Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - Page number 93 - July/August 2021

93 UP & COMING When did you start up and why? The Seed Card Company launched in February this year after initially starting to plan the business in June 2020. Jit (my husband) and I have always wanted to start another business but time stood in our way, we never had any. Equally at the same time we ourselves were starting to become aware of our own waste – not only personally but through the business too. Sir David Attenborough and several environmental documentaries have definitely reiterated the issues we are all surrounded by but also what the next generation may not see because of our choices now – highlighted more to us because of our two-year-old son. Co-director Lewis is a very good friend of ours and the three of us work exceptionally well with each other. All three of us had been affected by the pandemic with our respective businesses, heavily involved in the hospitality, wedding and event industry, which effectively closed down overnight. We wanted to be productive and active during the pandemic and utilise our extensive knowledge and expertise in a positive way. What prompted you to launch the business? With our previous businesses we all collectively had a wealth of experience and knowledge within the print industry of not only the print processes and design but material too. An area we always see new developments in is materials, and four years ago one of those new materials was seed card – post- consumer waste paper repurposed into a card and embedded with wildflower seeds. We tested rigorously to see if it was actually true – a card that can grow flowers; we were in awe. Flash forward to the beginning of the pandemic and, for Lewis as well as Jit and I, suddenly having time we thought ‘let’s play our part in the print industry and use our skills,’ and The Seed Card Company was born. What challenges have you overcome since the company’s launch? One of our biggest challenges since launching has been the trade side of our business. With trade shows being cancelled due to the pandemic it meant the most effective way to launch and reach a large audience was not an option for potentially many months. We had to completely rethink our launch phase and how to market our products I `