Local French Language Newspaper Story (PEI)

I have made the news...a local, French newspaper - and I'm thrilled!  For those that are able to read it in the language it was written, here's the link:  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sz9cjyvNdJPZ7n1UYEWPd_Zhuke_NkPc/view

For those of you that need the translation, here it is to the best of my (and Google's) ability

:-)

How Taking Care of Her Baby Turns into a Business

A native of P.E.I., Renée Durant lived for several years in Alberta with her husband Peter. Her son Jaxon, now 8, was born in Alberta. Everything started around the time that “... a big skin product company was sued for the long-term effects of its baby products. And as a new mom, I wanted to use good products for my son.”

Her research led her to the conclusion that if she wanted reliable natural products, at a reasonable price, she would have to make them herself. And that's what she set out to do.

Her first product, a cream for baby's soft buttocks, had proven effective in protecting her child's sensitive skin.

Oddly enough, Renée did not immediately realize that what was good for her son, being natural products without harsh scents or chemical dyes, would be good for her and the other members of her family.

“Jaxon was 2 years old when it hit me. And I started to create products for myself. Body butter, body wash, and a few more. I developed my recipes by trial and error while researching the Internet to find the right ingredients to mix in the right proportions. My business is quite new, but it's been at least five years that I have been making, using and perfecting my products.”

Natural ingredients
The recipes developed by Renée Durant include ingredients that have calming and nourishing properties for the skin. Shea butter, apricot oil, honey, coconut oil, aloe vera and other natural components. “The only one of my products that includes a less natural ingredient to some is the deodorant. I started making it because I discovered that the one I was using, and that I thought was natural, had a dye that was said to be very unhealthy. In mine, I put zinc oxide. There are two kinds of zinc oxide, one that is not absorbed. I use the one that doesn't absorb”, says Renée Durant.

New Way of Life

After several years in Alberta, Renée and Peter decided to return to their native island. They bought a heritage house on Cannontown Road in Abram-Village and intend to restore it to its former glory. “The location, the community life, the safe environment, the pace of life that we find here, all this goes in the direction we want to give to our life. And it was after moving here that I turned my interest in natural products into a business.”

Skills PEI to the Rescue
To assist her in her approach, Renée contacted Skills PEI. The Self Employ program corresponded to her situation. “I filled out the forms and since July 2019, I have received a salary based on the minimum wage. It is support. It pays the bills. I can focus on my products, my advertising and my growing clientele, without fear of having the electricity cut off. Right now, it works very well. In addition, in this program, there is a budget for promotion, marketing and branding development. I retained the services of a social media consultant. She helps me with all of this, and also advises me on my website, which allows you to place orders that are delivered by post.

Every last Saturday of the month, Renee Durant welcomes people who want to try her products, or buy those they like, to her house. Her products are sold in containers similar to those found on the commercial stores. The small, medium or large jars, the tubes of different formats are sold separately or they are assembled in travel kits or other forms. Her website is easy to find at jaxonnaturals.ca “My goal is not to get rich, but to offer a natural alternative to products that everyone uses.”