Grapeseed Co. Skincare : Fresh from the Vineyard to Your Face

Here at The Grapeseed Company, we source local wine waste as the antioxidant rich base of our entire product line. Fall marks harvest season in the wine world, which means we collaborate with wineries up and down the California and Oregon coast to source red wine grapeseeds. This morning, my friend and Whole Foods Market Forager, Stacey, and I drove up to the Santa Ynez Valley to visit Bernat Winery and Vineyard for a grapeseed pickup.

Here's a peek inside our day and a little behind the scenes view of how we bring your fresh, vineyard to face organic skincare and bath products!

Here I am on the Bernat Vineyard grounds, checking out the grapes...

Meanwhile, Sam and his team have been pressing off syrah grapes this morning,

and have created this wine waste from the process of squeezing
juice from the grape.

The red wine seeds are amazing for your skin! They are concentrated with potent antioxidants and a powerful polyphenol, called resveratrol, that are the base of our product line at The Grapeseed Co. 

We take the wine waste back to our facility in downtown Santa Barbara, and go through a process of prepping the seeds for use in over 100 different skin care, bath, body, soap, hair care, men's skin care and baby products.

 

Harvest Crush Syrah Wine Soap

Bernat Winery is owned by Sam and Shawnda Marmorstein, who also own the delicious Los Olivos Cafe and Wine Merchant (a must stop in Los Olivos!) You can find Grapeseed Co. products at The Los Olivos Wine Merchant, and in the lovely vacation rentals they have on their vineyard... 

  

 

check out the gorgeous view! Plus a peek inside one of the vineyard cottages, where you will find this comfy bed looking out on the view above

...and the bathrooms stocked with Grapeseed Co. products!

Stacey and I having a little selfie fun in the mirror :)

 It's pretty neat to see full circle, the source of the products right outside the window. This soap is literally made with the seeds from
the vineyard you are staying at.

 

How cool is that?!

Join us in Downtown Santa Barbara for May 1st Thursday

Swing by the store to pick up your May First Thursday Passport today!

Enjoy *FREE* mineral makeup makeovers with our new, affordable, effective line, Everyday Minerals!

 

WE ARE LOCATED AT:

21 W ORTEGA ST

DOWNTOWN SANTA BARBARA

CALIFORNIA

Happy Earth Day: Flash Sale 22% OFF today only

Happy Earth Day, grapeseed friends! 

Celebrate choosing effective, clean, organic skin care at our 

*flash sale*

Enjoy 22% OFF, TODAY ONLY!

DETAILS:

*valid 10:30-6:30pm today in our #SantaBarbara store at 21 W Ortega St in Downtown SB. Stop in on your way to the Farmer's Market this afternoon!

*valid April 22, 2014 until midnight PST with code online at www.grapeseedco.com

*valid on retail orders only; not valid on wholesale orders.

Cheers!

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!

Featured Retailer: Wax'd

Our next featured retailer takes us all the way to Mandeville, Louisiana! Wax'd is one of our newest wholesale partners. The Grapeseed Company joined their treatment menu and retail space in late 2012.  We are honored to have partnered with such a great company. Founders Brett & Michelle White are very passionate about what they do! If ever you are in the Mandeville area you must stop in for a wax or other specialty treatment.  Brett filled us in on what Wax'd has to offer and what makes them unique.

1. Tell us about your store?  Wax’d is a Full Body Waxing & Esthetics salon for men & women. We also offer chemical peels, diamond-tip microdermabrasion, deep cleansing facials, massage therapy, & airbrush spray tans.  

2. What makes your store unique/different?  Wax’d is “The Anti-Day Spa, Day Spa”!!  When we decided to open Wax’d, we wanted to make sure that the services come first!  Wax’d offers all of the services without the typical snobby attitude most salons have.  Wax’d is set up to be relaxing and comfortable, while allowing our guests to have a good time & enjoy themselves.The products that we offer for retail are all natural & as organic as possible!  This is VERY important to us, & our guests! We really did a lot of research before introducing any products to our guests.  The products have to compliment the guests experience & they need to be unique to Wax’d.

3. How have you taken initiative to become a greener business?  Our main focus is to only use natural & organic products with all of our services, wherever possible.  We have also recently upgraded our online booking & point of sale systems to be able to email our guest a copy of their invoice, & even send text messages for appointment conformations & follow-ups.

