We've Moved! Vist our New Store in the Funk Zone & now Open Daily in Carpinteria

 
I am beyond happy to announce that we are fully moved in to our new shop in the Funk Zone at The Waterline, 120 Santa Barbara Street! 

The Waterline • 120 Santa Barbara St. Santa Barbara, CA

 This is a super fun new location where you can sip, shop, eat and hang at Topa Topa and Lama Dog breweries, Fox Wine Co., and the Nook restaurant along with other great shops! We are psyched for this new chapter for The Grapeseed Co. in Santa Barbara.

New Shop at The Waterline • 21 W. Ortega St. SB

The downtown Ortega St. location is now closed, and our office has moved the Carp Store and Warehouse on 4193 Carpinteria Ave #6. We are excited to be open daily, later hours, and Sundays for your convenience, and to be surrounded by such cool and complementary businesses in both locations! 

This sweet lemonade was made from a big fat lemon of a situation...

 2017 ended with the largest wildfire in CA history, the Thomas Fire, ripping through our normally idyllic seaside towns, followed by the tragic Montecito mudslides causing loss and devastation beyond imagination at the start of the new year. This also cut off access between our two locations, and was one of the most challenging times in the history of our 14 year old company! Like everyone in the area, we are still recovering from it. We were nowhere near prepared for the next round of crazy that hit Grapeseed Co. in April.

Ortega St. Scent Bar (after-left, before-right)

Part of the charm of our downtown Santa Barbara flagship store was the old brick building that houses some great businesses on Ortega Street, starting with The Grapeseed Co. The extreme weather has been taking a toll on our corner of the large, old building. On April 9th, our Scent Bar came crashing down out of nowhere! 5 years mounted firm to the wall, and BOOM! Over $5K of glass essential oil bottles hit the floor.

The wall that starts the whole building The Grapeseed Co. occupied on Ortega had expanded and blistered, popping the shelves off the wall.

21 W. Ortega Street • wall blister

Why did this happen? After the last evacuation rain, we had a 90+ degree day... The roof had been leaking all winter, and that water had been dripping down into our wall, causing a wet sponge effect. When the extreme heat hit, the wall expanded and shifted.

We were super lucky no one was hurt; we had 25 kids in there less than 24 hours before for a scent bar party! We became quickly aware as experts checked out the situation that it was no longer safe for The Grapeseed Co. to occupy 21 W. Ortega Street and continue to run business as usual. We had to move.

So, in just a month we secured a new storage warehouse in Carpinteria and moved tens of thousands of bottles and jars out of our current warehouse. With the new found space, we built out a scent bar, opened up the storefront and made it larger, and reconfigured our production lab and shipping areas. We turned my creative loft space into the office for our entire team. This kept us functioning, orders shipping, and business running seemingly as usual while we figured out what the heck to do!

Our main store has always been Santa Barbara based, so we decided the best thing to do was expand in the Funk Zone. A few weeks before the fire hit, we opened a tiny shop at The Guilded Table as an "experiment" for the holidays... clearly Mother Nature did not agree with my holiday sales plan! But the space has amazing potential, and I'm hopeful for what our "normal" Santa Barbara sunny summer days will bring. We've been working around the clock the past week building out the new Funk Zone shop. We can't wait to share it with you, host incredible Scent Bar parties there, blend up your favorite creative scent concoctions and just be surrounded by great people, businesses, food + drink, bubbling ideas and more.

Scent Bar in the Funk Zone • 120 Santa Barbara St.

Please come visit us soon! The Waterline building is located right behind Michael Kate Interiors and opens at noon daily. There's parking at the end of the street. It's a fun place for all ages to hang, and dogs are welcome, too.

2018 has been a whirlwind in business survival, a lesson in resilience, strength and the endless learning that goes along with entrepreneurship. That which does not kill us makes us stronger... The Grapeseed Co. is standing strong, just a mile away from our sweet memories on Ortega Street.

Please help us spread the word about the move! we're looking forward to sharing the new stores with you, seeing your smiling faces and continuing to thrive, no matter what life continues to surprise us with.

Cheers to good things ahead, always keeping your chin up and persevering!

~ Kristin

SANTA BARBARA SHOP 
120 Santa Barbara St in the Funk Zone
Open Daily!
Monday - Thursday 11:30am-6:30pm
Friday - Sunday 11:30am-8:30pm

CARPINTERIA SHOP
4193 Carpinteria Ave #6 at the Warehouse Row
Carpinteria, CA 93013
Open
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:30am-5:30pm
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday noon-5pm 

refresh, reset and recover : navigating running a business through natural disaster

I had the wonderful opportunity to tell the story behind The Grapeseed Company this past week on Indie Cruise in Ixtapa, Mexico.

Sunset in Ixtapa, Mexico

 This could not have come at a better time for me, as I was feeling beyond hope due to 6 weeks of crazy and historic natural disasters in the Santa Barbara area, where we are based. We lived through the largest wildfire in the history of California...

Downtown Carpinteria      photo credit: Alain Julfayan

Followed by the aftermath of horrific mudslides in Montecito -- a small, gorgeous town located right in between Santa Barbara and Carpinteria. We are extremely fortunate that our entire team is safe, and did not lose their lives or homes. Many were not so lucky. Our community is grieving heavily as over 20 have died, and hundreds have lost pets, homes and businesses due to the fire and mudslides. People are still missing. Our community has also been divided by the physical devastation of the mudslides shutting down all road access between Carpinteria and SB.

Montectio and the 101 freeway     photo credit: unknown

The 101 freeway is flooded with mud and has been closed for 11 days with no reopen date. The only way to transport product between our stores is a 5 hour drive around the mountains (it's usually 15 minutes!) The Grapeseed Co. has 3 physical locations: our flagship store and scent bar in downtown Santa Barbara, The Guilded Table collective shop in the Funk Zone in SB, and our warehouse store and production kitchen in Carpinteria, CA.

Our staff has been stuck on either side of this disaster trying to keep the business running the best we can as we usually move product between locations and ship wholesale and online orders daily. It's been stressful as we try to keep perspective of those that have lost everything while we operate day by day trying to keep things going with the roads blocked off. Transport has been limited both shipping our product and receiving ingredients and packaging to continue manufacturing, which we do daily.

I didn't think I'd even be able to make Indie Cruise due to the roads being closed to LA right after the mudslides hit. While the 101 North remains closed, they luckily opened the freeway South out of Carpinteria the day before our flight out of LAX. I felt extremely grateful, but also guilty leaving my community when we are hurting so badly. There was also little I could do staying here a week ago. First responders are the only folks being let in to help right now as the aftermath and cleanup is so dangerous. We've donated both as a business, and personally monetarily, but that didn't feel like enough with the great immediate needs in our community.

Leaving home turned out to be the best possible way for me to refresh and reset my mind so I can help Santa Barbara recover, both personally, and with the power of my company. Honestly, I showed up to Indie Cruise a bit in shock. We went out sailing together the first day. We got to know each other, went snorkeling and even saw whales! Water (especially warm ocean water!) has always been a healing force for me. Being in this beautiful, cleansing environment with such amazing entrepreneurs started to help me breathe again. Instead of just feeling thankful we were alive and didn't lose everything, I began to start thinking how I could help Santa Barbara recover.

The theme of Indie Cruise was Emerge, Engage, Evolve and Expand. My talk was about the Expand Phase. With the craziness of the past 6 weeks, I felt, "who am I to go speak about expanding when I made these huge decisions, signed leases, had to close our stores and now we are floating in the world of unknown in the aftermath of these natural disasters?!" 

We have been in business since 2004, and opened 2 more retail locations in the past 6 months; The Carp location opened at the end of the summer, and The Funk Zone location right before Thanksgiving. I had visions of this being a great growth move as our company is so rooted in the community with what we do upcycling grapeseeds to create our natural skin and body care products. 

I had recently moved from SB to Carp, and was excited to open our 2nd shop in my hometown where we needed to get our own warehouse since we'd grown out of our SB office and had been subletting warehouse space prior to fit our growing company. The Funk Zone is the new "hot spot" in SB that tourists and locals alike are flocking to. I had a grand plan of this being the best holiday season ever! 

Then we were hit by natural disaster and shut down for a great portion of December due to the Thomas Fire, and the heavy smoke and ash that lingered afterwards. Santa Barbara is a huge tourist destination, and tourism has basically stopped since Dec. 5, 2017. Even with 3 stores, we didn't scratch the surface of what we normally do in December sales. Again, perspective... we have our loved, ones, home and business locations still in tact. I learned no matter how much you plan, you can never plan for natural disaster. While I was listening to the 4 other speakers, and even to myself up there telling my own expansion story, something started happening...

@grapeseedco on instagram "Such an pleasure and honor to tell the story of expanding #grapeseedco this week on @indiebusiness @indiecruise and share the stage with these lovely ladies! Together we represent 4 important stages of building your business: emerge, engage, evolve and expand. Each story was amazing, heartfelt and inspiring!"

I felt a new sense of inspiration from this amazing tribe of people in the room with me. I sat alone late that evening on the deck of our room listening to the healing waves lap on the shore, reflected, and made a small step from Mexico to help those that lost everything.

@grapeseedco on Facebook & instagram: We are beyond heartbroken for our community and the tragic loss of lives, homes and businesses in #Montecito ❤️ We’re giving anyone that lost their home a free #organic #shampoo and #conditioner set at our #Carpinteria or #santabarbara stores! If you are stuck on either side of the #mudslide, visit both our main #Grapeseedco locations in Carp or #downtownSB and we’ll hook you up, and give you a hug! #montectiostrong #santabarbarastrong #carpstrong #sbstrong #805strong #community #locallove #givingback

On the trip home yesterday, I knew I needed to research what else we could do to help. Everyone who lives and works in the area is struggling and in different levels of trauma right now. Most have not been as fortunate as I was to escape the madness and are still in day to day survival mode. In addition to the greater loss mentioned above, people have lost their jobs, can't get to work and are worried how they are going to make it. Businesses have had to lay off their entire staff and close. We luckily are healthy enough right now to make it through with our current team in tact, and will actually be hiring another employee and providing a job in the area. Another little step to help the community. Small, local business like Grapeseed Co. provide jobs! 

I spent the travel time reading stories of amazing ways people are coming together and helping our community heal, from candelight vigils, to the Montecito Mud Angels, to registering to become a Red Cross helper. I'm coming back renewed with more energy I can put into recovery efforts. Part of that is sharing my perspective and ways you can help here. I shared my research on how we can help with some of our staff this morning. It touched my heart to see they wanted to volunteer and register with the Red Cross to help or find locations to donate clothing and personal care items. Each person doing what they can, and this is what it is going to take! Each and every one of us reaching out, lending a hand, giving a hug to our neighbors and helping in any and every way we possibly can. 

Since many of our wholesale and retail customers don't live in the area, this is to help you understand what's going on, and why we have been slower in response. We are also extremely grateful for you, right now (and always)! 

I am listing some resources on how to help the recovery efforts here, including ways to donate for those not in the area. Please LMK others in the comments as you come across them.

HOW TO HELP IN PERSON:
Register for training and volunteer with the Red Cross: Sign up for a disaster bootcamp- emotional advocate, crisis management, and shelter training.

DONATE:
Direct Relief International- This locally founded non-profit is providing relief fund directly to locals affected by the mudslides. 


Search Dog Foundation - The search dogs have been critical in the mudslide recovery efforts. They lost their building in Santa Paula during the Thomas Fire and are in great need.

United Way of Santa Barbara - In Santa Barbara County, the Fund will serve the long-term needs of Santa Barbara County families and individuals, as well as the short-term needs of Santa Barbara County nonprofit organizations helping evacuated individuals displaced by the Thomas Fire and floods caused by the fire scar. direct donation link HERE

Montecito Mud Angels - I've known Eric since he started the first TedX conference here in 2010. This guy knows how to rally and has a big heart. He is making sure donations go directly to those in the greatest need! The stories of how they are helping will bring a tear to your eye.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and your concern. To our wholesale partners and online customers, thanks for your understanding! Please be patient and kind with each other as we wade through this. The road to recovery here will take years, but I'm staying positive as I see our community coming together in beautiful ways. We will come out so much stronger from this! 

my baby... photo bombing our Indie group shot

And lastly, a special thanks to everyone at Indie Cruise for listening, sharing and helping get me out of that deer in headlights feeling, finding ways to take action, loving my baby, and motivating me start blogging again ;)! You are all amazing people and I'm lucky to have met you.

Peace,
Kristin

PRESS: The Grapeseed Company Showcased in National Craft Beauty News Feature

The Grapeseed Co. was chosen to be featured in a national news clip on Craft Beauty, and the rise of consumer awareness and demand for craft and handmade products. Watch as one of our customers, Dianne Duva, talks about why she chooses to shop at The Grapeseed Company for natural, organic skincare on ABC news...

2015 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award Winner!

 

the twelve 2015 winners, read more about them here

Our CEO and Founder at The Grapeseed Company, Kristin Fraser, made us proud this past Friday when she took home the 

2015 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award™ 

 in Wholesale, Manufacturing & Global Trade!

Kristin's quote for the event & award she took home that night!

These are the most prestigious entrepreneurial awards for women entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara County, and Kristin was one among over 90 outstanding nominees up for awards that night.

 

So what are these awards all about? In their own words, "The Spirit of Entrepreneurship™ Foundation’s Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards™ are designed to recognize the contributions of outstanding women entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara County to the economy as well as to support future economic growth through the recognition, financial support, and education of student entrepreneurs."

  

The non-profit behind these awards, the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation, has a mission to, "support entrepreneurship at all levels in Santa Barbara County," and hosts the yearly award ceremony as a means of carrying out this mission. In addition to honoring local women entrepreneurs, they provide the next generation of entrepreneurs with both recognition of their efforts thus far as well as with financial assistance in the form of both scholarships and seed capital to support the continuing efforts of these driven individuals.  

The Grapeseed Company is pleased to have been a part of this effort and honored that Kristin has been recognized for all of her exceptional qualities, not the least of which is her round-the-clock dedication to making our business ever the better, a true labor of love and the reason that we exist.

Congratulations, Kristin!

Kristin Fraser, winner of the 2015 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award in Wholesale, Manufacturing & Global Trade. Visit her store online here!

Join Us at Earth Day this Saturday and Hear the Story behind The Grapeseed Company

Join us this Saturday at Alameda Park in 

Santa Barbara to celebrate Earth Day!

Kristin Fraser, the CEO and founder of The Grapeseed Company, will be speaking on the Roots Stage at 3:45PM and telling the amazing story of how she started a brand by turning Trash into Treasure,  using upcycled red wine waste as the base of The Grapeseed Co. Skin Care line.

The Grapeseed Co. will also have a booth #312 in the Eco-Marketplace, where you can try products and talk with our team about the best natural products for your skincare routine! Silvia, Julia and Morgan are looking forward to helping you at the booth.

Visit SBearthday.org for more info, schedules and events!

SANTA BARBARA EARTH DAY ALAMEDA PARK
SATURDAY APRIL 18, 2015

3:45PM ROOTS STAGE: Trash to Treasure ~ Kristin Fraser, founder of The Grapeseed Co.

Stop by and say hello....
THE GRAPESEED CO. BOOTH #312
in the ECO-MARKETPLACE on SATURDAY!

what divorce has taught me about business

It's funny how you can go about your daily life, constantly trying and convincing yourself you can make it all work, no matter what. I've been doing that for (gulp) 11 years, and recently just admitted it. I've had a huge realization the past 6 months that while you certainly can do this, you also have the power to make changes to create a better, more fulfilling and joyful life.

It can be downright amazing the opportunities that unfold around you when you break down those walls and face change head on.

I got married a year before I started The Grapeseed Company. I was in my mid 20s, fresh off a year+ adventure sailing a small boat from Boston to the Caribbean with my future husband. I figured if we could make it for almost 2 years on a 30ft sailboat in high stress, life threatening situations, we could definitely make it as partners for life! We had a common goal on that boat, and we both used our strengths and assets to make it the best experience it could be. We had amazing adventures, went to some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and met wonderful people I will never forget. It was really a time of living life to its fullest and also is one of the biggest accomplishments and most positive memories in my entire life. I'm so happy I shared that with Pete.

