YYC Feature: BEELEAF
Courtney, Karen and Sheryl’s accessories are ‘crafted with purpose’ in Alberta
They’re a mother, daughter & mother-in-law dream team that designed a business with important values in mind! Beefleaf is everything that an ethical consumer looks for. Cruelty Free. Sustainable. Homegrown. They offer beautiful products for little ones and their families, all of which are handmade in Calgary! In fact, all their fabrics are sourced locally, and at least 90% of their materials come from Canadian suppliers and small businesses! These fabrics are vegan and made of natural and renewable fibres (cotton, flax, and bamboo and/or recycled materials), so you can be confident that any Beeleaf product you buy is good for animals, and good for the earth.
Courtney is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for advocating against animal cruelty, Karen is a proud mom and grandma, as well as the organizational brains behind the operation, and Sheryl is both a grandma and sewer extrodinaire! Each are committed to providing mindful consumers with a variety of quality made products including bibs, napkins, ring slings, burp clothes and scrunchies. If you’re looking to shop products aligned with a socially conscious lifestyle, look no further than the compassionate company these three women have created.
Courtney, I loved reading about your first entrepreneurial efforts in grade 3 selling crab apples! Did you learn anything back during your crab apple selling experience that stuck with you?
I learned that starting and running any business, no matter how big or small, is hard work! My sister and I would spend time picking the best apples off our tree and set up a nice little display at the bottom of our driveway. Then, we would wait for people to walk past. Surprisingly, we had several customers who were willing to purchase an apple or two! But we also sat outside for hours just waiting. Now, with Beeleaf, we are a bit more organized and try to make better use of our time!
90% of your materials are from Canadian suppliers and small businesses! At what point in your company’s history and why did you make the decision to commit to sourcing the majority of your supplies locally? Was this something you did from the very beginning or was it a decision made at a later time?
From the beginning we knew we wanted to focus on our environmental impact, and limiting the distance our supplies had to travel to get to us was part of that mandate. Canadian companies and small businesses are doing great things, so we are going to support them as much as we can. It’s not always easy to find the exact items we need, and we’ve had to forgo ordering from some businesses because their values don’t align with ours, but we’ve found some awesome Canadian businesses to partner with and developed excellent relationships thus far.
Karen, besides getting to work with your daughter, what’s your favourite part about running Beeleaf?
Beeleaf reflects our commitment to being environmentally-friendly and supporting local businesses, which aligns with my personal beliefs. We really stand behind what we claim, and I’m proud to be part of this company!
“If you start to look into animal testing, it’s alarming how many products we use on a day-to-day basis that are tested on animals”
You are committed to avoiding causing any harm to animals in the creation of your products. Courtney, you’re passionate about ending animal testing worldwide—if you could educate consumers with maybe 2-3 facts about the realities of animal testing, what would you say?
If you start to look into animal testing, it’s alarming how many products we use on a day-to-day basis that are tested on animals. Unfortunately, animal testing is still required by law in China; therefore, any products that are sold in China are likely to be tested on animals. I have made a personal decision to, whenever possible, not buy from any companies that sell in China or who are unclear in their policies and stance on animal testing. We want to make sure that Beeleaf is always transparent and that our customers know we are committed to remaining cruelty-free and vegan.
Sheryl, you've been called a 'sewing master'! I imagine that comes with it's challenges, but it also must be fulfilling to make something start to finish - what is the most rewarding aspect of working as a Beeleaf team member?
I think the title “sewing master” comes automatically after 50 years of sewing! The only challenge I don’t like is when my overlock machine comes unthreaded and I have difficulty getting it going again. The challenge I really enjoy is coming up with ways to use all our leftover material. I am so happy the linen napkins made from the remaining fabric from making the ring slings have become so popular. I cared for babies my entire nursing career and love all shapes and sizes of the little beings. So, now getting an opportunity to clothe them and make their mothers happy is a great way to keep busy.
You have a wide variety of beautiful products made from natural & renewable materials, including ring slings, smock bibs and burp clothes. What would you say is your best seller? Do you have a personal favourite product?
We started making our reusable napkins as a way to use up the fabric leftover from making our ring slings, and our customers have gone nuts for them! We sell piles of reusable napkins, which makes us very happy. We love knowing that less paper is being consumed when we sell a set. We regularly sell out of napkins, and our last restock of Ocean didn’t even made it on to our website!
Courtney’s favourite product: It’s tough to choose, but probably our ring slings. I love helping new parents learn how to use the slings and showing them how easy and fast it can be to get their baby snuggled up inside. It’s such an amazing feeling to see parents growing their bond with their child while using one of our slings.
Karen’s favourite product: Our smock bibs!
Sheryl’s favourite product: My favourite items are the smock bibs. The fabrics we use are beautiful and fun. Courtney gave me the idea for them when she loved using smock bibs for her son, William. I, like Karen, have saved remnants of material over my many years of sewing and was happy to put together different colours, patterns, and even textures of fabric to make these awesome little bibs. They are truly a labour of love for me.
Do you have a ‘favourite failure’ in your entrepreneurial journey/ did you ever face an obstacle that was a blessing in disguise?
We’ve only been operating for a year and a half, but, like many other businesses, the past few months have been challenging. We had four markets scheduled for March and April, and we were previously doing most of our sales at markets. It’s nice to be able to have an in-person chat with a customer and explain what we’re all about and show customers how to wear our ring slings. We have had to invest more in our online content, such as creating ring sling tutorials, and have created some fun and different sales like the virtual market we hosted in April and our Surprise Scrunchie Sale which has quickly become a customer-favourite.
Do you have any goals for Beeleaf over the next 5 years? In what ways do you see your business improving?
Our goal is to continue evolving and growing our community, and reaching new customers who are looking for products that are sustainable and environmentally-focused. It’s amazing to be able to connect with our repeat and loyal customers, and we hope to be able to provide them with products they love for many years to come!
What is a valuable piece of wisdom that has helped get you where you are today?
Karen: I have an extensive retail background and honesty has never let me down!
Courtney: Working hard and embracing change are two things that I try to put into practice with everything I do.
Find them at: