Tēnā koutou,
There's always poetry behind our lives here and amongst Jem's various skills is poetry, a love of literature, writing poetry, hosting poetry nights in our bookshop, and publishing the odd poem on social media and in the windows around our city center.
But the name came from me, this time.
Like our 100% pure ethical and undiluted essential oils, the idea flowed naturally in one shot. For every artist, it's always satisfying when on your first try, voilà: the artwork is just what you envisioned. This was how I felt when the logo and name came into being.
Although we are not uniquely named like Toyota nor a renowned family's surname such as McLeods or Whittaker’s, registering our brand and name in the Intellectual Property Offices was surprisingly easy. Although my dream name was BE NZ, this was already a global trademark for a luxury brand of cars that were multi champions in Formula 1.
Be refers to a lifestyle. A way to live. I love to have things and I'm often am a consumer when it comes to clothes, strawberry icecreams, tennis equipment, tech gadgets. Jemma has a similar weakness when it comes to dresses, books, house plants and fountain pens. But if I had to choose between a strawberry Häagen-Dazs and a Ferris Wheel Press fountain pen, there's something they have in common: one lasts a glimpse, one lasts decades but they are all finite. Be is about more than having.
Be is also a tribute to nature. Our website beessentialoils.co.nz is in fact a wordplay with the insect that is essential for the continuation of all life on this planet including ours: the bees. Although it is not recognised as an official NZ symbol, bees are known as one of the most important animals in New Zealand, they are the guardians of biodiversity and makers of one of our most precious resources: Mānuka honey.
Be is art. The watercolour circle in our logo celebrates creativity and human expression through art.
Have you noticed our logo doesn't mention what we do but who we are and our main value?
Read our next blog post to find out more…
~Rafa