We are excited to announce that Lowen’s has teamed up with REAP Calgary and Apiaries & Bees for Communities (ABC Bees) for a very special cause!

Most of us are unaware of the importance of bees to our very existence and for this reason, we highly recommend the documentary, “The Vanishing of the Bees”, which truly outlines the remarkable relationship between Humankind and Mother Earth.

Why use locally sourced ingredients?

Lowens’ Creative Mastermind, Chad Zelensky, has always been a big believer in fostering relationships with local suppliers in order to keep the company as close to home as possible.

While in the past he has had to go as far as Ontario to source ingredients like non-GMO soy, the company has since moved in a direction that allows collaborations with Calgary based suppliers.

Chad says, “We have always been interested in sourcing local beeswax here in Calgary. I tried sourcing wax from Alberta, and I got onto some message boards. I made some good relationships as far as sourcing wax, but not so much in Calgary until Stephanie from REAP mentioned Apiaries and Bees for Communities. We have been using their beeswax in our lip balms ever since!”

The benefits of local partnerships reach far and wide – maintaining close relationships with fellow Calgarians while also doing our part to save the bees…more on that below…

Learn more about two of the local companies we’ve partnered with and which we are happy to introduce to you below!

Who are REAP?

REAP stands for “Respect for the Earth and All People.”

They are a not-for-profit association for locally owned businesses that care about the community and the environment.

REAP has helped tremendously in our quest to keep the ingredients used in Lowen’s products as local as possible.

Who are ABC Bees?

We’ve been working with ABC Bees for some time now incorporating their wax into our natural skincare products.

One of the many things we love about them is that they are 100% “dedicated to the resilient management of honey bees and pollinator guardianship.”

Their Bumble Bee Rescue Program’s main aim is to educate homeowners about bee nests that may be found on their property or to help safely relocate the nests in certain circumstances. 

The Bumble Bee Rescue Program receives up to 100 calls and emails every year about found bumble bee nests on properties.

Often, after educating homeowners about their docile nature, they allow the nest to remain.

However, in cases where it is not possible for a nest to remain in their original location, the Bumble Bee Rescue Program gets to work by offering a removal service that  relocates the colony to partners within the community.

This is so important as bumble bees struggle with a loss of habitat and suitable nesting grounds.

So where does Lowen’s come in?

We are excited to announce right here to our blog readers that we will be using locally sourced ingredients to create a new honey flavored lip balm!

$1 from each sale will go to ABC Bees for Bumble Bee Rescue in the Calgary area.

It’s a big priority of ours to keep all ingredients locally sourced and the ingredients in our lip balms reflect that.

We use certified organic (non-GMO) canola oil from Highwood Crossing, which is a local, certified organic grain farm in High River. This oil provides our lip balms with high amounts of essential fatty acids, which is so important in keeping the lips soft and hydrated, especially during our brutal Winters.

We have also recently partnered with with Botaneco, a Calgary based company that produces naturally-occurring emulsifiers called oleosomes.

The neat thing about this product is that it’s derived from certified organic safflower, which has a water-loving layer and a water-hating layer. So these two components work together to naturally mix water and oil — critical components in many personal care products. We are going to be putting that in our lip balms for the first time and we are really excited!

We can’t wait for you to try our honey lip balm and you can feel good every time you apply it, because you will be part of this wonderful cause to save the bees!

If you love our products and support our causes please vote for us at REAP’s 2015 Be Local Awards!

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