3 Sustainable Swaps to Make in 2023

As 2023 begins, it’s now a great time to reflect, reassess, and make some resolutions for the new year ahead. During the year, it’s easy to get bogged down in our day-to-day lives and to run on autopilot, which is why this time of year is such a great opportunity to pause and reflect on what is really important. The start of a new year is also the perfect time to reflect on and reassess the impact that we have on the environment and the world around us. In a time when we all want to continually be more sustainable and more conscious of the decisions we make, it’s important to ask the question, what else can I do? That’s why we’ve put together this list of easy swaps you can make in your everyday life to be more sustainable. Have a skincare routine? Swap it out for cruelty free skincare. It’s as easy as that. Keep reading to find out more, and our bonus tip on where to go for all your sustainable product needs! 

Hand Wash 

We use our hands for so much, and we all know the importance of keeping them clean and healthy. That’s why our first easy swap is hand wash. Swap out the hand soap that you get from the supermarket for a cruelty-free hand wash, and you’re doing good in more than one way.

Our LoveLuvo hand wash is cruelty free, which means that animals have not been used, or harmed at any stage of the development, testing, or manufacturing process. Unlike some products you can find on the supermarket shelf, LoveLuvo products does not test on animals, which means that you can feel better about your consumption. Check out this Wikipedia page if you would like to find out more about the origins and meaning of cruelty free.  

Besides being cruelty free, LoveLuvo hand wash is also great for your skin as it is paraben free, sulphate free, and naturally formulated with premium Australian plant extracts and essential oils. Other options include the Salus Hydrating Hand Wash, and the range of Sapon bar soaps, both of which are cruelty free too!

Skincare

That’s right, you can swap out your skincare routine for an entirely sustainable one with the help of the right products. Skincare is a huge part of looking and feeling good for many people, however, using certain products can actually contribute negatively to the environment, in more ways than one.

An easy swap for your typical face scrub is the STUFF Exfoliating Facial Scrub, which is perfect for exfoliating and is both vegan and cruelty free! Follow that up with the STUFF facial moisturiser, which contains no parabens and no sulphates, and – you guessed it – is vegan and cruelty free, and suddenly your skincare routine is transformed into something you can feel good about.

Why not make the swap to cruelty free and vegan skincare this new year, and transform your skin routine into something you can really feel good about?

Refillable Products

When it comes to many of the products we use, one of the biggest negative impacts on the environment is the plastic that they come packaged in. These bottles and packages often end up in landfill, which is terrible for the environment, while consumers buy more and more plastic that is destined for the same fate.

However, there is a better way. At LoveLuvo, we offer a refill service, where you can bring in a clean, empty bottle and we will refill it with the eco-friendly, cruelty free, or vegan product of your choice. We currently provide refillable products like hand wash, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner, but make sure to check out the full range of products and discover how the refilling process works if you’re interested!

LoveLuvo Refillable Product

By committing to swapping disposable plastic packaging for using our refill service, you are choosing to reduce your own plastic usage and wastage, which is a huge help to our environment. So far, LoveLuvo has saved 2,345 bottles from ending up in landfill – this is calculated based on 500ml bottles – so that’s a significant impact! Why not be part of that impact and make the swap?

Looking for Cruelty Free Skincare and More?

Look no further than LoveLuvo for all the sustainable skincare brands and cruelty free products you could need. We make it simple to implement these easy swaps in your life, which will ensure you are helping the environment while going about your day-to-day life. Whether you decide to swap out the skincare you use, your usual handwash, or choose to make the switch to our refillable products, your sustainable swap will help to make the new year an eco-friendlier one.

When it’s time to make the swap, come and visit us at our Seddon store, or give us a call at 03 9396 1822. Alternatively, you can fill out our online contact form, or visit our online store any time!

Peter Collins
4 Sustainable and Cruelty Free Gift Sets for this Christmas

It’s the Christmas season once again, and that means not only is it an extra busy time of year, but there are parties to attend, decorations to be hung, and of course, gifts to buy for loved ones. So, amidst all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, what do you do if you want to make Christmas more sustainable this year? That’s where LoveLuvo steps in, with cruelty free gift sets and sustainable gifts galore! In 2022, we all want to be more conscious of the environment and whether our choices contribute positively or negatively to the world around us. While it can be difficult to know what to do, or how to make sustainable decisions around Christmas time, one easy decision to make is buying sustainable presents. That’s why we have put together this list of amazing cruelty free and eco-friendly gift ideas to help you with your environmentally friendly Christmas shopping.

LoveLuvo Favourites Gift Set

This gift set is the ideal round up of our favourite LoveLuvo products, and that means that everything in the set is paraben free, sulphate free and, of course, cruelty free. What’s more, is that by supporting LoveLuvo with your gift giving, you are also supporting our sustainable and eco-friendly mission, thereby giving back to the community. A gift that the recipient will be sure to love, and that you can feel good about gifting – what could be more perfect?

What’s included?

o   LoveLuvo Bath Salts 500g

o   LoveLuvo Hand & Body Wash 250ml in Lavender, Chamomile, and Rosemary

o   LoveLuvo Body Lotion 250ml in Lavender, Chamomile, and Rosemary

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing and pampering gift to give the busy and stressed-out person in your life, or for the loved one that needs a reminder to slow down, this cruelty free gift set will be sure to save the day.

Salus Body Rescue Duo

This stunning skincare gift pack from Salus contains two lovely products for purifying and hydrating the skin. The entire range of beautiful Salus products is proudly 100% Australian made, featuring botanicals, natural plant extracts, and essential oils.

Aiming to bring the luxury of the spa into the home, Salus products contain no synthetic fragrances or colours, no sodium laurel sulphates, glycols, parabens, or mineral oils. Plus, as an added bonus, all Salus products come in recyclable or reusable packaging, making them a fantastic pure and natural gift and one that’s friendly to the environment.

