Today we’d like to introduce you to Iris McGilloway.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I love making things with my hands. I am an artist and a country girl at heart, and when we moved to our little farm in the country four years ago, I realized I needed to start caring for my skin. The weather is dry and the winter was harsh on my skin. I have had a love for plants and herbalism for many years so I combined that with a need for quality, all-natural skincare products and the idea for Tassajara Outpost was born. I held off on making it a reality however, until my husband was in a serious car accident. I had been at the time a jewelry designer for many years and was at that time not working for the first time since I could remember, and the sole caregiver for our young daughter. We suddenly found ourselves with our primary financial provider unable to work for the foreseeable future and so I jumped into action. Tassajara Outpost was named after the road we live on (our little road to heaven) and originally designed to be a place for all of my creative endeavors. Over the last four years and with some trial and error, it has transformed into primarily an all-natural skincare company, with a focus on native plants.
As we learned to work on our farm, we became closer to the world around us. In my work, that has translated into a pretty major passion with native plants and native plant medicine. Working with native plants, one cannot help but; earn about native cultures as well. Where we live was once Esselen Territory and I feel it is incredibly important to give credit where credit is due and be careful to not to use sacred medicine. There is a fine line between appreciation and appropriation and in my work, that can be a very fine distinction. I have committed myself and my company to learn to be and do better, as I hope we all will. I am also extremely passionate about reducing plastic and waste wherever I can. I have rebranded my products to use clear, recyclable glass and metal lids instead of plastic wherever possible. I am committed to leaving our world a better place than we were born into both environmentally and socially.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the support of family, friends and my community in this work. There has been a huge welcoming of the kind of products I create and my companies goals. I feel a lot of that is due to timing and where we are as a society, actively seeking out products like this. My biggest struggle has really been since Covid and learning how to reach people in new ways when they cannot always put physical hands on my products. I sell weekly at our local Farmers Market and that has really caused me to shift in my business in order to continue reaching potential customers. I had to quickly learn to fill new needs and it has also encouraged me to come out of my shell and comfort zone (A LOT) to reach out to people and start a conversation that leads to them being able to sample my products. It caused me to get really clear about what my goals are for my business, who I am as a business owner, and the relationship I want to have with my clients.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tassajara Outpost – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Tassajara Outpost is an all-natural skincare company with a focus on native plants. My goal is to create sustainable, low waste products that are as environmentally friendly as possible in both product and packaging. I source my ingredients as locally as possible as well using ingredients either from my own garden or property or from local farmers/sources. I take a lot of pride in the recipes I have created and the ingredient’s that I use. For example, I use California Extra Virgin Olive Oil as the carrier oil in all of my products. It is one of the highest quality oils in the world, deeply hydrating and nourishing for your skin, and sourced 100% from small California Family Farms.
I believe that one of the things that set me apart from other companies is my extreme commitment to using local ingredients for my products. Many companies make a Kelp and Sea Salt Face and Body Scrub, however, I go the extra step to use only Monterey Bay Giant Kelp and Big Sur Sea Salt, both harvested locally from local small businesses, or Elderflower, which I also use as a main ingredient in many products, and I source locally and from the native California Elderberry (Sambucus Cerulea). This bit of attention to detail is incredibly important to me. It’s also important to me to support as many other local small businesses in my work as possible. Building and supporting community is one of the most important things to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.tassajaraoutpost.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @tassajaraoutpost
- Facebook: facebook.com/tassajaraoutpost
Image Credit:
Iris McGilloway Headshot photo credit Melissa McNitt of Mel’s View Photography; All product photos by Iris McGilloway of The Small Business Greenhouse
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