Sustainability in business has now become a necessity, not just a norm.
Owing not just to the far-reaching shift in consumer behaviours, but also in the general conscience of buyers around the world. Businesses are now manned with the task of not just meeting profit margins, but doing it keeping the environment in mind.
Interestingly, the case of supporting sustainable businesses has especially been picked up by the younger lot – millennials. A survey by Neilson showed that 90% of millennials are likely to pay more for environmentally sustainable products.
That’s not all – another study conducted by the MIT Sloan School of Management suggested that 90% of executives today vouch for sustainable businesses.
Although, only 60% actually follow a sustainable strategy that actually aligns with their business goals.
Recently, we caught up with one such executive – Jared Pobre of Caldera + Lab, who not only believes in sustainability but also follows up on it, through and through. The proud recipient of Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of The Year award divulged upon how he built a luxury skincare range for men that blends research-based skin science with the most potent of nature’s resources.
Not just that, the skincare brand also goes beyond and makes sure that their logistics, manufacturing and packaging processes leave a lighter footprint.
Good for the skin and good for the Earth, indeed.
Read ahead, to know more about how Jared and his wife Stacy nailed the formula to build a business that’s not just eco-conscious, but also scaling the heights of good-will and success.
Before Caldera, in Jared’s words –
I grew up in San Jose, California, and attended the University of Southern California to study Business. Prior to our work at Caldera + Lab, I was a successful Tech Entrepreneur in the MarTech category and was the founder, owner, and CEO of Future Ads.
I’m the recipient of a variety of entrepreneurship and technology innovation awards, including Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, The Inc. 500 Awards, and an American Business Award for Fastest Growing Company of the Year.
From ‘Wild’ to Certified : What goes into the making of 100% organic skincare –
Wild-harvesting means that all of our ingredients are sustainably harvested as they grow in their natural environment. This ensures higher potency than any ingredient produced by modern agriculture.
We’re fortunate to live near the Teton Mountain Range. It’s home to some of the most hardiest high-altitude plant species in the world, like fireweed, yarrow, and elderflower. These wild ingredients are scientifically proven to nourish and correct the skin as they work in tandem with the natural regenerative process of the skin.
The most challenging part was building our formulations from the ground up. Unlike most brands, we started everything from scratch instead of using the standard bases available in the market. For over three years and with a team of top scientists, we researched thousands of ingredients and 200+ native botanicals.
We also created an equally long list of ingredients we knew we wanted to avoid. After producing multiple variants and intensive testing, our highly-trained herbalists, cosmetologists, and formulators chose 27 of the highest-grade actives. We have now combined Native American wisdom and advanced green biochemistry to make our formulation – our proprietary infusion process takes four weeks to extract the highest level of antioxidants from the whole plants and botanicals.
A day : In entrepreneur time –
We have a small (but amazing!) team, so I’m very hands-on. I work daily across all functions, including production, innovation, marketing, finance, and social media. Yes, even customer service is in-house! So, I am also often involved with engaging with our customers.
When I’m not working, I love being in the outdoors – skiing and biking. Since I’m based in Jackson, Wyoming, it’s an absolute gift to be surrounded by so much of nature and living right in the lap of the majestic Teton mountain ranges.
Caldera + Lab : What led to its inception?
When we were pregnant with our first child in 2014, we transformed our lives, ensuring everything we use in and on our bodies was as organic, non-toxic, and sustainable as possible. When we moved to the Wyoming mountains, my face would get badly chafed from the blustering winds of winter and the hot, dry weather in summer. And the only relief I got was from the women’s skincare products my wife uses.
That’s when we asked ourselves why there aren’t quality products to nourish and protect the thicker, more sensitive skin men have.
This time coincided with the reemergence of the wellness lifestyle trend. However, we saw that the focus of most organic skincare brands was on women. So we began developing a men’s serum using wild-harvested botanicals from right here in Wyoming’s Teton Mountain.
The result is Caldera + Lab, our performance luxury skincare brand for men that harnesses pharmaceutical-grade science and nature’s purest, most potent ingredients.
Profit with a purpose : Selling not just a product, but a lifestyle –
Caldera + Lab is committed to its smaller footprint. While becoming completely sustainable has been a challenge, it’s one I have enjoyed. And we’re pushing science further by using Green Tech manufacturing, including cutting-edge cryogenics, nutrient-capturing processes, supercritical extractions that leave no solvent waste behind, and carefully created packaging. And through rigorous testing, we’ve earned our Certified B Corp, ECO CERT, and MADESAFE eco-certifications.
We also have several initiatives on how we can reduce our carbon footprint to 0 and become completely circular. We’re also working on using AI to optimize product quantities personalized to each customer’s needs. This way, our customers won’t waste any of their purchased skincare, and we further reduce our footprint.
And through our online content, we educate our audience on the small steps we all can take every day to make a difference, including our choices on things like eating local and buying sustainable products.
These little steps add up to making a significant impact on our environment. By helping our customers learn to make each purchase count, we’re taking them on our mission to help create a clean and healthy world for generations to come.
Our brand, our products, and our lifestyle work together.
It’s our Power of Three that makes Caldera + Lab uniquely authentic.