What’s included?

o   Calendula and Shea Butter Hydrating Body Cream 250ml

o   Eucalyptus and Rosemary Purifying Body Scrub 250ml

Christmas Pamper Hamper

This Christmas-themed gift set is a collection of gorgeous products that will delight and pamper anyone you gift it to – so much so that you may even be tempted to pick one up for yourself too! Whoever you give this hamper to will no doubt be thrilled with the selection of cruelty free and eco-friendly products, including a LoveLuvo body lotion, a beautiful goat milk soap, and more.

Christmas dessert is also taken care of thanks to this hamper, with the inclusion of a gorgeous Christmas pudding by STREAT – another amazing local social enterprise that supports disadvantaged young people who need a helping hand. That’s right, your purchase of this hamper provides support for STREAT to provide programs that facilitate a healthy self, healthy work, and a healthy home for young people who really need it. You can read all about STREAT’s social enterprise aims, and don’t forget to check out LoveLuvo’s social mission while you’re at it.

What’s included?

o   LoveLuvo Lavender, Chamomile, and Rosemary Body Lotion 250ml

o   Light and Glo Christmas Bauble Candle

o   STREAT Christmas Pudding Small

o   Sapon Gat Milk Soap

o   Soap Rack

Sustainable Christmas gift hamper

Damask Rose Soap Set

This handmade gift set of heart shaped soaps from Samaria Rose Farm make a great eco-friendly and sustainable gift for anybody on your Christmas list. The pack of three beautiful damask rose soaps are made from olive oil and natural ingredients, making them intensely nourishing and moisturising for the skin. This gift pack would make the perfect stocking stuffer, Kris Kringle gift, or little treat for yourself this Christmas season!

What’s included?

3 heart Shaped Damask Rose Soaps by Samaria Rose Farm

Gift set of handmade candles

Looking for Cruelty Free Gift Sets?

Look no further than LoveLuvo for a beautiful range of gifts this Christmas season. Whether you are looking for cruelty free gift sets, eco-friendly body care products, or natural and sustainable presents to gift your loved ones, we are here to help.

For all your gifting needs, come and see us at our Seddon store, or give us a call at 03 9396 1822. Alternatively, you can fill out our online contact form, or visit our online store anytime!

Meet our new team member Jarrod!

💚 Please introduce yourself!
My name is Jarrod Stephen Mosele. I’m deaf with hard hearing, with a prosthetic ear on my right ear. My social life is going to the movies, gym, playing basketball, music and guitar. I’m easy going, active and love to work out at the gym five times a week.

💚 What were you doing before joining LoveLuvo?
My previous job was at the Foodbank Victoria, where I worked as a volunteer for 9 years. There were a few ups and downs during the lockdown period where I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, so I decided to take the next step and get a Certificate 3 in a Business online course. During that time, I also got a cleaning job which was my second time having a paid job.

💚 What made you want to join LoveLuvo?
I wanted to join LoveLuvo to give myself a brand new start. I had been getting help by WCIG to find something fresh and new to start to get back on track after all of the lockdown pressures.

💚 What’s your favourite part about working at LoveLuvo so far?
I’m always up for a challenge for any job, and I’m very relaxed and take a step by step approach. I’ve been loving learning new things in the shop from the back of the shop to the shop floor. I love to get busy for work and training hard in the gym to help boost confidence in the workplace.

💚 What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I love going to the gym every day 5x a week. I also love going to the movies and listening to music. I have great taste in music/movies - you can ask me anything about that.

💚 Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I love to dance and I know every single dance move for each and every song that’s been written for dancing on the dance floor!

Next time you are in Seddon - make sure you pop in and say hi to Jarrod and the team!

Peter CollinsLoveLuvo
Customer Loyalty: Australia’s New Sustainability-Focused Consumer (And What Retail Can Learn From Them)

While many ventures have had success in recent years with a model based on social good, few (if any) have a strong and loyal local customer base which is comparable to Melbourne’s LoveLuvo. This is due to an uncompromising approach to quality alongside an agile business model built on solid principles.

 The result is a decade of success in which organic growth comes from each new customer who walks through the door – almost all of them return, and they bring their friends. It’s the perfect model for sustainable growth: every customer becomes an ambassador. 

The Two Greatest Needs of Our Time

Originally from the UK, Anouska Lyons has been a Melbourne local for many years now. 

 “I loved the windows and went in initially to buy a gift for someone” she reports, describing how she first encountered LoveLuvo. “Then I saw they did refills and I haven’t looked back. I love to buy local where I can, I love to send gifts that are made in Australia and now I only use refills for my household toiletries and cleaning. I also find the refills to be cost effective.”

 While the refill aspect keeps Anouska coming back, the ecofriendly and social good aspects aren’t the only draw – product quality and consistency are just as important. 

“The Lavender Hand Wash is so lovely – we have 3 kids and I’m constantly washing my hands. They are never dry and I just love the smell. I also love the Vinegar Magic Spray - I love that it’s natural but absolutely gets the job done. It’s nice cleaning the shower and not breathing in all the chemicals you’d normally get from other cleaners. 

 “I have literally replaced all items in my house with the equivalent at LoveLuvo. I didn’t even think about whether it would be nice, I just loved the idea of refills and I have NEVER been disappointed with the quality. The combination of environmental, quality, luxurious and ease of purchase with great service is a win for me every time.”

Sue - our longest employee at LoveLuvo doing refills.

 Unique value is provided through a holistic 360 degree approach.

 “I love the incredible marriage of environmental and community ethics. It’s important to be discreet in some respects and allow the staff and products to speak for themselves. So many places get one right but LoveLuvo has managed to serve the two greatest needs of our time. I love the community at LoveLuvo and love going into the shop. I never go down the cosmetic or household aisle of the supermarkets anymore and that is a really great feeling!”.

Local Leadership, Global Sustainability

 Sarah Gowers is another West Melbourne local who became an informal ambassador for LoveLuvo after discovering the brand by chance. 

