Bella Middleton is the Founder of Norfolk Natural Living, a plant-based and non-toxic wellbeing and homecare brand. Fresh from taking a stand at the Chelsea Flower Show, the aromatherapist explains how moving to Norfolk was the best decision her family has ever made
First things first, who are you and what do you do?
Hi, I’m Bella Middleton, I started Norfolk Natural Living in 2018. We now have six shops: in Holt (Norfolk), Southwold and Woodbridge (Suffolk) and our latest perfumery is on Columbia Road! I still can’t believe it. Our workshop is in Kings Lynn, this is where we make each and every one of our products by hand, from our natural hand care and garment care products to our perfumes and plant foods.
What inspired you to establish Norfolk Natural Living – you’re an aromatherapist by profession?
Put simply, I wanted to bring a little joy, even pleasure to our everyday rituals. From cleaning our dishes, to washing our clothes, to going to work and falling asleep. I wanted to make life simpler – life is challenging enough without having to worry about what’s in your products and what they are doing to the environment. If I’m honest I don’t particularly like washing dishes, so I thought if I infuse my dish wash with aromatherapy grade blends – I can feel uplifted or relaxed whilst doing it! Which led me to infusing all our fragrances with therapeutic blends – and most importantly, using ingredients which are kind to the environment and packaging that is as equally sustainable as it is beautiful.
As an aromatherapist, I have always been fascinated with the benefits plants can have on our wellbeing, which is why I have put nature and craftsmanship at the core of Norfolk Natural Living.
Are you Norfolk born and raised? What do you love about the county?
No! I was actually born in Edinburgh and then when I started studying I moved to London, this is where I met my husband Hugo. After living in the city for a few years, we both fancied a change and this is when we decided to move to Norfolk, it was the best decision we’ve ever made, I couldn’t think of a better place to raise my three children.
How would you describe the Norfolk Natural Living range?
Everything is mixed, bottled and labelled by hand in our workshop in Norfolk! Once we have selected and blended every oil (it’s different for every scent) – we leave it to ‘age’ sometimes for months, even up to a year. I love to see how the scent develops – as the oils bind together so the flavour enhancers. Working with natural oils, the times they are harvested, and the weather during the season all affect how the oil will smell and blend – I find it simply magical. Once I think it’s just right – we’ll use that formula for each product! Lots of time goes into each range and I am so proud of that!
How important is it to you that your products are plant-based and non-toxic?
Very important, all of our products are biodegradable, non-toxic, free from chlorine and bleach, use plant-based ingredients and are gentle enough for even a baby’s delicate skin and it goes without saying we would never test on animals. I believe life is enough of a challenge without having to worry about the chemicals in your home or the damage they do to our environment and if we can perhaps elevate our everyday rituals, find a little beauty and improve our wellbeing – we should.
What’s the latest product in the range?
At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, we launched our latest fragrance, Wild Fig & Gardenia – it’s been in development for a while now and I was so excited to finally let everyone smell it! It’s infused with Gardenia, Fig, Bergamot, Orange, Tonka Bean, Heliotrope and Sandalwood.
How was the Chelsea Flower Show experience for you and your business?
It was so much fun! It was our first ever retail event and I couldn’t have picked a better one, it was so lovely to meet customers who already knew about Norfolk Natural Living and had visited the stores already. We had such wonderful feedback from customers, and it was so wonderful to hear.
Where can people find your products?
We have shops in Holt, Southwold, and Woodbridge (Suffolk) and and we’ve just opened a perfumery in Columbia Road, London, which is very exciting! We also work with some lovely stockists such as Daylesford, The Garnet Store, The Hambledon and Waterlane which all stock some of our ranges.
Any plans for your business you can share?
There’s still lots to do! This is an ongoing journey for me and my team, and our goal is to make tangible changes that make a real difference. We always love having feedback from customers and we would love to hear from anyone if they have any ideas!
Visit Norfolk Natural Living (norfolknaturalliving.com).
Featured images – supplied
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