Seeds = food = skincare = seeds
Sõlseed is a budding artisanal and ethical business based in southern Cornwall in the UK. Sōlseed sells a range of hand-painted seed packets, cards and handmade skincare products.
Erica Brown, the founder of Sōlseed shares her integrity and ethics through these unique products. Her story and the products are interwoven and that is why she hand-paints each seed packet. Everything she makes is done with intention from the infusion of petals in her skincare range and the quality of the seeds she sells.
Many years ago Erica’s journey began as a professional chef in her early twenties, she traveled and worked in many different culinary cuisine restaurants around the world. She learnt so much about seasonal produce coming into the kitchens and the areas where they were grown.
Ordering seasonal locally grown produce tasted better and had a longer shelf life. This began her treasure hunt for the best-tasting ingredients and these more often than not were organically grown with the shortest journey to the table.
Inspired by the natural flow of the seed to the fork, she then moved back to her home country, South Africa, and launched a vegetarian catering and cooking demonstration business called Sōlfood. Her mission to inspire people to try a healthier lifestyle interwoven with the principles of good food = good taste = healthy body.
Everything starts with seed
Now she is based in the UK, she has focussed on seeds or “tiny miracles” – as she describes them. “They need only water, soil, sunshine, and love to turn them from a small insignificant speck into something wonderful. “
Sōlseed’s seed packets are individually hand-painted. The artwork is designed in such a way that it can be cut from the package and sent as a postcard. Erica explained: “I paint each seed packet as my intention is that people hold value to it, cherish it or send it to someone whom they cherish, like the seeds that will be grown, tended to, and cherished in peoples’ gardens”.
She explained: “When you plant seeds, you are reminded of humanity’s connection to the earth and why we should be living in rhythm with our planet, our environment, and ourselves.”
The creative side of recipe development has also led to her interest in natural beauty. Using natural oils infused with the healing properties of plants she has grown. This evolved as she began looking for natural alternatives to common beauty products. Knowing that nature provides all we need, she began to research the best plants and their medicinal and healing properties for her skincare range.
She has carefully chosen sustainable and recyclable packaging and all the seed packets and cards are painted on 100% post-consumer waste.
As a small business owner based in Cornwall, Erica is committed to growing her business in the same way she grows her plants – with love and in nature's miraculous flow. Supporting Erica and Sōlseed is part of supporting a healthier future.
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