Essential Oil brand launched a 1% Organic Fund, a project that aims to aid farmers and their communities with 1% of the proceeds from the sales of Aura Cacia organic products.
The program promotes the sustainable production of natural and organic products and creates partnerships built upon a mutual respect for quality botanicals and sound social and environmental principles. By bringing high quality, socially responsible products to the marketplace, the program gives consumers the opportunity to use their purchases to influence the way the world does business.
The fund’s first project is the Ambohimena School in Madagascar, a pre-school for the children of families who cultivate ylang ylang flowers in the Ambohimena village. Before the two-room school was built, the nearest educational center was seven miles away.
“While visiting Madagascar, we learned that over half of the children come from single parent homes” said Aura Cacia denior brand manager, Jane Merten. “Being a single parent is a challenge in the United States. Just imagine what it’s like in a third world country. Traveling to the source helped us make personal connections with the farmers which uncovered what their real concerns are—the future of their children.”
The school accommodates up to 60 children from two to five years old; the first-year salaries of the two school teachers are funded by Aura Cacia’s 1% fund.