 “I was gifted some items from LoveLuvo from a friend who runs a local business (Holistic Sister) and she mentioned the refillable household items, which stood out to me, knowing how much plastic from household cleaning and bathroom products ends up in landfill. I took myself in a few days later and have been shopping there ever since.” 

 Sarah is yet another example of how quality aligns with social and environmental impact as a core element in the 2021 version of a successful buyer’s journey. 

 “Firstly I’m passionate about supporting local businesses, especially during the last year. Knowing that I’m supporting local families and local community members makes me feel good about shopping there. Really it ticks all the boxes for responsible consumerism – an environmentally conscious social enterprise that is locally run by local people – I can’t think of a reason not to shop here.”

 Regarding the brand’s mission of providing work to those with barriers to employment, “I wasn’t aware the first time I went in” admits Sarah. “I found out when the staff member working put a leaflet in my shopping bag about the positive social impact the store has on the community and its employees.”

 A clear demonstration of how important it is for brands to tell their story – not just the how, but the why.  

“I know that it’s all fair trade and ethically sourced, with no animal testing or child labour used, and fair wages paid. I’ve never seen a product in there with palm oil in it, so I’m assuming that’s an ethical and environmental consideration. I am someone that if I like (or dislike) something, I will research it and find out more – so I find this info out for myself and know where to look to do so. 

 “It appeals to my sense of responsible spending – you quite often don’t think about (or want to think about) the ethical impact you have by buying supermarket products from the majority of household brands. The fact that you can have a positive impact by shopping at LoveLuvo makes the experience a whole lot less ‘icky’. I’m mainly compelled by the fact that I know my money will be doing some good. I never get buyer’s remorse that you might get at larger chains.”

 “I’m a huge believer in paying it forward – I feel an extreme sense of privilege to live where and how I do, it’s of the utmost importance to me that I do the right thing by people and the planet. LoveLuvo makes me feel like I’m doing my bit – I can shop there without a conscience.” 

 While the feelgood aspects of shopping ethically are important, quality again comes to the fore. Customer service is another crucial aspect.

 “The quality of the products I’ve got is always high and the staff are always extremely friendly. The refillables are dreamy – the Kitchen Degreaser is second to none. Like actually magical.”

 It’s more apparent than ever that consumers are tired of the ‘over-promise, under-deliver’ approach which is increasingly present across so many aspects of business and commerce. This is why they are turning to brands like LoveLuvo in droves. 

 Much of what keeps customers coming back is this holistic approach to business – whether it’s providing opportunities for people with barriers to employment, or the broader aspect of providing sustainable products which are not just environmentally-friendly but innovative in production and diverse in terms of the people involved

 The days of cynical “Greenwashing” are over – and there’s more room than ever for brands who are prepared to be real. This is a core value of LoveLuvo, and one which canny retail brands would do well to consider if they aim to stay relevant with consumer desires.

By Cormac Sheehan

Peter Collins
LoveLuvo spotlight: Keeping community at our hearts

We keep the community at the heart of what we do at LoveLuvo

Over the past 10 years, LoveLuvo has become much more than a store selling gifts and homewares. It's a community hub providing jobs for vulnerable people, while doing its bit for the environment, writes Maggie Coggan in this month’s Spotlight on social enterprise.

Sue has struggled for most of her life to hold down a job. 

Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 25, she found many of the places she worked over the years lacked understanding or empathy for her illness.

“People who aren’t used to working with mentally ill people take it the wrong way,” she said. 

“Working in an office, for example, I always wanted to go out for a smoke because I get anxious, and they told me off for that and a lot of other things. Then my contract wasn’t renewed.”

This year however, marks a decade since she first started working for LoveLuvo, an employment social enterprise that breaks down barriers to work for people like Sue.   

“This is the longest long-term job I’ve ever had – way longest. So I’m very proud of myself,” Sue said. 

Tucked away in the inner-western Melbourne suburb of Seddon, LoveLuvo opened its doors in 2011 to support the Westgate Community Initiatives Group (WCIG), a charity running training and support programs across employment, disability and youth.

Before LoveLuvo, the space was used to house WCIG’s first social enterprise, Cleanable – a commercial cleaning, gardening and property maintenance business that provides employment for people facing barriers to work. 

As Peter Collins, WCIG’s social enterprise manager, explains, the idea to open a retail store came about very naturally. 

“The space Cleanable was operating from had a shop front that the business wasn’t really using, so we decided to turn it into a retail store to provide an additional revenue stream for the charity,” Collins told Pro Bono News. 

“It was also about providing more employment opportunities for people who face barriers to work… And what we found was that there were actually some staff within the Cleanable team that also had retail skills, so we were able to move some of those people into LoveLuvo.” 

Employees such as Sue can complete retail courses through WCIG, to then find work with one of the charity’s enterprises. In the past year, LoveLuvo has provided over 1,000 hours of paid employment to people facing barriers to work.  

A fixture of the community

The enterprise’s main product focus to begin with was refillable cleaning products like detergent, soaps, and laundry liquid. Back in 2011 this was a relatively new offering, and as Jacinta Manivong, WCIG’s marketing manager, explained, something that the local community was asking for.  

“We started selling environmentally friendly cleaning products in response to people coming in and asking,” Manivong said. 

“Doing this was a major point-of-difference which our community really responded to… because alongside our unique and distinctive product offering, and empathy towards people with barriers to employment, we’ve developed a strong and loyal customer base.”

In the past year, the refillable bottle service has also helped to clean up the community by saving 2,345 plastic bottles from being tossed into landfill. 

Collins says that a major part of LoveLuvo’s growth as a business was how it could become an important part of the community – a place locals loved going to. 

“We’ve really focused on how we can play a part in being the community heart of Seddon, which is a great and loyal community,” he said. 

While the refill station is still a big part of the store, LoveLuvo now also sells a range of soaps, beauty products, gifts, and homewares that are either made in-house or are sourced from other ethical, local, and environmentally friendly brands. 

