OUR STORY
OUR ETHOS
The beauty of helping people sustainably
[ SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY ]
ETHOS is about redefining beauty.
We embrace the soulful beauty of serving others & sustaining the earth.
We celebrate the elegance that belongs to age and the timeless luxury of crafting by hand.
Ethos exists to create a better future for Cambodia’s poorest by fairly sourcing traditionally hand-squeezed coconut oil, which we turn into 100% natural-origin products that care for the skin.
100% of Ethos profits go back into the sustainable development of poor communities in Cambodia, re-planting coconut trees in Kampot which act as carbon sinks, and growing Ethos so we can in turn increase our impact.
Everything we do at Ethos challenges the conventional skincare industry – using our profits to create social & environmental change, knowing the trees our coconuts come from, and featuring Ethos people, not models.
We’re really proud to be included in Fair&Good’s online marketplace which has all of NZ’s ethical brands under one roof, and to be a certified Ākina Impact Supplier.
OUR COLLECTIVE
Going far, together
We’re a diverse group of people using ethical business to change lives & improve the environment, drawn together by the coconut palm – tree of life.
We’re the Kampot family growers who hand-pick their coconuts, and the women who squeeze the coconut oil by hand. We’re the generous souls & like-minded businesses in Aotearoa who’ve helped Ethos get going, and the conscious consumers who embrace fairness.
Collectively we can all start to change the world through making & buying things that are more sustainable.
The Founders
[ GERARD & HANA ]
Ethos was born in Cambodia, an extension of the deep roots Gerard & Hana have put down there in the last decade.
Volunteering in remote parts of Cambodia in 2009 left them unimpressed by the low value placed on indigenous knowledge by aid. Their approach has instead respectfully focused on the value of local knowledge, & environmental & economic sustainability.
The network of 128 village producers they’ve collaborated with since 2012 contributed over NZ$280,000 to their local economy. In 2020 they turned their attention to increasing the incomes of as many of Kampot’s coconut growers as they can, & creating employment for the women who handcraft the coconut oil.
They’re optimistic that the green economy will one day be the normal way of doing business.
Negotiate a river by following its bends, enter a country by following its customs.
Khmer proverb.
Village partners
Most rural Cambodians struggle to earn enough to meet their basic needs and are under-nourished – eg one third of under 5 year-olds have stunted growth.
We see real (direct) trade as a better way to help than aid, building on the tenacity of Kampot’s family coconut growers & coconut oil pressers.
Our goal is to supplement the incomes of 600 growers and add to their coconut tree stock, creating extra income opportunities for the next 50 years.
Our partner village enterprise hand-squeezes the coconuts at origin, producing the finest virgin coconut oil from fresh coconut milk. This traditionally time-honoured process retains the highest antioxidant levels and creates employment for 14 local women.