We built a great life in Santa Barbara after we sold the sailboat and decided to move back to the USA and get married. Pete started grad school at UCSB. I started teaching and pursuing my passion for making products, and launched The Grapeseed Co. selling scrubs and lip balms at the Sunday Arts & Crafts Beach Show. I had no idea 10 years ago that Grapeseed would turn into what it has today.  
Passion is an extremely powerful thing. It's the secret sauce in keeping the drive going, which is essential in successful businesses, and relationships. As I built Grapeseed, each little victory and success became fuel for that passion, and drive to do even more. But Pete did not share that with me; it took a long time to realize and admit that. I'd be on cloud nine about a new deal, and he'd be looking up in the clouds. It was a very different feeling and experience then our sailing adventure, but just as exciting and wonderful (for me, at least, minus the pain of not having someone share in that joy!)

After a very long time trying to make things work and see the possibilities this was opening for us, we realized it was a losing battle. We had been on different paths, pursing different passions for a very long time. There was a lack of support; someone having your back and sharing your dreams or at least appreciating them... It just was not there, no matter how hard we tried.

When you are an entrepreneur, and especially a maker, you need to have a solid relationship with your business in order to be successful. You have to be in love with it! The passion and drive you convey are what make buyers stop and notice you amongst a sea of others... much like finding that certain someone. Relationships are not easy though, and can strain you and those around you at times. You have to give first to that relationship in order to get. You need to be committed, devoted, passionate and constantly working on making it succeed. Every. Single. Day. It can be exhausting, but you do it because you love and believe in it. You can't just have the pretty picture on the outside, it has to resound within, to truly be authentic and thrive.

Many entrepreneurs talk about having a supportive partner as a key to their success. I think this is another secret and deeper ingredient in that sauce... When a partner is bringing you down, or making you doubt yourself instead of believing in you and lifting you up, it can be debilitating. I've realized through the process of divorce that my business is so much stronger and incredible opportunities keep opening up because that cloud of negativity is now clear in my world. I've grown as a leader in all aspects of life through divorce.

So many great new things have blossomed this summer and our team is stoked-- they believe it will happen, there are not dark clouds and negativity around us. It's not a "$#*!, how are we going to make this work?" kind of vibe, but a "Wow we did that! On to next big thing!" There's hope, joy, growth and dreams to reach for, every single day. I'm thankful that has resulted in part from my personal journey, and honestly, it's quite unexpected. I keep telling friends, "it's downright amazing what can happen all around you when you take action to remove negativity from your world."

While change is hard, and sometimes can be difficult to see when it needs to happen, the most important thing to remember is that you (yes, YOU!) are ultimately in control of it. You just have to realize that first and foremost, and sometimes make tough and painful decisions to move forward and create a better life.

Here's to appreciating that there is always a silver lining, and valuable learning experiences through challenging times. It's how we grow and become even better versions of ourselves. It's how we change. I'm excited for what the future holds, and pursuing it with unbridled passion!

     cheers,

Grapeseed Co. Clear Skin & Mind Set Gifted at Primetime Emmy's GBK Gift Lounge

The Grapeseed Company Brings Wine-Based Vinotherapy Skincare Line to GBK’s Primetime Emmy Gift Lounge

The Grapeseed Company (thegrapeseedcompany.com) will have its Clear Skin & Mind Gift Set included in The Artisan Group® press bags for GBK's Gift Lounge Honoring the Primetime Emmy Nominees and Presenters. The event takes place August 22-23 at an exclusive location in Beverly Hills.

• 

Clear Skin & Mind Gift Set from The Grapeseed Company.

...relax, unwind and get your skin glowing!

Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) August 19, 2014

Santa Barbara-based The Grapeseed Company (http://www.thegrapeseedcompany.com) will participate in GBK’s Gift Lounge honoring the Primetime Emmy Nominees and Presenters, in association with The Artisan Group®, where its Clear Skin and Mind Gift Set will be gifted to members of the press stopping by The Artisan Group exhibit. The by-invitation-only Gift Lounge takes place August 22-23 at an exclusive location in Beverly Hills, California.*
The gifted travel-size duo ($32.00 at thegrapeseedcompany.com) includes a 1 oz. Rose & Grape Serum and a .25 oz. Clear Headed Roller Treatment. Rose & Grape Serum is an all-time The Grapeseed Company favorite, perfect for targeting pesky lines on any skin type. Clear Headed is a new, natural way to relieve a cloudy head; just roll on pulse points at the wrists and temples.
The Rose & Grape Serum is a luxurious, rich 100% plant-derived serum formulated to feed delicate facial skin. Antioxidant rich organic rosehip and grapeseed oils are blended with hydrating jojoba and healing carrot seed to help diminish fine lines and wrinkles, promote cellular renewal and rejuvenate dehydrated, aging and sun-exposed skin.
Clear Headed Rollerball Treatment, with peppermint, lavender and grapeseed, has a cooling metal rollerball to apply the relaxing, essential oil blend to pulse points. Offering wonderful aromatherapy benefits, Clear Headed is a great antidote for stress and headaches, and enhances deep breathing moments.
“This is an amazing organic skincare set that lets you relax and unwind and get-your-skin-glowing,” noted The Grapeseed Company founder and CEO Kristin Fraser. “We think it will be perfect for celebrities dealing with the bustling award season in Hollywood.”
The Clear Skin and Mind Gift set is vegan, paraben and gluten free and tested on people, not animals.
The Grapeseed Company organic skin care, hair care and home ambiance products are handmade in small batches from antioxidant rich red wine grape seeds and skins upcycled from the byproduct of the local California wine industry. The Grapeseed Company also offers an eco-friendly pet care line, Dirty Dog Organics, formulated with strictly natural ingredients and free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.
Founded in 2004, The Grapeseed Company is the first U.S.A. based company to take local wine waste and turn it into natural, anti-aging skin care products. In 2013, it received Savor The Success’s Fastest Growing Company of the Year award.
Kristin is acknowledged for her innovative approach to creating skincare products and has been featured on MariaShriver.com as an “Architect of Change.” She recently spoke in Barcelona, Spain, at the largest cosmetic conference in the world, about creating a niche business in the beauty industry.
The Grapeseed Company team operates a retail store in downtown Santa Barbara, California, along with a wholesale business that supplies spas, Whole Foods and other high end retailers. The company has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Health Magazine, LA Times, Vogue and others. Read more The Grapeseed Company press.
To learn more about The Grapeseed Company, contact Kristin Fraser by email. Follow the company on Facebook (FB.com/thegrapeseedcompany), Twitter (@grapeseedco), Instagram (@grapeseedo), and Pinterest (@grapeseedco). View its 2014 catalog here.
For press inquiries regarding The Artisan Group, visit theartisangroup.org.
*This event is not affiliated with the Primetime Emmy show; The Grapeseed Company is not in any way affiliated with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
ABOUT THE GRAPESEED COMPANY & KRISTIN FRASER
Kristin Fraser is the founder and CEO at The Grapeseed Company (http://www.thegrapeseedcompany.com) creating botanical beauty from wine made fresh in Santa Barbara, California. The Grapeseed Co.’s bath & body products are made from the finest quality natural and organic ingredients to feed the skin. Every product created by The Grapeseed Co. is paraben and sulfate free and fragranced with intoxicating blends of pure essential oils and fruit and plant essences.
The Grapeseed Company’s niche products and unique business model have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Health, The LA Times, Shape, Women’s Health, Edible Magazine and more.

We love our creative partners: summer feature

One of the things I love about The Grapeseed Company is that it's given me the opportunity to work with some pretty darn amazing people. Part of what makes our brand successful is the relationships we build along the way; it's as important as having a great, effective product. Here's what some of our new wholesale partners (and old favorites!) are up to this summer, and how we've collaborated to bring you the grapeseed glow!

Santa Barbara Gift Baskets & Relevé Unlimited

We worked with the Relevé team in June to put on a live scent bar for a corporate event at the gorgeous Bacara Resort, where over 500 guests created, blended and named their own custom massage oils to take home!

This same corporate group teamed up with Santa Barbara Gift Baskets to create the perfect welcome bag full of local goodies (including The Grapeseed Co. Santa Barbara Seasonal Soap Sets!) that each guest at the party received in their rooms.

Whole Foods Market Venice

Whole Foods Market Venice 
(Lincoln Blvd. Los Angeles)

Swing by and meet Jackie, Sabrina and the rest of the rockin' whole body team and pick up a wide selection of our products, from skincare to body mists, washes and lotions, mojito man, and wine soap! Look out for our signature wine barrel display right outside the bar in the wine section, too. Cheers!


