City College’s Farmers’ Market has provided the student body and neighboring community with a variety of fresh produce and delicacies featured by local farmers. Recently, the market has seen a new product rare to the traditional market, brought by a City College student.
Ashley Turner, co-owner of the company Natural to Natural, sells whipped Shea butter at the Sunday Market. Shea butter is a fat derived from the nut of the African Shea tree, and is compatible with cooking, as well as skin and hair-moisturizing. Shea butter has a nutty, earth-like aroma that some find unpleasing, which is where whipped Shea comes into play. Turner began selling Shea four months ago after she and co-owner Melissa Nelson experimented with different scents to enhance the appeal of the butter.
“Originally, I was whipping it with honey. A customer bought it and I asked for feedback and she said it was great,” Turner said. “I eventually took out the honey, because it was too sticky, and have added different ingredients to my product”.
Natural to Natural has citrus, lavender, cedar wood and peppermint scents, as well as an unscented skin product. Honey was replaced by a variety of oils such as coconut oil, avocado oil, castor oil and vitamin E oil, essential oils used to craft a refined blend of whipped Shea butter.
Turner recently joined the City College Farmer’s market one month ago, and the response to her business has been positive.
“I feel that it’s a great way to reach the community and to also launch a successful business,” Turner said.
Natural to Natural’s co-owner has her sights set on other markets, in addition to bolstering her sales. The Internet has developed into a solid trade route, and Turner wasted no time in creating a site for her product. “I would like the majority of my marketing to come from the Internet and from blog exposure,” Turner said. “I will also be featuring my product at the Farmers’ Market on Sundays”.
The market is held every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the F parking lot on campus.
You can find the Natural to Natural site at naturaltonatural.com