Bestowed Essentials is a female-veteran-owned social enterprise that creates eco-friendly home goods for you & living wage jobs for people of all abilities. Learn more about how we use our small business for good!
While in the US Navy, Callee discovered the benefits of natural skincare for her acne-prone skin. Unable to find products that met all her requirements as a zero waste vegan, she decided to create her own. After receiving an abundance of Callee’s products, her friends encouraged her to start an Etsy shop. As sales slowly picked up, Callee left the Navy in 2017 and took her growing business on the road in a campervan. Since then, Bestowed Essentials has grown tremendously. Less than four years after starting this business from the back of a van, we now have a warehouse and our products are available at over 200 stores. Our small team is proud of our accomplishments and grateful for your support! Read more about the history of our company here.
We have strict requirements for our ingredients – they must be truly natural, as in from the Earth – none of that greenwashed bullshit. We refuse to use sulphates, parabens, artificial preservatives, coloring or fragrances, or anything else questionable. We also strive for sustainable sourcing, spending dozens of hours researching every single ingredient. Our product line is certified vegan & cruelty-free and as such, we’ve ensured that our ingredients are as well. In addition, we’re all about supporting other female-owned small businesses, so that’s a factor in our decision making as well.
We currently acquire most of our ingredients in 50 lb quantities or larger. We repurpose 50# paper bags as padding in our wholesale shipments, we recycle 50# plastic bags locally, and we give away 50# plastic pails to local farmers & gardeners to repurpose. We also reuse plastic gallon jugs for our bulk orders.
Our primary ingredient suppliers:
We are proud of our eco-friendly packaging! We also offer as many unpackaged products as possible to minimize our environmental footprint.
Packaging Options + Details:
- Lotion Bar – 4 oz in metal tin.
- Turmeric Acne Treatment – 2 oz in metal tin.
- Shampoo Bar – 4 oz unpackaged or in metal tin.
Metal tins are made in the USA. - Stain Remover Stick – 2 oz unpackaged.
- Solid Dish Soap – 11.5 oz unpackaged.
- Bulk Soap Loaf – 40 oz unpackaged.
- Soap Bar – unpackaged or in a cardboard box.
Boxes are made in the USA with 100% post-consumer waste recycled cardboard. - Face Mask Powders – 2 oz in a glass bottle.
- Face Toner – 4 oz in a glass bottle.
Glass bottles are made with 30% post-consumer recycled glass & a metal lid. - Toothpowder – 1 oz or 2.5 oz in a glass jar.
Glass jars are made with 50% post-consumer recycled glass & compostable cork lid. - Bulk Toothpowder – 48 oz in a paper bag.
- Bulk Face Mask Powder – 25 oz in paper bag.
- Laundry Powder – 48 oz in a paper bag.
Compostable paper bags are made with recycled paper & a plant based liner. - Bulk Laundry Powder – 40 lbs in plastic pail.
Plastic pails have been reused from our ingredient suppliers.
Our packaging suppliers:
Hippie Haven Shop – our retail store & community space in Rapid City, South Dakota where we offer reusable/refillable products from primarily American female-owned small businesses, as well as recycling drop-off service, educational workshops, small business pop-ups, a free book library, and more. Our Bestowed Essentials products are available for retail purchasing via the Hippie Haven website.
Hippie Haven Podcast – a free educational resource on living harmoniously with ourselves, others & the planet. New episodes are shared every Wednesday on all major podcasting apps or via our podcast website.
Hippie Haven YouTube – our team shows you how to reduce your waste, make your own zero waste products, and we take you behind-the-scenes at our earth-conscious company. New videos are shared every Friday.
Black Hills VegFest – a free annual event to promote the health, ethical & environmental benefits of a plant-based lifestyle in Western South Dakota. 2020 VegFest canceled due to COVID-19.
Zero Waste Business Alliance – a not-for-profit professional association to provide eco-entrepreneurs with the business support & tools they need to start & scale a zero waste business. Launching in August 2020.
Order via Abound here & get free shipping for 1 year if you’re new to their platform.
Tundra & Handshake order pages are coming soon!
