One day while searching for skincare that is vegan and cruelty free, I found myself on the webpage of Flora & Fauna. Fascinated by the wide range of products, I took a little peek at their purpose which blew my mind away. Julie Mathers happens to be the founder of Flora & Fauna, an online store specializing in vegan and eco-friendly products.
Flora & Fauna was started in July 2014 as more of a concept than a business and their online store was launched in November of the same year. Initially, they kicked off the business with a little over 30 brands and approximately 500 products.
Julie’s story began in England, her native place as an accountant for seven months before she flew to India on a solo trip. Later on, she realized the seriousness involved and took up her passion for retailing seriously .She began working with UK giant John Lewis where she learnt many things by working across different departments.Next up was a stint in private equity for retail which collapsed under the financial crisis and ultimately prompted the move to Australia in 2009. She was constantly flying across the UK, Europe and Asia to work in an array of roles including retail consulting for some of the biggest retailers across the world.The experiences Julie bagged during these years shaped her into the dynamic retailer she is today.
Julie began her Australian career in retail giant Coles as Head of Sales & Marketing and also held positions at Masters and APG & Co. Values but at the back of her mind, she was always conscious about concepts like ethical retailing, conscious business and being kind. These concepts seemed to take hold of her stronger and stronger with each passing day.
As Julie tried to incorporate her values into the existing corporate business, she felt that was impossible as the people around have the same beliefs.As she attempted to implement CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) strategies, big businesses weren’t willing to be pioneers.Instead of trying to fit in, she decided to stand out by creating a business that supported her values and belief system.
“Things like plastic bags, where products are sourced from, how people are treated, how people are paid, the supply chain – all really important elements of a responsible business” says Julie.
The one moment that served as a catalyst in implementing the idea was when Julie was shopping in a well known store in the UK for a lipstick. In spite of spending half an hour, she wasn’t able to understand if the lipstick was cruelty-free. Fast forward to 2014, Julie took up a new challenge by creating a platform where only eco-friendly and cruelty free products are being sold.
Since 2014, Flora & Fauna has bloomed into a BCorp enterprise from a part time passion which used to dispatch 2 orders. Now, the team ships almost several thousands of orders per week to customers across Australia.
“I basically loved what I was doing, but I got to the point where I was getting frustrated in two ways: One, I was a frustrated entrepreneur trying to find the next big thing. But mostly I was getting increasingly frustrated with working for retailers who weren’t responsible for their actions” says Julie about her journey.
Flora & Fauna won many accolades, some of them include, 2017 Finalist in the World Retail Awards – Responsible Retailer of the Year category, as well as a Finalist of ORIA’s – Best Bootstrapped Growth Initiative 2016, Finalist of ORIA’s – Best New Retailer 2016 and 2018 Telstra New South Wales Small and Succeeding Business Award winner
Check out www.floranadfauna.com.au which has over 6000 products and 270+ brands to choose from, offering a wide range of skincare, makeup, home, fashion, and lifestyle products that are absolutely cruelty free and eco-friendly.
