Tribe Stuff

Five years ago, Jacqui studied permaculture at Findhorn and has incorporated the principles and ethics of it into her life. Simply put, permaculture is ‘design for sustainable living’. It can be applied to all organisations, ventures and endeavours. Its founding ethics are earth care, people care and fair share – in order to be truly sustainable an endeavour must meet these criteria.

What began as a soap making tutorial has evolved into a small working collective called Tribe Stuff which produces a range of natural body care products called Tribe.

The collective applies permaculture principles to its organisation and Karen researches sources from local, ethical suppliers, organic and fairtrade where possible. The packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.Many of the herbal ingredients come from The Herbalist’s Garden at Pitnacree, where Jacqui grows herbs for use in her dispensary.

Hand Made

The soaps are entirely hand made and take a full six weeks to mature before being wrapped in muslin and raffia. Everyone’s favourite it seems is Oakmoss and Patchouli which is redolent of a verdant autumnal forest – very Highland Perthshire.

Tribe’s skincare products include gel toners based on aloe vera gel to tone without the overdrying effects of alcohol usual in conventional toners. Essential oils and herbal extracts are added for their beneficial effects – bergamot and chamomile to clarify younger skin, rose to nourish maturing skin.

Readers may be familiar with Jacqui’s face creams as she has been making them by request for discerning locals for years. Jasmine and Frankincense, a rich rejuvenating moisturiser for dry or mature complexions is the most requested. Jacqui’s glad that the creams are now available via Tribe. “People won’t have to wait for me to find space in my ‘real work’ to make a bespoke cream. Having Julie as part of the team is a blessing. She has designed all the labels which look great, are informative and all ethically sourced. She has designed a fantastic website with background to Tribe Stuff, product details, and so on. I would never have embarked on this on my own and that’s another reason to celebrate collective, co-operative working.”

Availabilty

The Tribe range is available at Roobedo in Pitlochry and Homer in Aberfeldy. Penny Kennedy of Homer was delighted to stock the range and says “People love them. The natural scents are so fresh and wholesome and having the testers here for people to try lets them see that the quality is excellent. It is wonderful to have such an artisan range produced ethically in the local area.”

Tribe Stuff are currently building up their range – a new hand cream should be ready in time for Christmas.

For more info, check www.tribestuff.org.uk.