Bestowed Essentials
A female-veteran-owned small business that handmakes eco-friendly personal care & cleaning products. Donate now to support our mission!
Project Description
The Problem
You want to buy good products for your family, but finding products that are actually good for your AND the planet takes hours of research and feels impossible. Giant corporations claim to be eco-friendly but they’re exploiting people and destroying the environment. They lie to us to fill their own pockets. Doing what’s right shouldn’t be this hard!
Our Solution
Bestowed Essentials is doing business differently. Since day 1, we’ve prioritized people & planet over profit. Our natural products are completely non-toxic and safe for your entire family. Our packaging is 100% recyclable or compostable, and we offer refill or bulk options. We hire people of all abilities and we pay our employees a living wage. We’re transparent about where our products are made and what’s in them. When you buy Bestowed Essentials, you know you’re making a difference!
Why We Need Your Help
After 4 years in business, Bestowed Essentials recently moved to a warehouse, where we finally have the space to take our small business to the next level. We’re now crowdfunding so that we can create new sustainable products, increase our accessibility, update our packaging, provide more jobs for people of all abilities, and to continue shaping the world we want to live in!
Where Your Donations Go
In keeping with our earth-conscious values, we will be sourcing secondhand and/or local as much as possible!
Our Team
(Production Associates not pictured)
We need your support today, because the work we do makes a difference, and we know that we can make an even bigger impact with your help. Any amount you contribute - whether it’s $5 or $5000 - please know that your support means the world to us. Thank you!
With gratitude,
Callee & the BE team 💚
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I contribute to your crowdfunding campaign from outside the US?
You can contribute to our campaign from over 100 countries! If PayPal works in your country, you can contribute.
Can I contribute anonymously to your crowdfunding campaign?
Yes, you can create an anonymous guest account on IFW to contribute to our campaign. You’ll still have to provide your payment information of course, but we never see that. IFW & PayPal process your payment, not us.
I’m trying to support your campaign, but my payment isn’t going through.
Please confirm your payment information was all entered correctly, including your name, card number, expiration date, security code, and the zip code associated with your card. If it still doesn’t work, try a different card or call your bank. If you’re having issues on a mobile device, please try again on a desktop.
Is my financial information safe?
Yes! Bestowed Essentials does not see any of your financial information, and IFW does not store your financial information. Your payment is processed directly through PayPal, one of the world’s leading payment processing companies.
Is there another way I can support Bestowed Essentials besides this campaign?
Of course! We can also accept contributions by Venmo, cash or check. You can donate material goods as listed on our campaign page, or purchase our products. For free ways to support us - you can connect us with a new stockist, share our crowdfunding campaign on your social media, or tell your earth-conscious friends about us!
What kinds of products do you make?
We currently make face/body/hand soap, shampoo bars, lotion bars, face toner, face mask powder, spot treatment, toothpowder, laundry powder, fabric stain remover, and solid dish soap. All of our products are made with non-toxic ingredients, and we use 100% recyclable or compostable packaging.
What new products will you be launching after this crowdfunding?
It depends on how much money we raise! We’re working on a new line of bar soaps made with locally-sourced food waste, plus dishwasher powder, body butter, lube, blush powder, reclaimed wooden soap trays, hemp floss, seed paper, & more!
Are your products vegan-friendly?
Always & forever! We are certified vegan AND cruelty-free by PETA.
Where is Bestowed Essentials located?
We are in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA! All our manufacturing & shipping is done by our team at our Rapid City warehouse.
Is your warehouse open to the public?
For sanitary reasons, our warehouse is not open to the public, but we do have a crowdfunding reward option for a private warehouse tour & soapmaking class. To browse our products in person, you can visit our sister company - Hippie Haven - in downtown Rapid City.
Where can I buy your products?
Bestowed Essentials is a wholesale-only company, meaning we sell to stores, not directly to individuals. That said, we have a storefront & website called Hippie Haven where you can buy all our products, as well as zero waste essentials from dozens of other small businesses. Our products are also stocked in over 200 stores across the US & Canada. We’re working on adding a stockist list to our website soon (our $25,500 stretch goal includes the cost of hiring an Account Manager who would get this done for us ASAP!)
Wait, what’s Hippie Haven?
Hippie Haven is our sister company, meaning it’s a separate entity from Bestowed Essentials, but they’re both owned & run by Callee. Hippie Haven is a zero waste store & community space in Rapid City, South Dakota. They sell eco-friendly home goods, primarily from American female-owned small businesses. Hippie Haven also offers a variety of free community resources including a food pantry, book library, recycling drop-off, and educational podcast. The entire Bestowed Essentials product line is available at Hippie Haven. Visit Hippie Haven’s online shop here.
What is IFW?
IFW provides womxn entrepreneurs with access to capital via crowdfunding and grants, expert coaching, and one of the nation’s largest communities of womxn business owners - a vital network that sparks confidence, accelerates knowledge, and ignites action. For womxn who have big ideas, IFW is here to make those ideas happen.
Where can I learn more about Bestowed Essentials?
Here’s our website & our Instagram, where we share behind-the-scenes of our small business. You can also email us directly with any questions at [email protected]
We'll paint your name on a wall in our warehouse, where our entire team will see it & appreciate your support every day!
Donate any amount you can & receive our eternal gratitude!
Thank you for believing in Bestowed Essentials!
You pick the color & scent & soap name, then we'll handmake & send you 8 bars of your very own soap. These make great gifts!
*US funders only*
Receive a zero waste gift box of Bestowed Essentials products:
1 solid dish soap, 1 bag of laundry powder, 1 solid lotion bar, 1 shampoo bar of your choice, 2 soap bars of your choice
*US funders only*
Pick Callee's brain about living in a van, community activism, running South Dakota's largest soapmaking company, opening a zero waste store, starting a podcast, or general entrepreneurship!
(1 hour virtual meeting at a prescheduled time)
See how our low-waste warehouse operates, have lunch with our team, and learn how to make soap from Callee (plus you get to take home the soap we make)!
*Rapid City only*
Starting an eco business of your own? Get weekly calls for 3 months with Callee as she mentors you through your start-up process, plus get her personal cell number for text advice whenever you need it during your first year in business!
*US funders only & I cannot give legal or tax advice*
Rewards
We'll paint your name on a wall in our warehouse, where our entire team will see it & appreciate your support every day!
Donate any amount you can & receive our eternal gratitude!
Thank you for believing in Bestowed Essentials!
You pick the color & scent & soap name, then we'll handmake & send you 8 bars of your very own soap. These make great gifts!
*US funders only*
Receive a zero waste gift box of Bestowed Essentials products:
1 solid dish soap, 1 bag of laundry powder, 1 solid lotion bar, 1 shampoo bar of your choice, 2 soap bars of your choice
*US funders only*
Pick Callee's brain about living in a van, community activism, running South Dakota's largest soapmaking company, opening a zero waste store, starting a podcast, or general entrepreneurship!
(1 hour virtual meeting at a prescheduled time)
See how our low-waste warehouse operates, have lunch with our team, and learn how to make soap from Callee (plus you get to take home the soap we make)!
*Rapid City only*
Starting an eco business of your own? Get weekly calls for 3 months with Callee as she mentors you through your start-up process, plus get her personal cell number for text advice whenever you need it during your first year in business!
*US funders only & I cannot give legal or tax advice*