Essential U Blog

GMP Raw Materials

"Raw materials and primary packaging materials are stored and handled in a manner which prevents their mix-up, contamination with microorganisms or other chemicals, or decomposition from exposure to excessive heat, cold, sunlight or moisture."

      

Make sure you store all ingredients and finished products at the proper temperature for that product.  Not all things should be stored in the fridge! Ever notice the condensation in your mayo jar.  Same thing can happen to your ingredients or cosmetics.  That is why mayo contains EDTA but your raw ingredient does not always have it.  Sometimes we get calls regarding clouding of oils that were stored in the fridge and that is because the condensation has fallen into the oil.  Also the condensation can grow mold and then contaminate your product.  If you use the fridge do not use the door panels and it is best to have a dedicated fridge that won't be opened and closed a zillion times per day. 

Lavender Festivals in the Great Northwest in July

It is Lavender Festival time already in the Northwest.  I can tell that it is lavender season by looking at the lavender plants in my yard that I have collected at festivals over the years.  My two favorite festivals include the Sequim Lavender Festival in Washington and the Oregon Lavender Festival that takes place around the Portland metro.  Lavender festivals are full of fun for the entire family and include all sorts of handmade products using lavender from cosmetics, soaps, foods, toys and much more. 

      

If you are a lavender fan or you just want to find out what all the hoopla is about lavender you can’t miss these amazing events.  The Sequim Lavender Festival is July 17, 18, 19 and is billed as the largest lavender event in North America.  The Oregon Lavender Festival is July 11 and 12.  There are 24 local farms participating in the 2009 Oregon Lavender Festival with many local options that won’t be far from home for many in the Portland metro area. 

GMP Personnel

"The personnel supervising or performing the manufacture or control of cosmetics has the education, training and/or experience to perform the assigned functions."

Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) so that there never can be an “I wasn't told that” or an “opps I forgot” step.  SOP's are a standardized set of instructions that you create for every aspect of QC, manufacturing, filling, labeling, logging, packaging, shipping and any other step that your product goes through from the time the ingredients arrive to the moment the finished product is shipped out of your building.  No step is too mundane to include in your SOP's.  There is not a set of SOP's that can be found in the market place that would fit your situation. You must create your own SOP standards that fit the needs of your company. 

      

The SOP should be a written document that includes all the instructions with detailed steps and processes that are simple enought to understand that a fifth grade student could come in off the streets and follow with the same results that you would have it you made it yourself.  The steps should be taken without any variation or change so that you will always get the same results whether you make it yourself or someone follows your SOP's to complete the task. 

Monday Motivational Moment #5 :: Life Lessons by Winnie the Pooh

I am quite certain that I am not the only 40 plus year old Winnie the Pooh fan.  Winnie the Pooh has spoken some of the most quotable quotes of any great speaker. 

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you.”

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”

“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever”

“You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”

"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"

But then again, I most identify with Tigger.

"The wonderful thing about tiggers - Is tiggers are wonderful things - Their tops are made out of rubber - Their bottoms are made out of springs - They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy fun, fun, fun, fun, fun - But the most wonderful thing about tiggers is I'm the only one - I'm the only one!" Tigger sings

Don't Create a Cliffhanger for Your Customers

Never assume that your potential customers have all the information that they need to interpret your company’s message.  Be thorough in your marketing so that your consumers are sold out on your brand.  It is common for companies to assume that because the consumer is shopping in the very store that their product is for sale in that the consumer already gets the message.  But that leaves the consumer with only part of your story.  Use your website, blog, twitter, facebook, advertising and other contacts with your customers to tell the story behind your story.  It will create loyalty to your brand over the pretty package sitting next to your product on the shelf. 

      

A classic example of assuming that someone knows something when they really don’t happened to our family when we were traveling in England in 1980.  Everyone in England assumed that since we were Americans we had to know who shot J.R. on the popular show Dallas.  Our trip was just after the famous cliff hanger on Dallas that made television history (watch it here).  The show had a huge following, not only had most Americans tuned it to the cliff hanger but so did 53 countries.

Momtherapy :: The Essential Guide to packing an Aromatherapy Travel Kit

As I was packing my essential aromatherapy travel kit I twittered about it.  I got several requests to share what I was including.  At camp my cabin became the aromatherapy headquarters as I soothed bug bites, sunburns and sedated overly tired campers.  I had a lot of requests to purchase the actual kit that I had brought with me.  I declined because we are heading to family camp in Montana this July and will need all my aromatherapy travel essentials there as well.  Instead I decided to share how anyone can create their own aromatherapy travel kit.  I don't always need it all but at camp I'd prefer to be over prepared. 

      

If you need help figuring out percentages in order to mix the following recipes use the Essential Wholesale weights and measurements guide. 

A Seven Year Sabbatical Well Earned from Essential Wholesale

Dave is the first Essential Wholesale employee to reach the seven year mark and earn his company sponsored Sabbatical.  He and his family are spending the three week Sabbatical renting a house in Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast.  After seven years of employment at Essential Wholesale, through years of explosive growth at times, Dave is well deserving of the three weeks paid Sabbatical. 

      

The kids and I stopped by to see Dave's family in Lincoln City last week after our adventure at camp.  I can tell that Dave will return to work fully rested and ready to take on what the next seven years hold at Essential Wholesale.  Essential Wholesale benefits include a 3-week paid sabbatical for every 7 years of full-time employment to include a $3,000 credit toward any expenses planned during the sabbatical. 

GMP Equipment

"Equipment and utensils used in processing, holding, transferring and filling are of appropriate design, material and workmanship to prevent corrosion, buildup of material, or adulteration with lubricants, dirt or sanitizing agent."

Even when you have the right equipment if it isn't properly maintained you are wasting your money on good equipment.  It is vital to use the right equipment, that you maintain it, clean it and log it all.  Creating logs not only gives you a birds eye view of your own systems but also provides a record of your compliance with GMP regarding equipment. 

      

The right equipment for one company might not be the right equipment for another depending on what you are manufacturing.  In general stainless steel is best for most equipment.  The key to cleaning equipment and not transferring contamination from one batch to another is non-porous materials. 

Once you invest in the right equipment maintain it, log it, maintain it, log it, maintain it, log it!

Wordless Wednesday #24 :: You Know You Have a Weird Cat When...

Monday Morning Motivational Moment #4 :: Randy Pausch Last Lecture

By now I am sure that you have all watched Randy Pausch giving his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University.  But honestly you can't watch this video too many times.

Some of my favorite quotes from his last lecture include:

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

"If you want to achieve your dreams, you better learn to work and play well with others…[you have] to live with integrity."

"Get a feedback loop and listen to it. Your feedback loop can be this dorky spreadsheet thing I did, or it can just be one great man who tells you what you need to hear. The hard part is the listening to it."

"Don’t bail: the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap."

"Decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eyeore. I’m a Tigger." Ok this one is one of my favorites because I'm a Tigger too. 

"Better to fail spectacularly than do something mediocre."

"I’ve never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion. We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived."