Elaine's skincare range is inspired by her beautiful rural environment

Elaine Kennedy exudes an air of positivity and you can immediately sense it when in her company. Elaine’s journey to creating her skincare brand, Hawthorn Handmade Skincare, began after she became interested in crafts when her sister bought her a book on craft-making in her teens.

She spent a period working for a high-end fashion retailer in London, but the dream of coming home to the West of Ireland to start her business was too strong to ignore.

Recently elected President of Network Mayo, Elaine is a perfect example of trusting your gut but also spending time training and upskilling via various programmes like EMPOWER and New Frontiers.

We sat in her studio on a January day to chat about her journey.

Angelina: Elaine, tell me about your background.

Elaine: I'm based here in Partry on my family farm. We are surrounded by the Partry Mountains on one side, and then if you look out the other window, we have Lough Carra. It's a very scenic area. It's a natural heritage area, or it's an area of special conservation. I suppose it's very special in those terms, in a way similar to the Burren. We also have that limestone pavement here along Lough Carra. 

I grew up in this beautiful environment and was outdoors all the time with my Dad - the babysitting service at the time - because my mother was working. I was exposed to that environment from a very young age. Growing up, I always had this connection with nature and the environment. But I also would have had a creative streak and an interest in all things natural. Then my sister bought me a book on crafts because I'm passionate about crafting. There was a beautiful piece about cold-process soap making. I was absolutely hooked.

Angelina: What age roughly would you have been then, Elaine?

Elaine: I suppose I was getting on in my teens at that stage. I developed that interest, started making soap, and that led on to other products. 

My background was in retail. I was working here in Mayo and then made the decision to move to London. I worked in a beautiful company there. I was very lucky. The first job I had was with a high-end fashion retail company called Jigsaw. I quickly moved from their store in Richmond into their head office in Kew Gardens, which was a beautiful environment. It was brilliant because I got an insight into how a business like that works. I suppose that was the first thing. 

Then the second thing is that people were saying to me, 'You should sell these. You should sell your products, Elaine,' and I always said, 'No' because having an understanding from retail, I knew what it would take to get them on the market. At this point, I had turned 30, and I suppose the seed had been planted. I knew I wasn't going to settle in London, so I decided I was going to move home. 

But in the midst of all this, I suppose I had the notion of setting up my own business on the farm. That was something that was in the back of my head. If I could have a craft business on the farm, that would be my idea of bliss. I started doing workshops and courses in natural skincare formulation and handed in my notice.

Angelina: I'd imagine that was scary at the time.

Elaine: Yeah. There were questions asked on both sides - from the company in the UK and then at home. There was certainly a lot of scepticism about it. Luckily, my company asked me if I would be interested in staying on remotely. That alleviated some of the worry. I came back to Mayo and was in the lucky position that I could continue working for the company in London. This was about 2015. 

At that point, I started testing the market and product development and research. Then following on from that, I took part in the EMPOWER programme with Maria Staunton from the iHub, and that really got me on the path to developing a business. I did things with the Local Enterprise Office as well, like the Start Your Own Business course.

Angelina: Where were you at that point when it came to the business?

Elaine: At that point, I dipped my toes in the market. It took me a long time really to build up the confidence and the courage to launch products onto the market. Through things like the Start Your Own Business course and EMPOWER, I realised the importance of correct market research. I went off and spoke to buyers locally, the likes of the Foxford Woollen Mills and Dervla in Mrs Tea's Boutique and Bakery, the head buyers. They gave me great support and advice. From that, I formed the company in 2018, and I launched my products onto the market in May of that year. Foxford Woollen Mills were my very first stockists.

Angelina: What did you launch with initially?

Elaine: The very first product was our Rejuvenate Face Balm, and that is our bestseller to this day. That really then informed the rest of the range. We had products for the face and body, and we've since expanded that. 

In 2021, I decided to apply for the New Frontiers programme. With the New Frontiers, I had the idea for another range. Something I kept coming across was the type of customer who was buying my product and the amount of product that she was using. I did some research into that, and I found that she was being impacted by menopause. From that, I then decided to launch my Menopause Skincare range, and I used the New Frontiers programme as the launch pad. 

At the same time, I decided that, again, based on customers' feedback and market research and keeping an eye on what my competitors were doing, I decided to do a complete rebrand. I completely changed the packaging. That was a huge process and undertaking. I launched both the new branding, the packaging, and the Menopause range in January of 2022.

Angelina: Tell us about the process of creating your products.

Elaine: I became fascinated with the ingredients. That was the first thing. Of course, I was using them myself and seeing the difference I was making to my skin. I suppose that is what prompted me to say, "Well, maybe there is something in this. Maybe I can put something out there that people will find beneficial.' That was important to me too, that it's not just a business. You're actually impacting someone's life in lots of cases. 

I suppose the technical side then of creating the product is looking at the ingredients, their properties, and what you are trying to create. What is the problem you're trying to solve? Is it dry skin? From that, I would have combined different oils and ingredients, and come up with a formula that I was happy with and that I wanted to put out there to customers and that I felt would help with an issue.

Angelina: What happens when you come up with the formula Elaine?

Elaine: Then you realise that you need some place to make it if you're going to do it in-house. I love the idea of having an artisan business, which was my ambition from day one, to create something here. I built the studio and took that big step. Everything is made here by hand. That makes our products special because we're not bulking out our formulas with additives, and we can control what goes into the product. We can keep costs down because it's in-house, and we're not contracting another company to make the product for us.

Angelina: How many people are involved in the production?

Elaine: In terms of production, everything is done here in the studio. I have my wonderful mother who works alongside me. She is my brand ambassador. She's my production assistant. She would come with me to events and trade shows. Then my Dad loves to be involved as well. Everybody has a hand in it. But then there are so many other elements to the business outside of that. I do have support with that. Again, that's remote support. I have someone in Mayo, but then I have someone in Wexford who does some administration support for me.

Angelina: What would you say to people who have that seed of wanting to branch out on their own with a business idea?

Elaine: I would say you need to find what you are good at. If you are good at something, and you're passionate about it, I find that everything else falls into place. If you can, in my case, create a product, people benefit from using, they're going to keep coming back and buying it. Then next thing you know, you're sitting in a beautiful studio having a lovely conversation with yourself. I really think that is the key. Find what you're good at, keep doing it, and then everything else will just fall into place.

Angelina: What keeps you driven Elaine?

Elaine: Firstly, the customers and the comments that you get. I do feel that I have this personal relationship. When you show up and you're the maker and someone can put a face to a name, it means a lot. I've had cards and posts from ladies who use the product. I get the most beautiful messages, even at Christmas, things like that, where people feel like they have a vested interest in your business and you as a person. That's definitely where some of the motivation comes from. 

Then the opportunity of developing new products is very exciting. I did the rebrand, I launched new products, and then I had a year where I just put them out there. Now this year, I'm excited about doing something different and something new.