming town of Mera, Ecuador, Merazonia is a growing charity focused on the rehabilitation of local wildlife.

Ullara has a great connection with Merazonia - both Caitlin and I spent time volunteering there in 2012.  We've been lucky enough to see first hand how the dedicated team of people work together to care for and nurture the animals of Ecuador.

Eddie the adorable and vocal Tamarin

Led by Frank and Louisa Baillie, this place is a true labour of love. The refuge is situated around 15 minutes drive from Mera. Their primary focus is on the rehabilitation of trafficked and abused Amazonian animals. This ranges from small agouti through to parrots, primates, and even a beautiful Puma.

  Frank began the operation some 10 years ago, along with co-founder Jennifer Greene, when he bought 250 acres with the intention of leaving his job as a reporter and chasing his dreams of making a difference. Louisa is a vet from the UK and together they make a formidable animal rescue team. Of course a mention of Merazonia is not complete without a few words for Malcolm the cheeky Macaw and mascot of the organisation (he was one of our favorites)!

  Malcom the Macaw, Merazonia Wildlife Refuge

Funded by donations and run entirely by volunteers, it truly is a grassroots organisation in the heart of South America. A portion of every sale on Ullara will go straight to Merazonia and be put towards new rehabilitation projects, the ongoing maintenance of the enclosures, veterinary care and food for the animals.

We hope you'll all get behind Merazonia and help us raise some money and awareness for this fantastic organisation.

You can get more information at the Merazonia website. You can also friend them over on Facebook. 

By Simon Guerin

[ullara]

What Can't Coconut Oil Be Used For?! Here's the top 11

At ullara.com we love products that have multiple uses. They save money, time and handbag space! Lately we’ve been reading more and more about what people use coconut oil for. Here are some of the uses I thought were most interesting...

Coconuts - great oil!

Cooking: as high smoke point cooking oil and a dairy-free butter replacement.

Energy Boost: gobble down a spoon-full when you need an energy lift.

Makeup remover: just put it on and wipe it off with a cotton swab or cloth.

Nappy change cream / baby lotion: rub it the bub's sore bottom.

Moisturiser: rub it on face and body. Supposed to be particularly good at reducing the appearance of age spots, stretch marks and cellulite.

Sun Protection: Weird! I always thought it it would make you burn- apparently it’s naturally about SPF 4 though (so not enough in the middle of the Australian summer people)!

Baby Cradle Cap Treatment: just rub it on the affected area to stop babies looking reptilian.

Hair product: to tame frizz, and increases shine. Can also be used as a deep conditioning hair treatment.

Lip Balm: nothing added, just pure coconut oil- works a treat and tastes yum!

Helps with Itchy Skin: caused by insect bites, athlete’s foot or eczema.

Deodorant: Apparently just used by itself- this one sounds too good / strange to be true, we’d love to hear from anyone who has actually used it as a deodorant.

Nui Wild Harvested Virgin Coconut Oil

In the past 30 or so years coconut oil has been given a bad wrap as it contains saturated fats. Nowadays we know that not all saturated fats are bad for you, it’s mainly the man-made trans-fats that are no good. Coconut oil is quite another matter, particularly because it’s naturally high in lauric acid. Lauric acid converts to monolaurin in our bodies which viruses hate. Another positive is that the medium chained triglycerides (MCTs) found in coconut oil are smaller than other fatty acids and therefore more readily used in the body for energy. This means that the fatty acids won’t be stored in the body but might make you more energetic and willing to exercise and therefore get fit!

At ullara.com we sell Nui Wild Harvested Virgin Coconut Oil (440ml), not only is it virgin coconut oil but it is fairly traded and supports remote Island communities in Vanuatu.

If you use coconut oil for anything else please share by commenting below or on our blog

We’ll continue posting about other useful products like coconut oil so subscribe, follow and like the blog to keep up-to-date. 

By Caitlin Comrie

[ullara]

We're LIVE!

I'm tremendously proud to announce that Ullara is finally up and running. It's taken the team nearly 3 months to get everything in order and open to the world. It's been a monumental effort behind the scenes so today is an especially great day.

Everyone at Ullara is passionate about the environment and the world in which we live. We come from a variety of backgrounds and have all been privy to the natural beauty of the place we call home. Unfortunately we've also seen just what we humans have been doing to our home over the past 20-30 years. This is what has inspired us to try and do our bit. We want to empower people with the knowledge they need to make informed purchasing decisions.

I was attracted to Ullara because of the experiences I've had on the ground in Borneo and South East Asia. In total I spent nearly eight months in Borneo volunteering with the Orangutan Foundation. This was one life changing experience. Being a fairly naive 'youngster' at the time I was mortified at the lack of regard for what really is the 'lungs of the earth'. Working there, I helped a team of volunteers construct buildings in order to aid the protection of the remaining forests and Orangutan population.  

Orangutan outside Camp Rasak in southern Borneo

Travelling through the countryside all I saw were forests of Palm Plantations. I went to Borneo to see real natural forest, however 90% of what I saw were lines of Palms going for miles in every direction. The sheer scale of this wasn't evident until I got into the air. This is when the stark reality of it hit home. The destruction of the forest was shocking. The plumes of smoke from freshly cut forest made for beautiful red sunsets. It's this act of slashing and burning the forest that helps prepare the soil for planting of Palm Plantations.

One of thousands of palm plantations

It's a terribly unregulated (if regulated at all) industry with a horribly shortsighted view to the future. My experiences in Borneo have made me a very different person. I was determined to do what I could to raise awareness about the issue. However it's an extremely hard task. If you step back and look at all the products that contain Palm Oil, you wonder what can really be done to stop the increasing demand for it. Products from biscuits, soaps, cereal, chips, and much much more, all contain Palm Oil. We can't completely remove it from our lives but we can certainly reduce our reliance on it.

So that's why I'm at Ullara. I want to help a young startup give people the option to choose. We've found a great range of products that completely avoid Palm Oil and the derivatives of Palm Oil. We're working our butts off to expand this line of products. It's no easy task though. Many manufacturers hide their use of Palm Oil behind convluted names or under the general 'vegetable oil' label. We've been working closely with all our suppliers to get to the truth and find out what they really use. We're shocked by some of the claims of many manufacturers we don't stock. They basically avoid the issue or flat out lie about the ingredients of their products. We want to stop this and allow everyone to get the right information. No bullshit.

I'll be here to write more about my experiences, the challenges we face in light of the Palm Oil industry, and the ways we're trying to grow Ullara into a meaningful company. I'm heading up development of our new Donation Platform which we'll roll out soon. Currently we're donating a portion of every sale to our monthly 'Spotlight Charity'. These charities are making a huge difference around the world and we want to help support them in every way we can.

This for us is the beginning of a long road. We're very proud of what we've managed to do so far. We've got huge plans for the future and hope you'll support us along the way.

By Simon Guerin