4. What is your best selling Grapeseed product?  It would have to be a pretty close (3) way tie between the Summer Crisp Chardonnay Soap, Vanilla Almond Cinnamon Massage/Bath Oil, & Lemon Cake Sugar Scrub!  Our guests LOVE all (3) of these!! 

                   founder Michelle White beside a lovely display of Grapeseed Co products at Wax'd

5. What is your personal favorite The Grapeseed Co product? We have just added the Coco Cabernet mask to our back bar, for our facials.  I had the opportunity to experience this amazing product first hand. Simply put...I LOVE IT!! Michelle LOVES the Fresh Cut Herbs Body Lotion, & Alishia, our other esthetician, LOVES the Lemon Cake Sugar Scrub!!

Book an appointment:

Brett & Michelle White (Founders)

Wax’d

1675 Hwy 190

Mandeville, LA 70448

985.778.2005

www.WaxdBody.com

office@waxdbody.com

Wax’d - Mandeville on FB

Wax’d is open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 6pm

Featured Retailer: American Bather

The spotlight on our fabulous wholesale partners continues! Next up is another great online retailer, American Bather. If a huge assortment of natural and organic bath & body products is what you want, this is the website for you! Owner Camille Walker has hand-picked a line of products from manufacturers all across the US to bring to you a variety of products each unique to their geographical location and botanical selection. Camille answers our questions on what makes her online bath & body business different from the rest...

 
1. Tell us about American Bather.

American Bather is an online retailer which specializes in natural and organic bath and body products which are made in the United States. We retail from a dozen different American companies from all across our great country and are proud to support the American economy by keeping all business within the United States.Our selection of ecologically sound skin care and bathing products are a responsible choice for a healthy lifestyle. It is our aim to inform our customers of the benefits of choosing natural and organic products over the mainstream synthetic products. 

American Bather founder Camille Walker and her husband Brian

2. What makes American Bather unique?

American Bather is different because our focus is on American-made products. When we chose the companies which we would retail from our criteria was clear; they had to be American companies and they had to have a unique feature which would intrigue our customers. For example, The Grapeseed Company was one of our first choices because of their unique products which use Vinotherapy, they are an American company and because of their green focus on their products. All of the companies we retail have unique features which provide our customers with a spectrum of American-made products that are will please any palette.

3. How have you taken the initiative to become a greener business?

In founding our business we looked for the best green ways to do business. We use only recycled materials for packaging and encourage our customers to recycle the containers they receive. We give the customers the option of emailing them their receipt instead of printing one, which has had a great response. We also choose manufacturers which use recyclable containers or recycled material in their packaging.

4. What is your best selling Grapeseed Co product?

Our best selling Grapeseed Company product is the Mojito Man Shaving Gel, the scent of lime and mint is refreshing and appealing to both genders. The Grapeseed Company's Mojito Man line is the only line for men that we carry and it has surpassed expectations. We have found that men are happy to find something just for them but both genders love this line. 

 

5. What is your personal favorite Grapeseed Co product?

It's hard to pick just one, but if forced we would say that our personal favorite of The Grapeseed Company is the Summer Crisp Chardonnay bar soap, the scent is like a summer day and is so refreshing to the senses.

 Check out all of American Bather's products by going to their website www.americanbather.com

Camille Walker (Founder)
American Bather LLC
Phone: (856) 405-9577
Email: admin@americanbather.com

Featured Retailer: The Santa Barbara Company

We continue the spotlight on our valued wholesale partners in 2013. Next up is another company native to Santa Barbara. In fact, they truly embrace all things Santa Barbara and are aptly named The Santa Barbara Company! The Santa Barbara Company is an online market featuring the best from local artists, artisans and merchants. They carry everything from lavender infused jam to local organic olive oil.  This is a great go-to website if you want  a slice of Santa Barbara to keep or share with someone you love. Operations Manager, Caroline Law, explains a little more about this fabulous online business...

 1.  Tell us about your online store... The Santa Barbara Company is an online store selling products created by fantastic regional artists, artisans and merchants. We are a mother-daughter duo and with the help of family and friends, we have launched this company. On the site we have a blog and a feature section for our vendors. We are still learning, but it is always fun and rewarding. 

