We're talking lot size, ie. how many units we produce in each manufacturing run. The simple math is the bigger your order the better your bottom line but, our focus goes beyond that. While there's no arguing with margins, we remain committed to small lot production. Why? As small brand we believe it's the foundation for both sustainable production and creating the best quality products.
In terms of sustainability, the most significant benefit is that we've almost entirely reduced product waste. With the exception of minimal damages like breakage in our warehouses or during transport, (which we'll state again is very minimal), no products are getting thrown out because they've gone bad. By producing quantities we know will sell, there are no lots sitting in warehouses, or on store shelves, hitting their expiry dates.
Expired products are a huge issue contributing to unmanageable global waste. Large companies have to regularly toss thousands of units that have passed their prime. The level of waste is staggering if you consider the impact just in terms of packaging. Most of these tossed products end up in landfills- yes we can guarantee that the majority are not being emptied, rinsed, disassembled, and sent to TerraCycle or the like. We do not want to be part of this destructive pattern and take hitting a zero waste mark seriously as conscious producers.
In terms of control, quality is loads easier to manage for small lots. Overall, it helps guarantee more attention to detail which yields greater product consistency. It also lowers the risk for the many small errors that could occur, or the larger more serious ones like contamination. Another bonus is when using natural ingredients, often without preservatives or stabilizing fillers, only the freshest of the fresh can be used. This means production will be more frequent, so again, products aren't being packed with chemicals so they can last years on shelves.
So there it is, why we think small lots are a good thing when it comes to making skincare. Our plan is to continue scaling our lot size to match our growth so we can expand in a sustainable and controlled way. We think it's the best way to ensure our customers will always have a fresh batch of goodies and we have a process and end product that we are proud of!
