6 minute read
Teaology: C. Garofano P. Bevegni
TEAOLOgY
Cecilia Garofano, Teaology’s founder, with her husband Paolo Bevegni, co-founder
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INTERVIEW WITH CECILIA GAROFANO, FOUNDER OF TEAOLOGY
EXPORT MAGAZINE: Six years from its foundation, Teaology is at an important turning-point. What is it? CECILIA GAROFANO: Yes, we are proud to say that in July 2022 we joined this global movement called B-CORP, started at in the early 2000s in the United States to measure the environmental performances and the impact of companies at environmental level. There are 180 Italian companies that are following this initiative, and 5000 in the world. This organization, through its structure of evaluators, establishes to what extent a business’s work, product and method of production have an impact on the planet, all through a series of standard and fundamental guidelines. The topic of sustainability is more complex than it seems, and it cannot be measured by the last gesture we do, for example that of deciding where to throw way certain materials.
for a modeL of cosmeTics WiTh a PosiTiVe imPacT
The path starts much earlier, from the choice of the raw materials, which rightly should come from renewable sources. For example, if we use the oil from a very rare Antarctic plant, then we have to be aware of using a rare raw material. Which probably is not renewable, and therefore has to be used responsibly. The process begins upstream, from the choice of raw materials and suppliers. We have chosen to work only with those suppliers who have a whole series of ISO certifications and who use production systems often with renewable energy, with a low waste of water. The choice of the packaging is fundamental; the subject is ambivalent, at times recycled materials are used but to obtain these more energy and water are used compared to the same virgin material. Ever since we started operating, we decided to limit our impact as much as possible, whatever our dimension, now and in the future, as we are aware of how important the topic of waste is for the cosmetics industry. This is why we need someone who can measure our performances. For us, becoming B-Corp means having reached a great objective; we are aware that it is only a starting point, because we will be evaluated every three years; they have now assigned us a score which we will try to improve, to be reconfirmed as B-Corp. In addition to this, Teaology has become a Benefit Company, in this regard, we have changed our Articles
of Association, including in the company purpose that the ultimate purpose of Teaology is happiness, wellbeing and environmental sustainability of which we are all a part, from the suppliers to our employees and clients. We are pleased that B-Corp is creating in its organization an area for beauty companies; I hope that through B-Corp we can work more as a team with other Italian companies. On our side, we have already activated collaborations with companies in sectors other than beauty. The aim is to make visible the Italian excellence such as cosmetics, which in my opinion is not sufficiently known internationally. As is known, private label manufacturing is recognized more. EM: Is the fact of being B-Corp influencing the way you make your products? CG: Even before becoming B-Corp, we included in our team a person who operates full-time to improve what we do. Since 2016, there is not one product that has not been improved, from the formulas to the packaging. Fortunately, technology is improving continuously and offers us, each year, materials with a lower environmental impact, and using them we will be able to pursue our model of positive cosmetics. Again with the aim of ‘making the difference for the planet and for its inhabitants’, we have invested in projects supporting the women who work in the tea plantations.
EXPORT MAGAZINE: Six years from the start of your activity, it is time to speak about the goals reached to date. We know that you have explored many markets and achieved ambitious objectives in a relatively short time. What is this due to? PAOLO BEVEGNI: In six years, two of which were rather slow due to the reasons everyone knows, we have been able to be present in about 30 countries around the world. Both because of the type of professional experience of the past, and because tea is the most popular beverage in the world after water, our international vocation can only be confirmed. We lie to say that Teaology is present from Singapore to Canada and it is exactly like that. The approach to the brand is always positive, at every latitude, from Asia, where tea is a fundamental part of the culture, but also to southern Europe, where the culture of tea is more recent and less deeply rooted. If the interest in this project was high from the very beginning – tea represents something positive, which reinvigorates and gives a good mood – we then had to, to conquer consumers, offer products of quality where efficacy is the real weapon to establish our clientele. In addition to the beneficial properties of tea which naturally we took advantage of from the technical point of view, it was also important to create a line with a serious cosmeticscientific approach. We have products for each cosmetic requirement, to each are added ingredients that aim to give safe and effective results. Then there are also the pleasant fragrances and, as Cecilia points out, the continuous search for ingredients and solutions with a low environmental impact. We were amongst the first brands on the market to carry on this subject and now we are rewarded with a sell-out that I would define almost spontaneous.
EM: Are you present in the duty free channel? PB: Teaology has found a very fast development in duty free. Fortunately, last year air traffic resumed and now it is increasingly promising. In the last year, from the show in Cannes 221 to August 2022, we have opened sales in 30 airports in European and nonEuropean countries. In my opinion this objective has been reached quickly because after many years, before the pandemic, when new products were not tested in the duty free stores, many operators today are looking for innovative brands, to put alongside known products at a price which is only just advantageous. Without false modesty, I would say that our brand is considered one of the pioneers of a certain way of making cosmetics, in the line of clean beauty. We define Teaology as ‘clean’ and ‘clinic’, to add value to the simple concept of ‘clean’. Our products are clean by nature, in addition to which they are clinically tested to guarantee the cosmetic result. At the 2022 Tax Free show in Cannes we will be presenting ad hoc proposals, with a dedicated merchandising, in order to attract more and more the attention of those operators who are turning towards a new type of offer. The consumer, the tea lover, just as they look for something new on their local market, also do so in travel retail. The duty free channel is undergoing a deep transformation; in the cosmetic sector, for example, the price motivation has fallen in the last few years, and the drive to purchase is the same on local markets and in the duty free stores. The consumer, as well as purchasing mainstream brands, likes to go scouting at the duty free as well, to the extent that travel retail has created dedicated areas, as for artistic perfumery for a few years. Such a fast development in airports, on the airlines and other important venues of the travel market have pleasantly surprised us. The presence of Teaology in this channel allows is a great visibility at international level, letting usual clients in the various countries purchase their favourite products even when they are travelling.
Claudia Stagno
