Ethical lifestyle brand Wholistic You wants to educate consumers that healthy is not boring, with its range of organic food, chemical-free beauty products and sustainable bags and home essentials, among other things. In a conversation with The Telegraph, founder-owner Shiree Arora reveals what it takes to revolutionise consumerism and make an all-things-natural brand work in the distressing crowd of chemical-laden brands.
What made you interested in this domain?
I started my journey with this brand in 2020. I wanted to change my lifestyle. I got in touch with nutritionists and lifestyle coaches. They advised me to follow a plant-based and organic diet. They recommended lifestyle changes too, which I followed. I had always wanted to swap to healthier alternatives to cheese, sugar, butter, oil, and so on. They told me to have jaggery instead of sugar. I started browsing websites and discovered many brands were making some amazing products. That’s when I envisioned creating a community for like-minded people who share the common goal of practising sustainability. It took me almost a year to do my research and approach the brands via email. To my surprise, they were keen on having their products listed on the platform I was dreaming of. The website went live on December 8, 2021.
What do you think has worked out in your favour?
My USP is all products are made of healthy ingredients. Refined sugar is a no-no. We take special efforts to cater to the lactose and the gluten-intolerant segment. My website provides all the technical information related to products so that customers can make an informed choice.
(Top left corner) Eco-friendly washroom essentials, (Bottom left corner) Toilet bag and baby bath towel made of organic cotton. They are PVC and Phthalate free and (right) Bamboo thermos bottle, doublewalled vacuum insulated flask
You are a Calcutta-based brand. How is the response from Calcuttans?
We are a Calcutta-based online brand that ships its products pan-India. We have recorded significant sales from Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Rajasthan, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu and Bangalore. Calcutta is a little slow but is sure catching up. A lot of organic food orders are placed from Nadia, Burdwan, Murshidabad and Habra. That shows the rising consciousness prevalent in the districts.
How is your platform unique?
When I started this brand, I thought about those who want to live healthy in all aspects of their life. If they are eating healthy and using plastic in their daily life, that makes no good difference to their health. We have two nutritionists and one lifestyle coach (not full-time) working with us to guide purchasers who seek consultation services.
How has the journey been in the last two years?
When we started out, there were six vendors. Today we have around 70-plus brands collaborating with us. Initially, we would approach them (we still do that), but now it’s more like they find their way to us. We try to harness the power of social media to reach more consumers. We also participate in different pop-ups in Calcutta where we get more opportunities to directly interact with people.
(Top left corner) Naturally-scented soy wax candle in coconut shell bowls, (Bottom left corner) Coconut shell rakhis and (right) Palm jaggery solid (contains no additives, preservatives, sugar or chemicals)
How do you ensure the products are not harmful?
We see the certifications, check the labels, conduct in-house testing of products and evaluate videos of their factories. We are very particular about the ingredients used. If they do not align with our policy, we don’t accept such pitches. They have to meet our standards. We are against processed food. We meticulously handpick brands that abide by our vision.
How do you come up with new products?
We work on our customers’ feedback. That is why our user interface keeps changing often to facilitate easy browsing. Whenever there is a demand for a particular item, my team researches the brands that can help us curate such products.
Tell us about your hot-selling products....
There is a general craze for millet noodles, pasta and cookies. A lot of folks from Jammu and Kashmir look for bamboo products.
