When Kim Sebesta of Sebesta Apothecary made her way past a row of booths at her very first trade show, she felt a wave of nervous excitement. She had received fantastic feedback from her friends and early clients of her face powders, face wash and soaps, and was ready to make the next leap.
“I remember setting up my first booth feeling terrified. The woman in the booth next to me struck up a conversation and we ended up connecting. She helped me out, calmed my nerves and gave me advice that I still use to this day,” said Kim.
The event was a success and Kim hasn’t looked back since.
Why soap?
Kim Sebesta had a problem – a problem that she knew other individuals were concerned about too. She realized she didn’t know what the chemical-sounding ingredients on the bottles of some of her favorite soaps, face powders and other essentials were. This was upsetting to her, so she took action and set out to create her own line of products with familiar, eco-friendly ingredients.
“I just love the science behind it,” said Kim, “I’ve used beer, coffee, tomatoes and other ingredients that people might not think would typically be in soaps. It's so fun to get crafty with natural ingredients.”
Armed with her passion for clean ingredients, Kim started Sebesta Apothecary in 2014 and made it her full-time job in 2018.
“It was a fun switch from the corporate world,” Kim said. “It provides some freedom, plus every day looks a little different. Some days I focus more on the business side of things, while other days I get to play with new ingredients all day. It's fun!”
Classes and Events
In the early days of Sebesta Apothecary, Kim focused on defining target markets. Once they got their footing and people started to recognize their brand, Kim started teaching soap-making classes.
“Making soaps and similar products can be fairly simple. We don’t try to hide anything and we want to help people make their own,” said Kim. “You can buy most of the ingredients you need for $10 or less.”
Unfortunately, shortly after Kim began her teaching, the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm and classes were put on hold. From there, Sebesta Apothecary leaned on online sales and existing customers. Luckily, Kim had spent ample time at tabling events and people were loving the brand and products.
“We spent a lot of time at many events early on,” said Kim. “Now, we focus on a few big events beyond just the Twin Cities.”
Environment and Skin Friendly
“We only use ingredients that can be consumed,” explained Kim. “All of our products are produced with items found in nature.”
Sebesta Apothecary is a Certified Carbon Neutral Company and is “aggressively eco” according to Kim. Customers can send their empty packages back to the company for a refill of the product at a discount.
“We only use ingredients that can be consumed, all of our products are produced with items found in nature.”
-Kim Sebesta
“We also partnered with a company based in the UK called Ecologi that plants a tree for every one of our orders,” said Kim. “For the month of April, a tree is planted for every product sold. Large corporate orders can really add up to a lot of trees!”
From the packaging and products to the shipping, sustainability is a priority.
“We want to inform customers that there are alternatives. You can be healthy and eco-friendly and still make a great product,” said Kim. “We are built on a simple philosophy: we don’t need plastic or excessive packaging. All of our products are as green as they can be and we are low-to-zero waste. We hold ourselves to a high standard.”
The Minnesota Connection
Sebesta Apothecary is based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kim loves the community and feels a sense of pride in her local company.
“I feel like Minnesotans pride themselves in buying local. Having access to so many small businesses in the area is awesome,” said Kim. She considers other small business owners in the area to be her coworkers. Everyone helps everyone.
Sebesta Apothecary products can be found in many wholesale distributors and farmers markets across the region. Two of their mosquito-related products can also be found in our Ope! Box. Click the link below to get yours!
