Going all-natural

TO appreciate the beauty of healthy living is a matter of making a personal choice to live a healthy lifestyle.

Scientific studies have shown that healthy choices such as eating the right food, being physically active and staying away from vices such as smoking and drinking help us become fit physically, mentally and spiritually, which can prevent diseases and reduce the risk of getting cancer.

Recently, I was invited to witness the re-opening of a new shop along Velez-Hayes St. in Cagayan de Oro by Ms. Marla del Fierro-Quiaoit, one of the owners of this amazing store called Human Nature.

The opening ceremony was made special with the presence of Ms. Marla’s family, close friends and even one of the founders of Human Nature, Camille Meloto, was there too, which made me wonder what made this store extra special.

While listening to the inspiring message of Ms. Camille, one of those who coined the Human Nature brand under Gandang Kalikasan Inc. (GKI), my views on healthy lifestyle has changed.

All the while, I thought the habit of attaining a healthy lifestyle was only based on eating the right food, exercising and avoiding vices. But I learned there are also other aspects that I should consider like choosing the right beauty products. I thought having expensive makeups and line of beauty products can provide assurance to enhance our beauty and wellness.

My perceptions were wrong after I learned the advocacies of Human Nature and how it was created.

Ms. Marla explains that she fell in love with the products not only because these are affordable but also because these are 100 percent chemical free and are very essential to our day-to-day use.

She says she decided to put up the 24th branch of Human Nature for Kagay-anons to have easy access “to the goodness of nature.”

Ms. Camille shares that Human Nature is a trail-blazing social enterprise focused on natural and organic products, driven by the Philosophy of being pro-Philippines, pro-poor and pro-environment. She founded the company in November 2008 along with his sister, Anna Meloto-Wilk, and brother-in-law Dylan Wilk.

She says the three of them are Gawad Kalinga volunteers who were exposed early to the harsh realities of poverty in the Philippines. They put up Human Nature in their desire to do more for the country.

Ms. Anna and Mr. Dylan lived in the United States for a year while he set up a network of Gawad Kalinga volunteers.

During their stay, Anna noticed a growing trend of affordable, natural and ethically-acquired products entering the mainstream market.

Ms. Camille joined them halfway through their US assignment and the sisters began more in-depth research works on natural and organic products and brought them to the Philippines.

Upon their return to the Philippines, the sisters continued their research and were able to successfully collaborate with a natural formulator to create Human Nature’s first line of products.

In November 2008, with the help of some close friends, family and Gawad Kalinga partners, Human Nature was officially launched at Blue Leaf, Fort Bonifacio in Manila.

Today, centering on the core values of being pro-Philippines, pro-poor and pro-environment, Human Nature continues to grow exponentially.

Camille says they currently employ several Gawad Kalinga residents as full-time warehouse staff and have partnered with social entrepreneurs of the Center for Social Innovation at the GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan.

She says having an incubation valley for other social enterprises to grow and flourish, the Enchanted Farm is an all-organic farm that has paved the way for brilliant entrepreneurs to make their dreams come true while empowering their workers through stable livelihood.

Examples of enterprises that have sprouted at the farm are Happy Green’s Enchantea Bottled Beverage; The Golden Egg, naturally colored salted duck eggs and Gourmet Keso, gourmet karabao white cheese.

She says Human Nature continues to strive for prosperity in the Philippines through successful and sustainable social enterprises and quality natural products for all Filipinos.

“We are an extremely young company but Human Nature has big plans for the future and is fiercely determined to make the Human Nature brand the best of the Philippines, by the Filipinos and for the Filipinos. Only the Good,” she claims.

During the opening, guests were given free samples of Human Nature products which I was able to try.

Human Nature products include mineral makeup line, mosquito repellants, lip balm made of beeswax, lotion and other natural products that are very affordable.

From that moment, I instantly fell in love with Human Nature not only because I learned it is all natural but because when buying the products, I would be able to help the company’s beneficiaries.