Collins says that choosing products made by other social enterprises was a big focus in terms of impact. 

“So if there’s a demand for a product, our first goal is to look at who we can get to supply that locally. And if there is a way for us to promote a social enterprise for that product, we choose that first,” he said. 

“A good example might be our Kenshi candles, which is a social enterprise that directs half of its profits to charities and worthy causes.” 

While LoveLuvo is only one small store, Collins says that over the years the organisation has been able to connect with like-minded customers to create awareness of the social enterprise movement.  

“We’re not necessarily going to move thousands of units. But what we are able to do is provide our customers, who align with our mission and vision, to be able to learn about other social enterprises,” he said. 

The challenges and setbacks of 2020

Like all retail stores across Melbourne, LoveLuvo’s doors were shut for the majority of last year. 

Jessica Sims, LoveLuvo’s store manager, said that as well as ensuring the business survived through the long shut down, helping staff regain their confidence was another hurdle after so many months off work. 

“It was hard for the staff who returned after months off work, there were some that had their confidence knocked a bit,” Sims said. 

“It’s just been about slowly introducing someone, who might only be comfortable doing little duties behind the scenes such as labelling products, to the actual retail store. 

“Watching their confidence grow and then becoming super confident and actually really enjoy the work they are doing is amazing.”

For Sue, building confidence has not only helped her in her job, but in her everyday life as well. 

“It’s a confidence thing… even if you’ve got a job as a cleaner, it’s [building] confidence. You’re holding down a job. You’re not just a mentally ill person,” she said.   

Building a sustainable future

While Collins says LoveLuvo’s current model is financially sustainable, the focus now is to create brand awareness and expand into wholesale to not only increase the business’ impact, but provide a security blanket for future challenges. 

“We are really looking forward over the next year or two, [to] developing more brand awareness and a bit more equity in our products so that we can have our products stocked in other businesses,” he said. 

“What that will do for LoveLuvo is help us achieve more employment and create more opportunity, but also help us to weather the storms of potential closures and pandemics that pop up in the future because we will have more than one income stream.” 

Check out LoveLuvo’s online store here, or if you’re in Melbourne, head down to their store at 174 Victoria Street, Seddon.  

Peter Collins
Sit down with our longest employee at LoveLuvo
LoveLuvo-WEB-SMALL-12.jpg

Sue Edmonstone

Sue is, in the most direct terms, an absolute legend.

Well known to the local Seddon community around LoveLuvo, her personality is even bigger than her considerable height! She’s very well spoken, takes time to articulate what she really means, and has a calm, empathic, reflective spirit; a real “people person”. Having worked here since the very beginning, Sue’s path to where she is now began with a simple training program. Although she’s lived through huge challenges, it never daunted her proud Melbourne spirit.

Whilst her experience of mental illness meant that she was (in her own terms) “a late bloomer”, Sue’s story is a perfect illustration of how immense value is created when we remove barriers to employment. It’s likewise a fantastic example of how social enterprise can represent a kind, empathic and mutually beneficial way forward for both individuals and businesses.

Interview conducted by Cormac Sheehan // Purpose Communications.


Cormac: Are you originally from Melbourne?

Sue: Yeah, my parents are from Edinburgh, immigrated in 1965, I was born a year later in Nov 1966, I’m 54 now.

 

Cormac: Did you grow up around Seddon?

Sue: No, I’m from Werribee. Did you ever see the show, Upper Middle Class Bogan? I’m like a bogan when I’m in Werribee, but when I’m in Seddon it’s a little bit upper class, so I’ve to put on me airs and graces! I get home, relax, have a smoke at the door, can be myself.

 

Cormac: You’ve been working with WCIG [Westgate Community Initiatives Group] since 2007, first with Cleanable and now with LoveLuvo. How did you first get involved in the project?

Sue: Yeah, I was a cleaner, in 2007 I was hired. I came here and Peter was the manager, not the Peter we have now, a different Peter. I went out the back for a smoke and he said “everyone that’s here, sign the tax form, you’re all hired” and I went out the back for a smoke with him and he said “someone isn’t turning up at Sunshine” and I said “I’ll do that tonight”. The workers at Werribee had taken me to all the sites in a car, so I had to remember how to get there. I got there an hour early for my shift and Peter said “what are you doing here so early?!”. He wasn’t angry, but. I was so eager that I allowed myself that time in case I got lost.

Then I cleaned for years at Footscray Dental Clinic, it used to be a WW2 repatriation hospital, so there’s a few ghosts there. We were alright working there until we found about the ghosts, it spooked us out a bit! We work in winter at night, and its pitch black there. My first introduction to cleaning was with the office assistant there, he was so particular, so I learned the hard way what to clean – he wanted everything cleaned. So that was a good introduction, you couldn’t cut corners. I did the initial cleaning course which was good, through WCIG, did the cleaning, then they offered us a Retail Course, and I think I did modules 1, 2 and 3.

Cormac: So how’d you start with LoveLuvo?

Sue: I did the retail course and then they started putting me in the shop. Before, we had a huge manufacturing business, we were making things and they had a lot of disability workers out the back here. That all folded because people weren’t buying products and we were putting a lot of money into peoples’ wages, so it all closed down.

We just get products that people want now, from around Melbourne or Victoria, and that’s working a lot better but unfortunately they had to sack a lot of people. Luckily I kept my job, because at that time they’d sent me to CCU, which was a mental health unit, it’s got about 20 units, and we were cleaning those. I was doing that for a couple of years, which was good because I was working in Werribee as well as living there. We lost the contract somehow, not through out fault, but because The Mercy wouldn’t pay us. They put some new cleaners in there who’d do it for next to nothing, so I was very disappointed with that.

So one day they rang up and said, would you like to work in the shop? I had to think about it. So I thought about it for an hour and came to the conclusion that sometimes you’ve got to do what you’re uncomfortable with, take on a challenge. So I said yeah, I’ll do it. I’ve never regretted it.

