Parent Profile

Steph Wilmott: The mother hen behind Broody Chick

If you have been in Thrifty Foods, LifeStyle Markets, or The Market on Millstream lately, you may have noticed a new line of products in the baby aisle. Broody Chick is the brainchild of Steph and Michael Wilmott, two Victoria- and Sidney-based parents who have created their own line of baby and family skin care products, diapers and wipes. I spoke with Steph to find out the story behind the chicken and the history of her diapers.
 
Steph told us that "The original concept 'hatched' in the kitchen at home." Like so many moms who are not willing or ready to go back to work and leave their children behind, Steph wanted to find a way to use her hobbies, talents and training to make a little pocket money for herself.

The Broody Chick line is filled with essential oil-based soaps, lotions and creams. Since most of the product line is still made in her family's kitchen, I asked Steph about her background with aromatherapy and skin care production. Her interest in aromatherapy lead Steph to study it and clinical massage at a college in England. Once her training was done, she opened her own complimentary therapy treatment center and spent years using and learning about essential oils in therapeutic application. And for soap making, Steph taught herself how to do it as a hobby. When soap became an obvious way to make a home business in Victoria, "it just seemed a natural progression to incorporate the essential oils into the products to make them more efficacious." She currently uses local, raw materials when possible and has her boxes and labels printed in town.
 
As for the unusual name and its accompanying logo, Steph explains, "When we were in England we had a small holding. We had lambs and horses and of course chickens. We used to take in ex-factory farm hens and give them 'the good-life' so they could at least for a short while have a taste of freedom. These hens became fond favourites in the family. They would watch TV with the kids and follow me round the veggie patches as I did the weeding. We grew most of our own veggies back then and the chickens provided us with fresh eggs and manure for the garden. Each hen had her own name and individual character and the chickens in the "Broody" art work are some of our favourites."

There have been many lines of aromatherapy-based products for mamas-to-be, babies and new moms, but what sets Broody Chick apart is the addition of biodegradable diapers and wipes. Steph told me that when she initially presented her creams and soaps to a distributor here in Victoria they were "very well received as they were locally made, green, and all natural, but we were told that if we could make more 'green' products for babies we would have a hit." Her brainstorming and research brought her to the most unique product in her line: diapers. And not just diapers but biodegradable, compostable diapers.
 
I wanted to know more about the materials, design and manufacturing of the Broody Chick diapers. Steph told me that started by looking at who was making bio-degradable products and compostable materials. She discovered Natureworks LLC who, she explains, "have developed a bio-polymer that has a multitude of applications. They then put me in touch with a diaper manufacturer and it all went on from there." The manufacturer that Broody Chick uses makes diapers out of similar materials for some European brands, but Steph and Michael are the first North American company to bring the technology and materials together.

Plans for the future include retail stores in Vancouver, additional stores on the island, and selling through their website. The things that will slow down their so-far-incredible growth and progress include the addition of distributors, (which adds time before the bottles and boxes make it to the shelves), the fact that the couple is financing the business themselves, and that it is the two-person team performing all aspects of the business. Steph has found "an exceptional lady called Christine who helps me to make the soaps" and skin care in Sidney, and "of course my three boys, Jake 11, Joshua 8, and Jonah 6, earn their pocket money helping out with the labelling and boxing of the finished items (a truly family-run business).

I asked Steph why Broody Chick donates a percentage of profits to the Victoria Hospital Foundations. She explains it as "paying it forward" and tells the story of her son Joshua, now 8, was born. When he was born in the UK, Joshua had trouble not gaining weight and would vomit at every feed. He cried and pulled his legs up to his tummy and his mom could do nothing to calm him. When she sought help, Steph was "branded as an overly protective, hyper mother," but she says that she "knew deep down that there was something wrong." After months of tests and ultrasounds, the doctors found nothing.
 
Finally, after months of no sleep and stress, Steph went to neonatal unit in England and met with a neo-natal specialist who showed her some massage techniques and how to hold her still-tiny baby so that he was unrestricted and he could be comfortable. She also went to an herbalist who "compounded what was basically cucumber powder which I gave to him and, low and behold, he got better."
 
Steph still remembers her sense of relief and has never forgotten her gratitude "to have access to such a calming, knowledgeable specialist who understood my concerns and was open minded enough to try to see things from my perspective." To help ensure that others are able to receive the same level of help from a specialist unit, Broody Chick is doing their part for future generations. Steph says, "Our babies are our future; we should do everything we can to support and nurture they're development."

Being a mom, I asked Steph about how her new business has impacted other parts of her life. She says that, "Oh my goodness, sometimes I feel like an absentee mom and it plays heavily on me when I can't get to the school assembly or to sports day. But we, as a family, are a very tight unit, we maintain family values and family activities; we eat together at table and discuss the day's events. We do our homework together (even if my homework is catching up with correspondence and invoices), we have Friday night family film with pop corn and treats, we have bedtime stories and lots of cuddles, so I guess we are trying to balance everything out." She is quick to credit the support of her husband in both the business and chores and family errands. "I wouldn't be able to manage without him."

She shares, "I do feel that sometimes I'm torn between home and business. Sometimes I just have to stop myself and put things into perspective. So if Jonah needs help getting some juice or Jake can't find his basketball or Josh needs tape and pencils for a project, then the Mom side has to take precedence over the Broody Chick side and I'll put down my work and go to help my boys."

I asked Steph how she manages to maintain the ever elusive balance between family, work and self. She, like all of us, finds it is hard to find and keep balance, and adds, "I do feel that perhaps I am missing out on some things with my children." She reminds herself, though, that she is "trying my best to make a better life for all of us and with Michael filling in the gaps" she feels that the family "gets through just fine, as we don't have any family here and we don't have any outside help."
 
I asked Steph for advice that she would share with other moms who want to pursue a business idea. She shared some disadvantages to going into business, like the fact that the couple has seen all of their savings disappear and little financial reward so far, but then adds that "it's great to feel in control of something like this." It took her a while to "realize how stressful and tiring the whole thing has been," but ultimately does not regret her decisions. She emphasizes researching and studying the market and competition and looking into financial and legal implications. "Once you've done all your homework and it still seems like a good idea, hold your breath and JUMP."
 
Steph ends with some inspiring words for other mamas: "I think it's within us all to achieve [our dreams], but circumstances can change people's ability to fulfill their own expectations. If you think you can do it, then get out there and give it your best shot. No one can damn you for trying, and as long as you give it your best you'll always be a winner."

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