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“WE’RE LEARNING EVERY hour on the hour. That’s what running your own business is like.”
In just six years, Pestle & Mortar co-founder Sonia Deasy has watched her beauty brand grow at an exponential rate.
From one product and no employees in 2014, to watching her range sell out of Marks & Spencer one week after it went onto shelves in 2019, Deasy has made her mark in the beauty world in a relatively short space of time.
So, how did she do it? As part of the Local Enterprise Offices’ #MakingItHappen campaign for Local Enterprise Week, Deasy chatted us through some things she’s learned along the way that could be helpful to anyone else with a business idea, or an existing business.
Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone
Having run a photography studio with her husband Padraic for 11 years prior to focusing solely on Pestle & Mortar, Deasy was no expert in the beauty business – but she believes this worked to her advantage.
There weren’t many Irish skincare companies five years ago – there still aren’t.
“We didn’t come from a skincare background but, in the end, what we didn’t know didn’t hurt us,” she says. “We were courageous. If we knew how tough it could have been, we might not have had the courage to do it.”
Look for the product you wish you had
It was while she was attending a photography conference that Deasy noticed makeup artists using creams containing hyaluronic acid on models’ skin, which led her to spot a gap in the market – and gave her the idea to create her brand. But where did the brand’s name come from?
“The inspiration for our name came from the pestle and mortar tool that’s used to ground herbs and spices,” she says. “My parents are Indian, and my dad’s brother is a medicine man in India today. My grandfather and great grandfather were medicine men too. My family has been involved in natural healing for more than 100 years, and that’s where the inspiration for the brand came from; through science and nature.”
With this ethos is mind, Deasy worked with laboratories in Asia, Germany and Ireland to create Pestle & Mortar’s first product – Pure Hyaluronic Serum.
“We were one of the first companies selling hyaluronic acid serum,” says Deasy. “I believe we were market leaders in the trend.”
Dream big
Not long after this, Deasy and her husband decided to go after the US market. The first step in doing this? Getting a spot on QVC, an American home-shopping channel that reaches an estimated 96 million households.
If you’re selling a product like we are, there’s no reason why it won’t sell in another market, once you’ve organised the infrastructure.
“We knew that QVC gave instant access into millions of homes in the States,” she shares. “Looking back now, we had the guts to do it. We met the QVC sales team and showed them our courage and our belief in the brand.”
After securing a slot – making Pestle & Mortar the first Irish skincare company to appear on the channel – the orders came in thick and fast.
“We sold out in seven minutes – less than 1% of new brands do that. It was monumental but we didn’t realise it, probably because we didn’t come from this industry.”
Learn about the help you can receive
After the brand’s success on QVC, Deasy received a congratulatory letter from Jacqui McNabb, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Kildare, asking her to meet for a chat. Deasy was aware of the Local Enterprise Office but, until then, wasn’t sure about what support her company could receive.
“I really don’t like spending time filling out forms – I just don’t have the time – and I thought that’s what I would be doing, so I said ‘no’ to coming in, but Jacqui convinced me,” she laughs.
And it’s just as well that she did. Through Local Enterprise Office Kildare, the company received the Business Priming Grant, which allowed Pestle & Mortar to hire eight staff members.
Since going on to win the National Enterprise Award last year, Pestle & Mortar has moved from being a client of the Local Enterprise Office to becoming one of Enterprise Ireland.
Always look for room for growth
With such a successful start, what’s next for Pestle & Mortar? Well, the brand is continuing to expand around the globe, including to Russia, the United Arab Emirates and to China’s online market. “Our focus for this year is new product development and expansion,” says Deasy.
As for whether the brand will ever move from its 10,000 sq ft base in Naas, Co Kildare, where there are now 30 staff employed, Deasy says that’s not on the cards.
“I grew up in Newbridge, our business is in Naas, we’ve five kids here. We’re true locals,” she shares. “We never want to set up our business in Dublin. We’ve gotten so much local support. If people support you locally, they really support you and are loyal.”
Have a business idea of your own? Local Enterprise Week, organised by the Local Enterprise Offices, is taking place from Monday March 2 to Friday March 6. Hundreds of events are being organised with the support of Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities – all designed to help you plan, start or grow your business in 2020. Find out what’s happening near you here. #MakingItHappen
If you’re inspired by Sonia Deasy’s story and want to take steps to start or develop your business, these Local Enterprise Week events might be of interest to you:
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I’m sure they were only for personal use
For medicinal purposes : )
Nnnnooooo, I was hoping for a bottle or two for Christmas, I will have to pop down to skibbereen again. Right silly question, I know a man, who makes his own Cider, distributes it to friends and family, not for cash. Could he be arrested for illegal distilling? The cider is mighty.
Well done Garda, keeping this $cum off our streets. Shocking carry on altogether. We can sleep better now.
Ah sure there’s no harm in a bitta poitin
I remember having bad pains in my knees years ago from playing sport. Neighbour of mine gave me a bottle of poitin to rub into the back of them, said it was a great relief. I drank the poitin instead and forgot all about my knee troubles.
Its the greyhounds that will suffer here
Paul If this “friend” (wink wink) of yours were to supply us all with some of this cider I’m sure there’d be no reports to the Gardai.
In all seriousness they sell home wine and beer making kits in supermarkets now so I’m sure there’s no way that you could be in trouble for that unless you were actually profiting from it. Spirits on the other hand it may actually be illegal to distill in the first place so I’m not sure where they draw the line, perhaps the % of alcohol is the issue.
I think cider is made by fermentation, not distillation. Here’s a link to Wiki:
Very good Monty. Like the name too!