LoveLuvo-WEB-SMALL-8.jpg

Have you always done the same kind of work, or has it changed over time?

It’s more specific now, Tiffany’s really good at decanting, for example, but not all of us are good at that, sometimes it will overflow, but she’s really good at it. Or the Epsom salts, so she’s sort of that girl, and Camilla’s good at serving customers and also we work out the back, we’ll mop the floor and make sure it’s clean. I’ll do the office, Jess’s office, I’ll come round with the dustpan and brush, or the vacuum, and go over it with a cloth.

My cleaning background is great for the housekeeping of the shop, as I do know what to do, and also the retail side I’m pretty good at. Not opening or closing the shop, which we’re not responsible for, but serving customers. For instance, Wednesday Jess had a meeting for two hours and I did not have one single problem, I didn’t have to interrupt her once during that time. I was quite proud of myself for it, because I worked a long time and I didn’t have one problem, and I think I got everything right.

To be honest, at the end of two hours I was ready to go home, it’s hard to do all day. I’ll relieve Jess for her lunch or meetings, but otherwise I’m often out the back cleaning, or pricing products for the shop, making sure they’re not damaged. All these things we learned in our retail course. So, I have a background in that as well, which is all coming out now.

At the start of the month we receive all the products, unpack them, look for damage, they go straight out to the shop. Middle of the month we might have some good sales, then end of the month we do a stock take, what we’ve sold for the month. Then it starts all over again, each month.

Cormac: And that’s since 10 years ago?

Sue: Yeah, cleaning for about five years, and now in the shop for 10 years.

Cormac: And did you have other jobs before starting with Cleanable?

Sue: I did, but they weren’t successful. This is the longest long term job I’ve had.

Cormac: What’s the difference?

Sue: I think not understanding my mental illness.

Cormac: Can I ask what mental illness you’re diagnosed with?

Sue: Paranoid schizophrenic.

Cormac: So you’d get a job, find it hard to cope, and it wouldn’t work out?

Sue: Well, people who aren’t used to working with mentally ill people take it the wrong way. Working in an office, for example, I didn’t like – I always wanted to go out for a smoke because I get anxious, and they told me off for that and a lot of other things. Then my contract wasn’t renewed. A few things like that have happened, but then this is the longest long term job I’ve ever had – way longest. So I’m very proud of myself, I’ve had one six week holiday, paid holiday for long service leave when I’d been working there 10 years. So apparently in another two or three years I can have another one. But I don’t like being away from work too long, I get bored.

Cormac: Tell me about who Sue was before starting with WCIG.

Sue: About 23, 25 I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. I’d always had a feeling I was a bit different, but it manifested itself with a manic episode where I was sweating and anxious, and I didn’t realise I was sick. They took me into hospital and I spent two weeks or a month there just getting on the medication, it settled me right down. Then they released me, I wasn’t in long. Subsequently I was back another couple of times. Twice in the back of a divvy! Just sitting there, looking out the window.

Cormac: So, in terms of the skills and abilities that you have now today, how does that compare to before you started?

Sue: I needed at least 5 to 10 years to just be myself. I was on disability. It’s all worked out the way it should’ve, I think, looking back. I wouldn’t have been ready to work to start with, I had to settle into my illness. I was doing craft and doing things like that, painting and stuff, it was more of a rehabilitation. But when I presented myself I felt – right, I’m ready, I’m going to see if I can do cleaning. Once I got that job at Fairfield which the Doggies supporter man gave me, Rob I think his name was, I started there. Maybe I was a late bloomer, I didn’t start here until I was 40 and now I’m 54, I just needed that maturity, I don’t think I would’ve coped.

Cormac: Do you have favourite colleagues or customers and what is it that’s so great about them?

Sue: I love working with Jess, she’s the best Manageress we’ve had, she has a great sense of humour, she’s really good with us, the three disability workers, because we’re all different.

Cormac: And customers?

Sue: Do you know, in all my years here, I’ve never had one angry customer. Not one. People love the shopping experience here. “Don’t go into retail” people used to tell me, “you’ll get angry customers”, but I’ve never had one here. Not one, that’s the honest truth.

Cormac: What do you like most about the shop?

Sue: I like that it’s a social enterprise which has employees with disabilities. Also the products are sustainable and very current to what’s happening in the world, we’re reusing plastics, we’ve got all these destressing products – I’d call it a Destress / Sustainable Shop. The Epsom salts lately are flying out the door, people realise that the magnesium for the body and the muscles is the best thing, and we’re putting essential oils in as well, so you’re going to get rid of all the muscle aches from a walk or a day’s work, and also smell nice from the essential oil. As long as you spend five minutes letting it dissolve, otherwise you get a crunchy bath!

 

Cormac: Do you see yourself working with the LoveLuvo and WCIG team into the future?

Sue: All of us feel the same way – I’ve worked with all the girls and we all say I love it here, I want to stay here. Some social enterprises, you’re only allowed work for a certain amount of time, but this has broken all the rules and we’ve worked here, well me 14 years.

 

Cormac: If you met someone now who was like you were when you were 23, and they were feeling very hopeless about the future…

Sue: I’d say there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Just stick with what you’re good at, what you love.

 

Cormac: What would you say to your old self, from back then?

Sue: I’d say you’ll go down a path, you’ll meet a fella that you love, he’s a good bloke. You’ll get a good job and you’ll have a roof over your head, you’ll live by yourself, so just keep going. I can’t ask for more. Anything else is just icing on the cake.

 

Cormac: Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap up our chat?

Sue: Well, I just think that WCIG with our CEO Ron, started a great company. It’s truly the best place I’ve ever worked. If it sets an example, that Ron started 15 years ago, it’s a good example and I think that because we’ve got such a good work ethic that we’ve remained where others have failed, other social enterprises. Since 2007. It’s to his credit, Ron, apart from being the same, it was a Uniting Church or Presbyterian board that started it, and I’m actually a Presbyterian myself, church background. Apart from that, I think they’ve hired people with the right vision and the right set of rules, and that’s really helped make it a success.

