Last Friday, Lauren and I were lucky enough to be invited on a VIP media tour of the Pure and Green Organics factory in Sydney.
Amy, Lauren, Chelsea, Grace, Vivien, Anne-Marie.
On arrival, we were treated to warm cups of sweet-smelling organic tea and hot chocolate. We were then introduced to Grace Culhaci, the director of Pure and Green Organics.
Not only is Grace a successful entrepreneur, she’s also a living example of how an organic, toxin-free lifestyle can defy “the impossible”.
During her introduction, Grace told us that she was diagnosed with a tumour after the birth of her second child. It was found growing on her optic nerve sheath, which caused loss of vision and severe pain. Not only that, it was also an inoperable condition with no treatment options.
Unwilling to just do nothing about it, Grace took the matter into her own hands and commenced a vitamin B17 nutritional therapy (against the advice of her doctors) combined with a complete organic lifestyle. Much to their surprise, her tumour began to shrink and her vision returned. Grace is also now pain free.
“As someone who has been faced with such challenges I appreciate that lifestyle and what you put in and on your body is of the utmost importance to wellbeing and it was these experiences that birthed the Pure and Green brand,” said Grace.
The Pure and Green Organics products were introduced to the Australian market in August 2009 and now have over 80 stockists across Australia. What’s more, they also recently became the first skincare company to be endorsed by Planet Ark.
After Grace’s inspirational talk, we were taken on a tour of the building. When we got to the bottom floor, we were told to ‘dress up’. This included putting on white lab coats, blue shoe covers, a hair net and some food-grade gloves. It was time to make some sugar scrub!
Amy pouring sugar scrub
We walked through the dust-proof doors and into the place where all the products are made.
Firstly, we watched Grace’s husband make a Citrus & Coffee Exfoliating Scrub using real coffee beans. We watched him stir all the ingredients together in a big pot over a gas stove. We got the chance to smell the mixture, too. Mmmmm, coffee.
It was then time to make our own take-home sugar scrub. Each getting a turn to pour and stir the ingredients, we happily smiled for the camera in our lovely sterile attire.
Vivien pouring sugar scrub
During the sugar scrub-making process, Grace spoke of where all the certified organic ingredients were sourced from and explained why she chose certain ingredients over others and what their healing properties were.
After our stint on the factory floor, we were treated to a scrumptious vegan-friendly lunch from Iku (a delicious vegan café) and fresh organic orange and pomegranate juice.
Over lunch, Grace spoke of why she chose to be certified by the ACO (Australian Certified Oragnic).
“I decided to approach Australian Certified Organic (ACO) as I believe their standard to be the highest on offer. 95% of ingredients by mass are required to be certified organic, other certifiers will accept as little as 15%,” said Grace.
She also took us through the top five toxic ingredients to avoid when it comes to cosmetic products. These include:
• Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
• Dioxane
• Mineral Oil
• Polyethylene Glycols (PEGs)
• Triclosan
What’s more, we also were let in on Grace’s secret ingredient – Cehami (Centipeda cunninghamii), Otherwise known as 'Old Man Weed' or 'Australian Native Daisy', it has been known to increase the rate of growth of human fibroblast cells by 50 percent. Among indigenous communities it was considered the ‘cure-all’ plant.
After a few delicious baked treats and a cup of organic coffee, it was time to say goodbye.
Amy, Lauren, Chelsea, Grace, Vivien, Anne-Marie.
We all left with a goodie bag of products specially suited to our skin type and a jar of our almost-good-enough-to-eat sugar scrub.
It was a fascinating morning and I can safely say, we’ve come a lot closer to understanding just how organic products are made and the benefits they provide, not only for our bodies, but for our suffering environment.
Contact: Pure and Green Organics (02) 9638 7575.