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Lesley Dobson’s newly launched business, marketing organic products, all started with the name.
The Arkles Bay mother of two and health professional has always had an interest in organics and when her children were young, she became even more aware of the need for good quality, organic, home made food.
She would sometimes exclaim “it’s organic, darling!” at dinnertime, which was all in fun, but led to her securing the name for her business some years later.
Lesley is an occupational therapist, who owned a private practice for more than 20 years, but the idea of finding a way to focus on her love of organics was always in the back of her mind.
The breakthrough came when she met physiotherapist Rebecca Day of Manly, who had developed the Qoleum range of sporting and injury repair products. The products are made with certified organic ingredients and it took around 20 years of research for Rebecca to perfect them. The gels, creams and oils are designed to provide relief for active people, those with injuries and the elderly. They include rubs to reduce inflammation or provide pain relief, barrier creams and others to warm the muscles or prevent chaffing.
“My dad passed away of skin cancer four years ago and it made me very conscious of what I put on my skin,” Lesley says. “When I tried these products I realised that this was what I’d been looking for. It combined my love of organics with my passion for helping people.”
She took on the Oceania distribution for Qoleum, launching her website itsorganicdarling.com last month. It quickly became her full time job.
“Sporty people are loving the products, as well as the elderly as Qgel is soothing on arthritis,” she says. “Also among the best sellers, especially overseas, are the Qoleum range for horses and camels.”
As well as the Qoleum range, the website features products such as organic coffee, chocolate and makeup, locally sourced where possible.
In addition, Lesley wanted to get the Qoleum range into stores and says there has been a lot of interest from pharmacies and physiotherapists – the products are already available at Whangaparaoa Family Pharmacy.
“There are loads more exciting products in the pipeline,” Lesley says.