 

If you’d like to find out more about the work we do and who it can benefit, click here to find out about Westgate Community Initiatives Group or click here to find out about LoveLuvo.

Peter Collins
Sit down with busy mum and LoveLuvo's team member
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Utako Ogihara

You might not immediately realise it from her softly spoken exterior, but Utako is a veteran entrepreneur with over a decade’s experience in the health and beauty world. There’s a deep sense of wisdom and kindness to the ways in which she chooses to express herself; a sense that each step she takes is carefully considered.

At the same time, Utako shows a sense of courage, adventure and risk-taking common to entrepreneurs. Whether it was the decision to move to Melbourne from Tokyo, the willingness to strike out on her own with her business ventures, or the industriousness she demonstrates in rolling up her sleeves to get work done as part of the team, Utako is an inspiring example of how thinking outside the box can take you on a journey which never ends. Read on to find out about Utako’s continuously evolving perspective.

Interview conducted by Cormac Sheehan // Purpose Communications.


Cormac: Tell me a little bit about yourself?

Utako: My name’s Utako, I’m from Japan but I’ve been living in Australia since maybe 2000, so almost half my life in Australia. I studied Beauty Therapy, worked in retail and as a beauty therapist, met an Aussie guy and got married, stayed here and bought a house in West Footscray. I always loved LoveLuvo so when my little kids got a bit bigger, I was happy to get a job here two years ago! My kids are 7 and 5 now, both in Primary School. Grew up in Tokyo, Mum from Okinawa, Grandma is still there, she’s 98. They’re the longest living people in the world! She moved there after my Mum retired.


Cormac: How long have you been working with the LoveLuvo team?

Utako: Since November 2018. There’s a very good team here. I used to work at Aesop maybe 10 years ago, as a facialist, and also at another beauty salon in Melbourne. Then I did my own Beauty Therapy Business for a few years, stopped for a little while when it was too much work on top of two kids.

 

Cormac: How does LoveLuvo compare?

Utako: It feels very chilled, maybe it’s the concept that WCIG created, maybe it’s the atmosphere that Jess has nurtured, and also the customer base in the local community. Compared to when I was in the city in the Aesop shop, it was more hectic, just too much! Here, people are more understanding, the customers are calmer and more easy-going, it’s relaxed. Lots of loyal supporters and customers coming back too.

 

Cormac: When did you first find out about the shop?

Utako: Just walking past, probably when it opened around 2011, I loved coming to Seddon and Yarraville and kept coming back, but I didn’t known about all the social impact concept until I started working here.

 

Cormac: What was it that attracted you to LoveLuvo before you got a job here?

Utako: All the products are my favourite things! It smells so nice, the body care with a natural base, it’s local, not a big corporate mainstream brand.


Cormac: Jess (Store Manager) mentioned that working here has been helping you develop concepts for your own soap business?

Utako: I started it in 2018 after I did an olive oil soap class in the Mornington Peninsula. I’ve always been into aromatherapy, and being a Beauty Therapist is actually a very demanding job to do, physically and emotionally. I really love making things, so I realised that soap-making connected it all together and was something I could maybe do for the future, since I was so busy with the babies and then the kids growing, which took up most of my time for the past five years, so I found that I needed to find myself. My soap business allowed me to do that, and although it’s only been two years, Jess has been very supportive and open to helping.


Cormac: Are your products sold at LoveLuvo?

Utako: Yes! Also, I love sewing, so I made maybe 500 facemasks during lockdown, under a different business name. My other business is Uroom Beauty, which is made from Damask Rose water farmed in North-East Victoria at Samaria Farm, and now I’ve actually become distributor for their products on my online shop! Ushop is my little sewing business for babies and kids clothes, and also the facemasks.


Cormac: What do you like most about the LoveLuvo shop?

Utako: I like the feeling of working here, it’s quite hard to find. When you like the product, the everyday work, the people you work with – it’s very hard to find. But this place for me is so beautiful and happy, everybody is so nice, I love all the products, the customers are very nice. Our little strip of shops here is so much nicer compared to big shopping centres or malls, it’s calming and supportive, not so commercial and pushing handcream all the time or trying to sell them a massage. I can explain what they need, they respond more kindly, they come back regularly. When I come here it makes me feel so happy.

We’ve created a very welcoming atmosphere and so we get a lot of locals coming back here instead of Highpoint Shopping Centre, and I think ourselves and the local shop community in Seddon Village have created that cute happy welcoming mood to invite people in, spend a little money, and I think they really feel that essence of “the good you do comes back to you” which is our slogan. I feel like I don’t know what it is 100%, maybe the feeling of the shop and the products, maybe the people selling. It’s something intangible but very special.


Cormac: Do you have favourite colleagues or customers and what is it that’s so great about them?

Utako: Kind of! A lot! The ones who often come in, for refills, who are loyal, trying new things. I think Jess is the best manager ever, very loyal. She doesn’t put pressure on, she still motivates and sells, it’s not just a friend relationship, she gets lots of new things and is very fair to everyone.

 

Cormac: Do you see yourself working with the LoveLuvo team into the future?

Utako: Yes! My husband wants to go and live in Japan but I don’t think that’s happening any time soon, so I do want to keep this nice part of my life.

 

If you’d like to find out more about the work we do and who it can benefit, click here to find out about Westgate Community Initiatives Group or click here to find out about LoveLuvo.

Peter Collins
Celebrating 10 years of LoveLuvo!
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It’s almost 10 years since we first opened our doors. We’ve been reflecting on that wonderful decade by chatting with our wider community of customers and suppliers about how far we’ve come.  

One thing we’ve realised is that with such a diverse community, we take a lot of things for granted. First and foremost is the fact that many of those in our community don’t quite realise the wide-ranging impact we’re having.  

