Growth in sales here and abroad comes naturally to Human Nature

GANDANG Kalikasan Inc. has so far sold more than 10 million Human Nature products

The maker of homegrown personal care brand Human Nature has increased its sales by almost a third in the first half of 2014 on the back of the expansion of its local retail network as well as presence in mainly online stores overseas.

Social enterprise Gandang Kalikasan Inc. (GKI) also plans to soon open its first brick-and-mortar Human Nature store abroad in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a statement, GKI said its revenues rose by 31 percent year-on-year at end-June, without elaborating.

The company attributed the higher sales of its natural cosmetic, home care and personal care products to its ongoing expansion, which saw three new branches—one each in the cities of Lipa, Marikina and Muntinlupa—opened in Luzon during the first half, alongside partnerships and distributorships outside the country.

To date, Human Nature has a company-owned, flagship store and 30 franchise outlet.

GKI plans to put up at least six more branches by yearend, “if willing franchisees will approach us,” Tish Martinez-Castillo, the company’s corporate communications and public relations manager, said in an e-mail.

Human Nature products are also available in Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and the United States through online stores as well as distributorships.

As for further overseas expansion, GKI is entertaining inquiries from other potential markets, including Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Estonia, Germany, India, Italy, New Zealand, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, Martinez-Castillo said.

GKI is a “for-profit business rooted in a strong social mission: to address the needs of the poor while making locally produced, natural personal care products accessible.”

Established as a home-based enterprise in 2008, GKI has already sold more than 10 million Human Nature products during the last five years, it claimed.

“We put emphasis on cost-effective operations and putting out competitive, high-quality products but our end goal is not to rake in the most profit for the stockholders but to be able to use that profit to affect social change. The majority of our profits go back to employee compensation, helping communities, and product development,” GKI chief operations officer and co-founder Dylan Wilk said.

Also, “all Human Nature products use safe and biodegradable ingredients sourced from sustainable materials at fair prices,” which had been grown by local farming communities,” GKI said, adding that “Human Nature’s products are 100-percent made in the Philippines and 100-percent free from harmful chemicals.”

“Our products feel as good on your skin as they do on your heart. It used to be that getting ethically produced, high quality goods meant paying a premium. We seek to change this mind,” said GKI president and co-founder Anna Meloto-Wilk.

Each Human Nature outlet carries 11 social enterprise brands, such as Bayani Brew, Dr. Gerry’s Coco Nectar, Kape Maria, Marsse, Plush and Play, Precious Herbal Pillows, Theo and Philo and Trese.

According to Mike Go, who heads GKI’s social enterprise development unit, “three more social enterprise brands are set to be launched in the next months.”

“We aim not just to become the favorable distribution channel for social enterprises, but to strengthen their ability to transition to bigger retailers,” Go added.