2. What makes your store unique/different? We focus exclusively on small regional businesses. This means that you are directly supporting the innovators and artisans in our area. The concept for the website spawned out of an appreciation for all that the area has to offer and the wonderful people behind the products. Since we launched just a few months ago, we have developed strong relationships (and friendships) with so many of our vendors.  Our goal is to help people discover the incredible local products on the central coast. 
3. How have you taken initiative to become a greener business? Local is ultimately an environmental cause, as much as it is a social or cultural one. When we choose local, we reduce the distance our products must travel to reach us. But we believe that even for our out of state customers, our products are still an environmentally positive choice. We source environmentally friendly and organic products whenever we can and encourage our vendors to provide more environmentally conscious products. Our company's goal is to bring the convenience of shopping online into the realm of the local, organic and artisanal. 

4.  What is your best selling Grapeseed product? Close tie between the Harvest Crush Syrah Wine Bar Soap and the Sweet Lips lip balm. They're both fabulous.  
5.  What is your personal favorite Grapeseed product? Probably the Mojito Man Shower Set. We gave it to a friend for Christmas and he is incredibly smitten with it. He says the smell is subtle but it stays with him throughout the day and smells even better on than in the bottle. We think so too!

   
Shop online any time! www.SantaBarbaraCompany.com 
Email: info@santabarbaracompany.com 
Business Address: 1226 1/2 State Street. Ste. 3. Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Featured Retailer: Integral Therapy Center

Just in time for Valentine's.... Here's a holistic therapy center you'll surely fall in LOVE with- Integral Therapy Center of Roscoe, IL.  This "feel good" co-op offers a cutting edge approach to holistic medicine by integrating ancient mind-body wisdom with the latest research and therapies. They provide a unique and multi-disciplinary approach to total wellness by offering services in yoga, pilates, massage, skin therapy and more. Integral Therapy Center has been wholesale partners with The Grapeseed Company for many years. This month we shed light on esthetician, Melissa Weidman, who shares more about The Spa at Integral Therapy Center.

Tell us about your spa? 
The Spa at Integral Therapy Center offers massage, facials, back facials, face and body waxing, ear candling, and spa parties. We pride ourselves on using products with clean and safe ingredients. As an esthetician I am really trying to spread the knowledge to our guests about safe and effective ways that we can care for our skin with ingredients we already have at home and clean, responsible product line like The Grapeseed Co. 

What makes your spa unique/different? 
The spa itself is only part of what I like to explain as a holistic therapy co-op. Other services offered throughout the building are Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Yoga, Pilates, Meditation groups and we also have a therapy dog. It's a beautiful space where you can find some peace and so many ways to care for yourself and being part of that is what makes it so unique.

How have you taken initiative to become a greener business? 
The newest for us has been connecting with a local farm that is part of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) network. We will be a pick-up site for them starting this coming spring and we will be offering more information on the importance of supporting local organic farms and the difference they make. Other ways we try to be green are finding used furniture to furnish our space instead of buying new. I personally have found many uses for my empty Grapeseed Co. containers. The eye cream dishes work great for carrying jewelry when traveling, empty candle jars are perfect for holding waxing sticks, ear candles or cotton pads and if I refill any of the bottles with a pump on the top my kids prefer them over other toys in the tub! If I can't find a use for it, I recycle it.

What is your best selling Grapeseed product? 
The Grapeseed Oil is the best seller. It has so many wonderful uses, it's hard not to love it! 

What is your personal favorite Grapeseed product? 
My own favorite is the Rose and Grape Serum. I love it on it's own or a few drop of it in my moisturizer.

Visit Integral Therapy Center 
5428 Williams Dr. Roscoe, IL 61073
Studio 815.494.5551
Spa (Melissa) 815.566.7855 
email Melissa(at)integraltherapyonline(dot)com 
www.integraltherapyonline.com

Featured Retailer: Oreana Winery

We continue our spotlight on The Grapeseed Company's wholesale partners... We're kicking off the year with a "Cheers" to Oreana Winery & Tasting Room.  Oreana is a valued wholesale partner who has been with us from the beginning and is also one of our neighbors here in Santa Barbara. If you get an opportunity to wine taste while you're in town, you must visit Oreana!  They have a great indoor/outdoor tasting room located in the heart of the Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail (aka Funk Zone).  Tasting Room Manager, Kimberlee McCoy, explains the uniqueness of this fabulous winery...