While many are aware of our positive effect on the environment via the products we sell and services we offer, not so many are aware of our impact on peoples’ lives.  

So, we decided to have a chat with two shop workers from very different backgrounds. One is a long-standing supported worker who’s been working here for 14 years. The other is a female entrepreneur with children who’s achieved her dream of starting a brand and selling it in-store. 

Be Real – Be Inclusive

Back in 2010 when we were preparing to build and launch LoveLuvo, we took on a core value of being “real”. We’d like to think that we’re down to earth and grounded in the real world – which is a great marketing soundbite – but what does success in the real world actually look like? 

Inclusivity is the simple answer. 

Our environmental impact is clearly demonstrated by the fact that we’ve saved 2,345 bottles from landfill by refilling 4,690 litres of home and body products in the past year alone. Inclusivity, however, is harder to define. 

How do we figure out whether hiring somebody with barriers to entering the workplace really means something – if they have a horrible experience and quit after a couple of days, weeks or months, did we really achieve anything? Perhaps we did, perhaps not.  

So, we decided to let our team tell their own stories. Many of you know Utako and Sue, but were you aware of the challenges they’ve overcome to bring their beautiful energy into our little sanctuary? 

Staff Story: Utako 

It might not be immediately apparent from her softly spoken exterior, but Utako is a veteran entrepreneur with shrewd insights into the health and beauty world.  

“I’m from Japan but I’ve been living in Australia almost half my life. I studied Beauty Therapy, worked in retail, met an Aussie guy, got married and bought a house in West Footscray. I used to work at Aesop maybe 10 years ago, then I did my own Beauty Therapy Business for a few years, but I had to stop when it was too much work on top of two kids.  

“I always loved LoveLuvo after discovering it when it opened around 2011. I loved coming to Seddon and Yarraville and kept coming back, but I didn’t known about the social impact concept until I started working here. When my little kids got a bit bigger, I was so happy to get a job here at LoveLuvo!” 

In many ways, Utako’s journey is a microcosm of the intersectional barriers which face so many people in our community – the challenges she’s faced as a female entrepreneur with children are far from unique, and just one aspect of a society in which equity is still not a reality for most. That’s just one of the reasons why we feel so lucky to benefit from Utako’s presence working here with us in the LoveLuvo store. Have her experiences at LuveLuvo have helped her develop as an entrepreneur? 

“I think so. All the little local support, the other workers – everyone’s so open. Getting feedback, seeing how all different Australian brands are presented, it helped me to learn a lot. Very nice to be coming out here into the shop, rather than just doing it online, to see other products, meet customers, figure out what there’s a demand for from the community. Hearing what people are looking for in products.” 

These insights are what helped Utako develop her own brand: Uroom Beauty

“My products are made from Damask Rose Water, sustainably farmed in North-East Victoria at Samaria Farm. I’ve also actually become distributor for their products on my online shop! I started in 2018 after I did an olive oil soap class in the Mornington Peninsula. I’ve always been into aromatherapy. Being a Beauty Therapist is actually a very demanding job to do, physically and emotionally, plus I really love making things, so I realised that soap making connected it all together.  

“It was something I could maybe do for the future, since I was so busy with my babies. Then the kids growing took up most of my time for the past five years, so I found that I needed to find myself. My soap business allowed me to do that, and although it’s only been two years, Jess [LoveLuvo’s Store Manager] has been very supportive and open to helping.” 

Staff Story: Sue 

Well spoken, articulate, calm and reflective, Sue is very empathic – a real people person. Her journey is entirely different to that of Utako, and yet LoveLuvo is the common factor in how they’ve successfully surmounted their own unique challenges. Another common factor is how enthusiastic they are about our wonderful Store Manager.  

“I love working with Jess, she’s the best Manageress we’ve had” begins Sue, full of her characteristic gusto. “She has a great sense of humour, she’s really good with us, the three disability workers, because we’re all different. 

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“My parents are from Edinburgh, immigrated in 1965, I was born a year later in Nov 1966, I’m 54 now. Did you ever see the show, Upper Middle Class Bogan? That’s me – I’m a bogan when I’m in Werribee, but when I’m in Seddon it’s a little bit upper class, so I’ve to put on me airs and graces!” 

Sue’s been working with us since 2007, initially at Cleanable (our sister project) before LoveLuvo. It all began when she did a course offering by WCIG (Westgate Community Initiatives Group, our parent organisation).  

“I was going to a day program in Werribee for mentally ill people. Luckily for me, a guy turned up and introduced me to WCIG. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.” 

After they offered her training and a job, Sue quickly became a valued member of the team.  

“I cleaned for years at Footscray Dental Clinic, it used to be a WW2 repatriation hospital, so there’s a few ghosts there! My first introduction to cleaning was with the office assistant there, he was so particular, so I learned the hard way what to clean – he wanted everything cleaned. That was a good introduction, you couldn’t cut corners. I did the initial cleaning course which was good, through WCIG, then they offered us a Retail Course. After I did modules 1, 2 and 3 they started putting me in the shop.” 

After working with Cleanable for almost 5 years, Sue’s been at LoveLuvo for almost 10 years. Throughout that time, her responsibilities have increased alongside her skillset.    

“My cleaning background is great for the housekeeping of the shop, as I do know what to do, and also the retail side I’m pretty good at, serving customers. Otherwise I’m often out the back cleaning, or pricing products for the shop, making sure they’re not damaged. All these things we learned in our retail course. So, I have a background in that aswell, which is all coming out now. At the start of the month we receive all the products, unpack them, look for damage, they go straight out to the shop. Middle of the month we might have some good sales, then end of the month we do a stocktake, what we’ve sold for the month. Then it starts all over again, each month.” 

These skills were learned through the WCIG course, and all of them have a real world application – as evidence by Sue’s decade of continuous employment. Did she have other jobs before?  