@Ted, wink wink, there is the question: ‘perhaps the % of alcohol is the issue’, home made cider starts off at 0% (apple juice) and with no added ingredients becomes appox 9% through fermentation. To make it into brandy means it has to be distilled (through the still) to bring it up to 36%. Right, that’s fine no copper piping here :)
Johnny Jump up?
Its the non payment of Govt revenue that they want..You can make your own booze so long as you pay the tax on it.
You don’t distill cider for starters
@Eoin, you do when changing it to brandy :) Hic Up
I wonder did a few bottles go into the boot of a Garda car – for verification purposes of the ABV of the spirits, you understand !
Making cider isn’t distilling. I make it and wine and beer, all perfectly legally. Technically this is brewing. Home distilling is legal in New Zealand, I believe.
Brewing fermented beverages at home is OK – strong drink is distilled and that’s what’s illegal.
Party in the cop shop nite I’d say
Looks like a Cavan version of Breaking Bad !
I’d say revenue and the guards had a mighty piss up on Friday night.
“The evidence must have evaporated Your Honour”
Back in the ’50s, our local Gardai seized a poitin still.
Later that night, civilians had to intervene to stop the uniformed drunks beating each other!
Don’t do this at home:
boil 5 gallons of water and pour it over a mix of ten pounds of rolled oats (unflavored oatmeal) that has had a pound of 6 row barley (ground) and mixed in to it.
Allow this to sit until it is cool enough to add yeast, then add a dry ale yeast and 15 drops of liquid beano (or three of the pills). When you add the yeast/Beano enzyme to the cooled mash the stuff may be thick – like stiff oatmeal- don’t worry. The yeast breaks it down with the beano as it is fermenting. Within a day it will be a liquid with grain floating in it.
ferment until dry
double distill in a potstill.
Don’t age drink it white.
………….. And be sure to use “Super-Yeast” – gives an alcohol content yield of almost 20 % – and that is before the distillation process.
“McILLhatton you blurt, we need you, say a million shaking men”. Written by B.Sands, performed by C.Moore on the 1984 “Ride On” Album.
you can also distill by freezing. The alcohol and water freeze at different temperatures too.
Ya don’t expect the mean Cavan feckers ta pay for alcohol surely??
The the christmas bonuses sorted for the Seanad
Selfemployed .
That’s rotten…..boys just trying to get a few €’s for Christmas……looks like I’ll have to find another supplier……not that hard to do…..
How much does a bottle go for?
So much for supporting small local businesses…He was probably employing 2 or 3 local for seasonal work coming up to xmas……
Yes, Job-bridge – very enterprising indeed.
This sort of thing can be great fun but there is a serious side to it. Without sophisticated equipment and a trained distiller there is a high risk of methanol being distilled off with the ethanol. Methanol is toxic and can have very serious long and short term health effects quite apart from the random alcohol levels that can be found in unregulated distillation. So……yes there is a Revenue issue but there is a much more serious health issue. Alcohol poisoning was quite prevelent among young Irish men in the 1950s and 60s apart from blindness etc. However, that said, if you know what you are doing……a little apple brandy or a triple distilled spirit blended and coloured with things like vanilla can make a wonderful home made whisky, unlike those well known low priced Irish brands (coloured industrial spirit) being sold in supermarkets today.
True that there is a small danger of methanol poisoning mostly if they don’t run off the first few drops of distillate but luckily the cure for methanol poisoning is a heavy does of ethanol, which is present in poitin in spades!
Sorry to burst your bubble Michael, but you need to acquaint yourself with the basics of chemistry before you start lecturing………
It is not methanol but Fusil oil that is discarded from the first 100mL or so from a 20Litre distillation, lessening the quantity discarded for subsequent distillations from the initial 20 Litres of ethanol.
Fusel oil actually comes of towards the end of the distillation. It contains higher boiling alcohols. Whoever stated methanol comes off early in the distillation run is correct. Methanol is among the lower boiling alcohols. The concentration of methanol required to cause illness or damage to one’s health cannot be achieved through traditional fermentation and simple pot distillation. It’s somewhat a misconception that poitín caused blindness in the past. Many of the cases in the past of methanol poisoning was due to the use of industrial non-potable spirits to increase the volume of alcohol and not the actual poitín.
Breaking Bad.
Cavan shtyle
They still didn’t find mine…
hope it makes Baldie sweat a bit , high taxes encourage this and while I applaud their efforts quality control might be an issue. Homemade bear can be pretty good though.
Homemade bear?! Do tell! Just kidding. Lol!
No way man a bear would eat you
Can’t believe it took them this long. There’re dozens of them dotted about.
Potatoe drink feck gerls
You spelt ‘potato’ wrong. Twonk.
No, just the Dan Quayle variation
And girls twonker but you never picked up on that
Fair play! With alcohol prices rising and this fella doing the country proud showing his skills and initiative, he has drive, it’s not drug dealing like?! Sure there are people ruining this country robbing us blind but when an ordinary joe soap shows some balls they see an easy opportunity! #Legend!
Sean Quinn said he’d be back. He has some style.
Poitìn making a come back … The price of a half ain’t that bad
How much is it
Someone was watching Boardwalk Empire.
*Thats the christmas bonuses sorted for the Seanad
what a shame
Breaking Ballyconnell
Nice tune that
Oh me Knees Me Knees !
Oh shit.looks like the christmas party is off.
Nice work by Customs. The kids posting here obviously do not understand the dangers involved in drinking poison.
Cider is brewed (fermented apple juice)
Not distilled.
Somebody was watching too much of the simpsons
Hope it’s not the guy i get my stuff from!
How else are you supposed to make money in Cavan shur!?
Ah jaysus it was only for the calfs
Ah the Irish love affair with the piss , you can go blind from detached retinas from drinking that shit , but sure that’s grand . Smoke a joint on the other hand .
Lawless
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