1.  Tell us about your Winery?

The old Bob Woolever’s Tire Shop was vacant and abandoned, looking like a scar in the downtown “Funk Zone.” Christian Garvin swung by one night on the way to dinner and thought the space looked mighty enticing.  The tire shop had some great winemaking attributes including lots of electric power, concrete floors and a brick structure that is ideal for climate control and barrel storage.

Nearly eight years later, the winery is known for two things – great wines and fabulous parties.  From small batches of Pinot Noir to our sizable Red Table Wine, Oreana has a wine for everyone.  Current production is about 10,000 cases.

Stop by for wine tasting, wine by the glass, and music on the patio on the weekends! Bring your friends and family and have a good time! 

2. What makes your Winery unique/different? 
Where to begin… We are never too busy to have a good time and all that time spent listening to the grape press and waiting for wine to age gives us lots of opportunities to come up with weird ideas for parties. Previous celebrations have included: Cinema in the Cellar featuring Jaws & King Kong, an Evening of Sea Shanty talent show, The Beaver Moon Harvest Party, the annual RocktoberFest concert series, Wieners & Wine Hot Dog extravaganza, and one time a guy just played the bagpipes. It was standing room only…

We are also available for private events.  Please contact Christina at 805-962-5857 x2 or christina@oreanawinery.com to book your event.

3. How have you taken initiative to become a greener business?
 Stating the obvious first, we recycle all corks and bottles as we pour through them.  Also, we use empty bottles and corks for new products.  In our tasting room we sell cork boards and candles that are made out of our wine bottles. On sunny days, we keep the big doors open for light to save electricity.

4.  What is your best selling Grapeseed product? 
The Surf Body Lotion 4oz. is our best selling Grapeseed product.  It is a great scent for men and women.  The 4oz. bottle is perfect for traveling and we see a lot of out-of-towners in our tasting room.  The lotion works well and makes skin feel moisturized and soft.

5.  What is your personal favorite Grapeseed product? 
My favorite Grapeseed product is the seasonal lip balm.  It comes in great flavors and is very soothing for chapped lips.  I especially like the sunshine day scent, however, all of them are delightful. 

Visit Oreana Winery! 
205 Anacapa St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-962-5857

open: Monday - Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday - Sunday 11am - 6pm 
www.oreanawinery.com 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OreanaWineryTastingRoom 
Twitter: @OreanaWinery

Featured Retailer: VINO + THERAPY STUDIO

 We could all use a little R & R around the holidays...   

The Grapeseed Company has a great idea on how to do this!  Book yourself an appointment at Vino+Therapy Studio.  This spa is a real treat for wine lovers! Ahhhh....

Patty (Kristin's mom) and Nena (owner, Vino + Therapy Studio)

 

We are happy to end this year by featuring one of our fabulous wholesale partners,
Vino + Therapy Studio in Atascadero, CA.  They not only sell products from The Grapeseed Company in their retail boutique, but also use our products in their spa treatments.  Owner Nena Benson gives us the scoop on this fun & luxurious spa.

1.  Tell us about your Spa?

As the only full service wine therapy day spa on the Central Coast, we’ve tried to provide a wide selection of services that exhibit the healing and rejuvenating properties of wine used during the beautification process. Our services range from the simple to extravagant and are meant to accommodate a wide range of needs and wants. As we like to say, " Come Get Pampered by the Vine, While drinking dam fine local wines!"

2. What makes your Spa unique/different?

We are positive you’ve never seen a Day Spa quite like this on the Central Coast before – we guarantee it! Check out all that we have to offer the wine enthusiast who also loves to be pampered. We are bringing Italy here but at a fraction of the costs:) 

 3. How have you taken initiative to become a greener business?  
As some of you may know, Wine therapy, also referred to as Vinotherapie or Vinoterapia in Italian, has received much attention in Tuscany and other European Countries. Bringing this concept to the Western U.S. is new. When applied topically, studies have proven extensive benefits. These Grape seeds, stems and skins  (which is what the wine makers throw away) all contain high quantities of powerful antioxidants, minerals, pectic, sugars, tannins and vitamins that are fundamental to the skin’s well being. We only use products that are organic & has the byproduct of wine making. One of our favorite lines is the Grapeseed Company! Our signature wine foot soaks are created with corked wine, and whatever extra herbs that are in season. We use organic cleansers while cleaning the spa.   