  



Santa Barbara Wine Spa

Grapeseed Co. Whipped Body Butters

Lauryn & Scott have just opened a concept spa, perfect for wine lovers in SB! Visit them for an indulgent massage with our whipped grapeseed, acai & shea butters, and get a delish glass of wine to compliment your treatment!
  
Santa Barbara Gifting Suite

Julie is putting together some amazingly beautiful gift collections, for weddings and beyond! Check out this lovely housewarming gift... who wouldn't want to arrive home to that on their doorstep?!








Chumash Casino & Resort

vineyard rose glycolic peel

Visit the spa at the Chumash in Santa Ynez valley for a new wine country facial! Enjoy our incredibly effective vineyard rose glycolic peel, decadent organic serums, and more.

These folks make our jobs here at Grapeseed Co. exciting, push our creative limits, help our team grow and spread the grapeseed goodness and love... cheers!

Fresh Perspective from Paris: What's on Your Love List?

This week I'm posting from Paris, France on a real vacation! When I highlight the word "real", it's because for the past decade, about 90% of my travel that has not had to do with family obligations has been Grapeseed Co. related.

It's so wonderful to get a fresh perspective and not try to squeeze a few hours of rest or fun in at the end of an intense business meeting, speaking engagement or grapeseed pickup on a vineyard!

Grapeseed has brought me to some amazing places around the globe and presented me with wonderful travel opportunities, but this week has reminded me how important and healthy it is to take time for myself away from The Grapeseed Co. I am very thankful to have family that came to vacation in Santa Barbara and take care of our home and pup while we're away, and a wonderful team that I can rely on to run Grapeseed while I take a much needed time-out.

I still don't manage to completely unplug on vacation, but my strict one hour of necessary work a day (be it checking in with our team via email or making a skype call to seal a deal) has been extremely refreshing. It's made me focus on my own personal health and well-being which, like many entrepreneurs, can sometimes take a backseat to the growth of the business. It's also made me realize Grapeseed can run just fine without me being a part of it 24/7... imagine that :)

Some of this personal reflection has not been easy, and it's hard to admit to yourself when things need to change. I've grown more this week than I have in a long time, and also gained a deeper understanding of who I am at this point in my life, how lucky I am to do what I love, and how refreshing a non-grapeseed vacation can be for ideas to bloom!

gorgeous and abundant blooms at the open air markets

Women tend to take care of everyone before themselves. I believe this is especially true for women who are entrepreneurs and running growing businesses. It's OK to stop and take time for yourself! It's healthy.  It's a GOOD thing, and it can make you an even better leader, and person!

The most important thing this vacation has taught me is that whatever your stressors may be, no one else will make "you time" unless you make a point to prioritize it for yourself. So here I'll share with you how I plan to continue this revelation in the crazy, beautiful and hectic life I lead growing Grapeseed back in Santa Barbara...

Make a list of what you LOVE to do. It can be anything, and it doesn't have to cost any money, so no excuses! It just has be things you love that bring you joy.

Some examples from my list are:
1. make a delicious meal
2. go for a hike
3. garden, pick or buy flowers
4. walk on the beach
5. catch up with an old friend
6. go surfing!
7. snuggle with my dog

cuddling up with my French lab friends that live right below the apartment we are staying in

 When I return home, I'm going to make a point to do at least one thing on my LOVE LIST per day. It's easy to say we don't have time, funds, or make other lame excuses, but it can also be simple to make what you love a priority, if you let it.

We are all the masters of our own destiny, so I encourage everyone to make their own LOVE LIST. Make it a priority and in turn, it will reward you with being healthier, happier and (dare I say) more successful :)

So... what's on your love list?

cheers,
Kristin

The Beauty of Balance

We live in a busy, fast paced, ever changing world. Everyone wants a piece of you and so many of us feel spread too thin, constantly.

Balance is something that seems to be a hot topic amongst my friends and acquaintances. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can't think of another friend (entrepreneur or not) who hasn't verbalized struggling to balance family, career... just life in general lately.

Lately, I've been examining people I perceive to be happy and asking myself "Why?" (I have a degree in anthropology, so this stuff is fascinating to me!)

