As a small business, we have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that we have received from fellow businesses. From advice, to sharing our content, to the amazing companies that have helped to manifest our ideas into a real life bottle. There have been so many that have helped us on this journey and it has made us feel incredibly proud to be a part of this business community that prides itself on the fact it's members are so engrained in their local communities.
After another tough year for everyone, small and medium enterprises have also experienced challenges and setbacks. However, we believe the nature of the last few years has encouraged people to begin to shop locally a lot more. As hard as 2020 and 2021 have been, it has also seen people rally around their communities, their highstreets, perhaps more than ever. Perhaps this is because we all realised that small businesses almost always offer a higher quality product, made by local people with, more often than not, local materials. Or perhaps it is because we realised that these businesses are owned and operated by ordinary people who are doing something different, priding themselves on becoming a part of the community around them.
This is why, this Christmas, we believe we should all make the effort to support our community enterprises. That could be getting your Christmas dinner supplies from your local butcher, your wine from the winery down the road. Maybe come the New Year, you look to your small fitness studios rather than the big chains - we know of a great one if you're in the New Forest, called The Pilates Studio New Forest, run by an amazing woman who is incredibly passionate about supporting other small businesses. There are some exceptional Christmas markets - we already have a couple in the diary - across the country that advertise a whole host of amazing companies' wares.
We have also worked with some wonderful companies so far. Without many of them our adventure would not have been possible. In the Welsh Wind Distillery, Starke Creative and Label Apeel have been incredible in taking our jumbled ideas and helping us put them together to make the brand we have today. A special mention to Flexi-Hex too, for providing us with plastic-free packaging materials and for helping us do our bit.
We would like to thank our product photographer, Holly Burnston, who is responsible for so many of the lovely shots of our bottle. She has only just started out but, based on her work, she has a bright future (her cat is also adorable!).
And finally, we would like to thank our newest friends, New Forest Tonic Water, who have provided some incredible tonics for our Christmas gift boxes. They represent everything we love about small businesses - local ingredients and a quality product. We cannot wait to see what we can do with them going forward into the future.
We aren't ordering you to never shop with big chains again, or telling you to give up big brands. But this Christmas, we think you should just have a look around your area, see just what some incredibly dedicated local people are doing. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised with just what it has to offer.
Merry Christmas
- The Le Tarot Team