Today we’d like to introduce you to Cary Caster.
Cary, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up with a great appreciation of the natural world. As a teenage naturalist, I spent as many hours as I could in the tropical outdoors of Miami Beach, where I grew up. This fascination led me to study plant science in college, and work at Miami’s own Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, maintaining their rare plant house collections. After working there 3 years, I then went on to study Ethnobotany, because I became even more enchanted with indigenous people’s knowledge of the use of specialized plants for healing, health and wellness. Studying herbal medicine and plant uses made me even more particular when it came time to raise and treat my own family’s everyday concerns.
I found out about essential oils over 30 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child, and immediately became enthralled with their power to influence not only the physical, but mental and emotional imbalances. I was self-taught in the beginning, but then went on to earn additional certifications from institutions here in the, USA, the UK and France. It was 8 years ago that I made the decision to create my own brand. I was just so frustrated that more people didn’t know about using essential oils, and the quality on the market was always disappointing to me.
This desire to share my passion lead me on a journey to launch 21 Drops Essential Oil Therapy, where quality and integrity are our guidelines, and simplification of use is our goal. We provide pre-blended, safely diluted formulas in a fun roll on vial that take the guess work out of using these precious oils. These solutions came from years of study but were mostly motivated because the more I learned, the more I realized I had been using them incorrectly in the beginning, nor did I fully understand how powerful and concentrated they truly were.
Today, 21 drops is sold in over 350 retail locations nationwide. We also created an exclusive product to sell in Costco, so I am fulfilling my dream of getting good quality essential oil products to the masses! While I could say “be careful what you wish for”, since the road has not been, nor will it continue to be easy, but with every acknowledgment I receive from those who use our products, it makes me smile and fills my heart! That truly is what I wished for! May we all learn to love, respect and enjoy Mother Nature and the wonderful healing powers she imparts in plants in their many forms.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t believe the road in any business is ever completely smooth. Our biggest struggles have been some packaging issues where our product didn’t flow properly.
Maintaining a good sales force that understands our product is also extremely challenging. Of course, If people don’t know you exist, they can’t purchase your products, but paying to play with PR firms and exhibiting at all the expos, conventions and trade shows can be expensive and not necessarily convert to sales. Also, using essential oils is still a relatively new concept for people and there’s a huge learning curve in selling our products. We do, however, find that the people who “get it” do extremely well with our products, both on a retail and wholesale level.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about 21 Drops Essential Oil Therapy® – what should we know?
21 drops Essential Oil Therapy has pioneered the modern experience in essential oil therapy, offering you a healthier way of living every day. We have captured the proven and incredibly effective powers of natural essential oils and made them relevant for today’s world with our passion and commitment to our clients, which is present in every bottle of 21 drops.
Each 21 drops solution is pre-blended with distinct essential oils that come together in organic jojoba oil to uniquely treat a particular concern or aspiration. By carefully combining the correct essential oils at the perfect concentration, these blends work in synergy to deliver on their targeted promise for a healthier mind and body. These 21 blends set a new standard in aromatherapy with 100% natural, therapeutic-quality oils gathered from regions throughout the world, each carefully tested to ensure the upmost purity and effectiveness.
21 drops’ blends come in a secure, portable rollerball packaging. They can easily be placed aside your bed, at your desk or in your purse. They’re fun and simple to use. Just select the blend that addresses your needs – from getting a good night’s sleep, to dealing with daily stress, or even running that extra mile. Take the rollerball and apply the blend in a repeated circular motion to the desired pulse points (wrists, temples and neck) or directly to the area of concern.
Have fun and layer the blends freely, customizing the combination for your individual needs. Then roll on, inhale and transform to be your best self.
I, Cary Caster, as the owner and founder of 21 drops®, specialize in the formulation and sourcing of the essential oils. We source our organic or wild-crafted oils from artisan distillers from around the world that farm with holistic practices and stand by the utmost quality of their oils.
As a company, I am most proud that we can be part of the natural movement that empowers people to take their health and wellness into their own hands in a healthy, proactive way when dealing with more common concerns. Whereas modern medicine produces many unbelievable advances for making people feel better, it’s the medications and some of the day to day concerns that can be aided and assisted with the power of the phytochemicals that plants and essential oils provide, with a lot less side effects while nourishing parts of our body’s own defensives. I believe that my extensive aromatherapy education and participation in the Aromatherapy industry as a supporter of education and research on a clinical level sets 21 drops apart from the typical aromatherapy companies that use less quality products. My training as a Clinically Certified Aromatherapist in France has given me the training to not accept inferior or adulterated products, which we have tested at every step of the way. I also resided on the board of the Alliance of International Aromatherapist (AIA) for the full 6 year term allowed, which gave me tremendous insight into the business as well as the national organizations’ concerns and obstacles.
I also believe that my endless dedication to aromatherapy as a valid science propels me to see its overall success! Our motto is to focus on our customers and not our competitors, so we stand tall with confidence and conviction!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
In the field of essential oils and Aromatherapy, by far the most important characteristic is quality! One will not have good results with essential oils if the quality is not there. Unfortunately, people don’t realize that a vast majority of essential oils being sold today are not really pure or unadulterated, which means synthetic chemicals are being added to help create the scents of these oils. Our insistence on GCMS testing of every batch of essential oils that go into our production allows us the confidence and assurance that we are using the quality oils we know can make a difference in the way people feel. When people use our products, they feel better and that’s how we measure success!
Contact Info:
- Address: 290 SE 6th Ave
Suite 4
Delray Beach, FL 33483 - Website: www.21drops.com
- Phone: 877.673.7677
- Email: mail@21drops.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/21drops/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/21drops
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/21drops
- Yelp: https://www.youtube.com/user/21dropsAromatherapy
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/21drops/
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