4. What is your best selling Grapeseed product? 
The Vino Gel cleanser & The Serums! TRY THEM & YOU WILL FIND OUT WHY!!!! Amazing......

 Kristin and Anna (Kristin's sister)

This is a fabulous wine therapy treatment, all the way around and 
a wonderful place to bring loved ones. We'll be back!

~ Kristin Fraser Cotte ~ Founder + CEO The Grapeseed Company

 

5. What is your personal favorite Grapeseed product?

I love love love the Grapeseed Serums! It's a must in my life & it should be in your too! Being a medical Aestitcian, I have used many products. Some natural & some not so much. This serum is a keeper for preventive aging & dehydration of the skin.

 Visit Vino+Therapy Studio!

5990 Entrada Ave Atascadero, CA 

(5 short miles from Paso Robles Wine Country ) 

805-466-8466 (vino) 

http://www.vinotherapystudio.com/

Featured Retailer: Soaps by Nature

Just in time for the holiday shopping season we're proudly featuring Soaps by Nature.  Soaps by Nature is an online retail company that specializes in high quality, hand crafted skincare.  They have been wholesale partners with The Grapeseed Company for many years, but they also carry a number of other natural & organic products.  This is one online retail store that you should surely check out!  Owner  Mary Hemminger shared some information about what makes Soaps by Nature unique..

1. Tell us about your business...

 Soaps by Nature is an online retail company offering a carefully curated selection of artisan-crafted soaps, skincare, shampoo and mineral makeup. With the variety available at our site, customers can dabble with one or two items, or create a very unique gift set around a theme, such as a love for Vanilla!

2. What makes your business unique/different?

Our focus on artisan, handcrafted “well-kept-secret” products is unique among online bath and body products retailers. We proudly bring visibility to companies, whose products are known primarily within their local / regional market areas.

From a customer standpoint, this means access to unique products they might not otherwise know about, with the convenience of shopping at one website. In addition to product variety, customers benefit from easier product comparison and lower shipping costs vs. purchasing from many separate websites.

We hand package every order with care, honoring the artisan quality of the products within. Each order comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

3. How have you taken initiative to become a greener business?

We choose to work with companies whose practices and philosophies are environmentally aware. In general, their product ingredients and packaging are much simpler and greener than national brands. We routinely use recycled bags and packaging for our orders.

4. What is your best selling Grapeseed product?

The Chamomile Grapefruit Facial Moisturizer gets great reviews, and has become a customer favorite!

 5. What is your personal favorite Grapeseed product?

Vanilla Almond Cinnamon Sugar Scrub! I’m a scrub fan in general, both for body care in the shower hand care at the sink. The scent of this scrub makes it a real treat, and my skin loves the high-quality ingredients.

Soaps by Nature

Handcrafted Skincare Emporium
Rise Above the Routine!

http://soapsbynature.com

http://www.facebook.com/soapsbynature

http://www.twitter.com/soapsbynature

http://www.youtube.com/soapsbynature

We'll bring the shop to you!

The Grapeseed Company introduced at-home parties this holiday season (check out our blog post here), and we also began "at-business" parties too... 

 (photo taken at Summerland Winery)

We were recently welcomed by local tasting rooms Au Bon Climat and Summerland Winery, where we did mini spa treatments and sampled out various items from our skin care line.  Customers and staff members were educated on organic skin care and the benefits of grapeseeds.  These promos also make it possible to purchase The Grapeseed Company products on site, as we are equipped with inventory and a satellite register.  

This is a great event for businesses as it draws people in for a "spa night."  Customers enjoy products from The Grapeseed Company and products from the hosting business! It's a fun and social way to shop for the holiday season!

If your business is interested in having an event with The Grapeseed Company, contact us for more information.  
email: rachel(at)thegrapeseedcompany(dot)com
or call: 805-456-3655