“I did, but they weren’t successful.”    

What’s the difference?  

“I think not understanding my mental illness. People who aren’t used to working with mentally ill people can take it the wrong way. Working in an office, for example, I always wanted to go out for a break because I get anxious. They told me off for that and a lot of other things. My contract wasn’t renewed. A few things like that have happened. 

“This is the longest longterm job I’ve ever had – way longest. So I’m very proud of myself. I’ve had one six week holiday, paid holiday for long service leave when I’d been working for 10 years. Apparently in another two or three years I can have another one. But I don’t like being away from work too long, I get bored.” 

Even a brief chat with Sue quickly demonstrates her strong work ethic – and yet, her complex personal circumstances mean that she was excluded from the workforce for most of her life. She credits LoveLuvo and store manager Jess in particular for her ongoing success.  

“If I say to Jess can I go out for a break she’ll say yeah, because she knows it’s five minutes, she knows it’ll make me feel better and I’m contributing to the shop. If I have to take time off because my car broke down, in normal employment they’d look at you and say well don’t bother coming back. Here, they say sure, you can fix your car. Or if you’re sick, or mentally ill, not having a good week, well you can take some time off. Sure, it might be without pay, but we’re allowed that time, whereas regular employment would not allow such flexibility. Although they are changing a bit, normal employers – becoming a bit better for people with maternal leave or pregnancy. I’d like to see a workplace like this, where if something was wrong with your child you could leave and take time off and you’re not going to lose your job.”   

Sue has had her own particular set of challenges, having been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in her early-to-mid 20s. 

“I’d always had a feeling I was a bit different, but it manifested itself with a manic episode where I was sweating and anxious, and I didn’t realise I was sick. They took me into hospital and I spent a month there just getting on the medication, it settled me right down. Then they released me, I wasn’t in long. Subsequently I was back another couple of times. Twice in the back of a divvy! Just sitting there, looking out the window.” 

“I needed at least 5-to-10 years to just be myself. I was on disability but it’s all worked out the way it should’ve, I think, looking back. I wouldn’t have been ready to work to start with, I had to settle into my illness. I was doing craft and things like that, painting and stuff, it was more of a rehabilitation. But when I presented myself I felt right, I’m ready, I’m going to see if I can do cleaning. Once I got that job, I was on me way. Maybe I was a late bloomer, I didn’t start until I was 40 and now I’m 54. I just needed that maturity, I don’t think I would’ve coped otherwise. 

“Even when I’ve time off, I’m not socialising, I don’t have a role in society. Even socialising, as soon as I got a job, with my family I felt a different connection – socialising, going out to parties – I do something now. Anything I say might mean something more, because before I just stayed at home watching TV, not contributing to society. It’s a confidence thing – even if you’ve got a job as a cleaner, it’s confidence. You’re holding down a job. You’re not just a mentally ill person.”  

Aside from the opportunities it’s brought into her life, Sue has a lot of good things to say about LoveLuvo. 

“I like that it’s a social enterprise which has employees with disabilities. Also, the products are sustainable and very relevant to what’s happening in the world. We’re reusing plastics, we’ve got all these destressing products – I’d call it a Destress Sustainable Shop! All of us feel the same way – I’ve worked with all the girls and we all say ‘I love it here, I want to stay here’. Some social enterprises, you’re only allowed work for a certain amount of time, but this has broken all the rules and we’ve worked here, well, me for 14 years. 

“I just think that WCIG with our CEO Ron, started a great company. It’s truly the best place I’ve ever worked. If it sets an example, that Ron started 15 years ago, it’s a good example and I think that because we’ve got such a good work ethic that we’ve remained where others have failed, other social enterprises. Since 2007. It’s to his credit, Ron. I think they’ve hired people with the right vision and the right set of rules, and that’s really helped make it a success.”  

To finish up, we asked Sue what she’d say if she met someone now who was like her back when she was 23 and feeling hopeless about the future. 

“I’d say there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Just stick with what you’re good at, what you love.” 

A huge thanks to Utako and Sue for taking the time to have a chat with us for this article – and a huge thanks to all of our customers for helping us to achieve our goals.  

Celebrate with us and win a $200 Gift Pack!
 
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We're thrilled to announce that our LoveLuvo online store is up and running.

The online store offers our LoveLuvo signature range of body products, gifts and Gift Cards, with a small selection of additional products for postage throughout Australia.

To celebrate the launch, enter the draw to win a $200 gift pack!

All you have to do is place an online OR Click & Collect order* by Sunday 11 October to win. Winner will be notified via email.

Order as many times as you like. Each order counts as an entry! 

*Gift basket pictured is for illustrative purposes only.

 
Peter Collins
Click & Collect Now Available @ LoveLuvo
 
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Running out of hand wash, bath bombs or candles?
Need to purchase a gift for a birthday or someone special?

We're offering contactless Click & Collect while our store is closed due to current restrictions.

How does it work?

  1. Click & Collect is available to all customers living within the prescribed 5 km of our store

  2. You can purchase anything within the store - not just what is listed on our site, so if you are running low on your favorite item or have a gift to buy coming up, please let us know

  3. If you live outside of the 5km area and still want your favourite item, let us know, we can arrange postage

Thank you for supporting our local social enterprise!

September Pick Up Dates

  • Wednesday 16th September 2pm - 5pm

  • Friday 18th September 11am - 2pm

  • Wednesday 23rd September 2pm - 5pm

  • Friday 25th September 11am - 2pm

  • Wednesday 30th September 2pm - 5pm

We'll have more dates to announce in October, depending on current restrictions.

Payment is simple over the phone with instant receipt and proof of purchase emailed directly to you with pick up instructions.

For more information or to place an order, please do not hesitate to contact Jess on 0423 016 151, email shop@loveluvo.com.au or contact us.

NOTE: Please abide by current Government health restrictions when traveling to LoveLuvo. Stay safe.

 
Peter Collins