From side-gig to B Corp and a business worth celebrating

Jeuneora, an Ōtautahi-based beauty and wellness company founded by Monique Kaminski in 2016, has moved in leaps and bounds since its first product launched. Back then, she had 100 units of Renew+ Marine Collagen Super Powder sitting in her garage, with no idea how to sell it. 

So with no marketing budget, she built a website, brought long-time friend Meg Falconer on board and turned to social media. At a time when ‘influencer’ wasn’t even a buzzword, it took one post from Millie Elder Holmes to put Renew+ on everyone’s lips. 

That was just the beginning for Jeuneora, which has now processed 230,000+ orders online and generated more than $30m in online sales. In August 2022, they officially became B Corp certified, joining a small group of 100 businesses to be awarded the certification in Aotearoa, with 16 of them based in Christchurch. 

B Corps are companies that meet the highest levels of independently verified transparency and accountability around their social and environmental impact to ultimately support the path to a regenerative economy. Getting certified is no easy feat, and it was Monique’s right-hand-woman, COO Colleen Itterman, who led the charge toward certification, and they leaned on local expert Tim Jones from GrowGood, who guided them through the process. 

B Corp made sense as the next step in their commitment to sustainability. They were already making conscious decisions that aligned with B Corp principles like the Jeuneora Giving Programme, sustainable packaging and their closed-loop recycling programme. Increasingly, consumers are choosing brands that align with their values, and B Corp eliminates that hesitation of choice – right away, a consumer knows they can trust it. 

For Jeuneora, B Corp certification recognises their holistic approach to sustainability and commitment to continuous improvement so they can leave a positive impact on the environment, their community, customers, and employees. They are now working with Toitū to measure their carbon emissions and continue to scale sustainably. 

Monique has always been driven by seeing the benefits people experience with their products. Jeuneora’s most recent supplement release, Beauty Sleep Adaptogenic Super Powder, has sold out twice. In the first hour of their restock, one unit was sold every three seconds. 

That is not surprising, given that 3000 people were on the waitlist. It has proven to be so popular that they’ve recently released Beauty Sleep in capsule form too. 

The B Corp journey for the rest of Christchurch and New Zealand is at the far end of the sustainability curve, but consumer demand is pushing the curve forward. In a recent survey by the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, two-thirds of Canterbury businesses said they considered sustainability when making decisions, while almost a third said sustainability was at the front of their minds. 

Sponsored by ChristchurchNZ for B Corp Month.