One thing I have found to be true:
Some of the the happiest, most enthusiastic and fulfilled people I know are entrepreneurs, in control of their own destiny.

On the flip side, some of the most down and out, distraught, stressed people I know are  also, entrepreneurs.

Bottom line: Entrepreneurship is HARD.

It is stressful to not know where your next paycheck is coming from. Once you grow past "wearing all the hats in your business" and build up to having a team of employees, rent for your business location, insurance, the taxes that come along with employees, property and everything else, the stakes become even higher.

You have to bring in the deals to pay these people and bills-- it's not just your paycheck at stake. It can most certainly be overwhelming at times. I've been there; I know the feeling first hand and it isn't pleasant.

One thing I also know... those happy, fulfilled entrepreneurs I mentioned earlier? They have something the others don't. Their secret? Balance.

Balance is personal; it does not have the same definition for everyone. It can look different, and that's OK! For my husband (our CFO at The Grapeseed Co.), balance means waking at 5AM to surf Rincon before work. Ahem, here's my post on facebook after an early wake up call this morning...

5AM. No alarm goes off... First (enthusiastic) words, "Wanna go surfing? It's going to be epic today!" I've been happily waking at the crack of dawn the greater portion of my life, but plunging in icy winter water in the dark will never be fun to me. And off he goes with a huge smile; have fun Pete! Maybe if we were in warm Caribbean waters I'd be in."

This is how he warms up after- filling gallons of hot water to rinse with before work. I think it's nuts, but am all for whatever makes ya happy!

 For me, it means the freedom to work when passion and ideas strike, and to follow my drive and excitement. Sometimes that leads me to working at odd hours, which actually prompted this post today. My morning walk ended up leading me to Grapeseed at 6:30AM to work on an awesome new project for a major retailer. It was quiet, nice to be there totally alone, and amazingly productive. I blasted music, danced around and got a sh*t load done! All is good since this doesn't even feel like work to me, and without being an entrepreneur I probably wouldn't have this kind freedom. It's so liberating! It is my balance, and I am so thankful to do what I love.

One of my loves at Grapeseed... concocting new fragrance blends at our Scent Bar!

When we moved to our new location in downtown Santa Barbara this past fall, I wanted to bring the spirit of balance into our workspace and store. We often get comments from customers, people that come in to interview for a job and even delivery folks that there are "good vibes" in our store, and it just feels like a place you want to be...
These words frame our entryway:

And to follow this concept, I'm going to be doing more of what I love, and launching a new business! Nothing brings me more joy and excitement then having a great idea, creating something and bringing it to fruition. Teaching has always been my first love, was the root of my first company, and is where my formal education background is. This culminates in launching Cultivate Your Niche on a broader scale this spring. I will be introducing online programs based on my 1:1 consulting to teach you how to build the business of your dreams!

Believe it or not, this is part of my master plan to bring more balance to my life, and zone in on doing even more of what I love. Everyone deserves and can have more balance and peace in their life. Everyone can be an entrepreneur.

So... What do you love? What do you want to do? What's your balance look like?

May you all work towards your beautiful balance (whatever that looks like) each and every day!

cheers,
Kristin

P.S. You can follow the launch on our CYN facebook page here. Our dream team will be releasing programs on the website this spring and I will also be taking on a few more 1:1 consulting clients this summer... stay tuned :)

How does The Grapeseed Co. turn wine waste into organic skin care?

We often are asked, "How do you create botanical beauty
from the byproduct of wine?"

   

Watch how we turn local, antioxidant rich red wine waste into amazing natural skin care, right here in Santa Barbara, California!

VISIT THE GRAPESEED COMPANY STORE & SCENT BAR

21 W. ORTEGA STREET

in DOWNTOWN SANTA BARBARA

HOURS

MONDAY - FRIDAY 10:30-6pm

SATURDAY 10:30-5pm

Join Us SATURDAY! The Grapeseed Co. GRAND OPENING Celebration: 21 W Ortega St. downtown Santa Barbara

We can't wait to celebrate this beautiful new space with you all! We have closed both the Carpinteria Warehouse Store and the Carrillo Store to open this wonderful new flagship store, with everything in one place! Check out how we create your favorite botanical beauty from wine, from the grapeseed to the bottle.

See you there Saturday, cheers!