In 2022, I built a kitchen in the back of my shop Alchemy & Herbs in downtown Exeter, NH. This is where I make Wunder Budder! I absolutely love working with plants and oils, and I love to make products that help people. I say that love goes into all my products because it’s true. I’m completely in love with what I do.
Before I had a kitchen in a retail store, I made Wunder Budder in a studio inside my house starting in 2014. My commute was 10 seconds long and I took breaks with my two dogs.
Before I had a house, I made Wunder Budder in a studio I rented in Salem, MA. Moving into this studio is why I call Wunder Budder’s official birth 01/01/10. This was the year that I built my first website and started selling online. This was when I turned Wunder Budder into a real business.
Before I had a studio (or a website), I made Wunder Budder only seasonally and sold it by word of mouth. I worked out of a closet in a small apartment I shared with my husband. Not a walk-in closet, just a regular closet. I sat on a plastic bin full of supplies, in front of a multi-duty bookcase. I worked out of this closet for several years, and made salves and balms in our tiny galley kitchen.
Before I had a closet, I had an idea to start a business based around a product I created, [now called] Original Wunder Budder - a multi-use "wonder butter". It was 2002, and I was staying at my mother’s house in MA after a cross-country move from NM. I registered my business name, and bought my web address for future use.
Before I had a business idea, I had really dry skin, and love for calendula. I was studying herbalism in NM in 2000, and couldn’t find calendula oil anywhere. A local herbalist told me to make my own and blend it with beeswax, so that’s what I did. I loved experimenting with recipes and eventually created my own formulas.
Before I had a love for calendula, it was 1998, and I was working in a factory in Ireland. My hands were always covered in tiny cuts. I walked into a health food store and was shown calendula oil. I had never heard of it, but figured I’d give it a try. My hands felt so much better, and my love for calendula was born.
Xo,
Lisa