Here is a sustainable business that is making difference in the travel industry – Prima Berry London – an eco-friendly online brand that offers inspiring travel items for those who love ecotourism and fashion.
The name PrimaBerry is the combination of the Portuguese word “Prima”, which means “top quality”. It is also associated with “primavera” (the Portuguese word for “Spring”), with the English word “Berry”, associated with health, youth and kindness.
The products made with Portuguese cork are my favourite pieces. But you can also find pieces made with banana fibre, recycled coffee pods and other sustainable materials. Read now interview with the founder Susana to Discover how PrimaBerry impacts the planet with materials that combine high quality and sustainable choices.
Midlands Traveller: Tell me a little bit about your background in business.
Susana: I am originally from Portugal, and I moved to the UK to pursue a master’s degree in Hospitality Management and have worked in the industry for 10+ years.
Amin is originally from Bangladesh, holds a Master’s degree in Business Management and has worked in retail for the past 5+ years. We always worked for others but we knew that one day we would want to have our own business.
MT: How did you come up with the idea of a business like yours?
S: During the pandemic, I was furloughed from her hospitality job so she took that opportunity to do different courses, and workshops and watch endless youtube videos to develop her marketing and social media skills to achieve her biggest goal: Start her own brand.
Together with my partner, we created PrimaBerry, a dream come true that combines what they love most: fashion, travelling, and people. We just launched last September and I decided to leave her job to focus 100% on their new adventure.
We knew from the beginning that they wanted their business to be as sustainable as possible: We use sustainable and recycled materials, and seed tags, avoid plastic as much as possible, fund tree planting, support small artisans and do not support work slavery.
Being always involved in national and international volunteering projects, they want to continue to give back. At PrimaBerry, they donate 5% of their profits to causes and projects mainly related to education and animal welfare.
MT: What is the main inspiration for your products?
S: Blue is one of the main colours in our brand, not only because is one of our favourite colours but because is the colour of blueberries, the sea, the sky, it reminds us of travelling.
The circles in the logo represent the world, the different countries and places that Susana and Amin have visited, as well as the different cultures and people that inspire PrimaBerry’s products, that’s why we also used them on our boxes.
Also as a travel brand, we needed to have a plane design on our box and an inspirational message.
MT: Tell me about PrimaBerry’s mission?
S: Every country and place you visit has a story, countless memories and something special that you can never describe. Our mission is to capture all that and express it through fashionable clothing and accessories that you will be proud to share with the world.
We are starting with the United Kingdom and Portugal, but we won’t stop there. You will soon find new items inspired by a variety of other countries from around the world.
MT: What is unique about your business?
S: All our items and designs have a history behind them, they are unique, versatile and timeless. For example, our Passport Covers and Luggage Tags were designed to transport you to a paradisiac holiday: You wake up to watch the sunrise, have a lovely day at the beach or sail in the sea and finish the day contemplating a colourful Sunset.
Our Passport names and designs came from this idea. We have matching items for each design we created, perfect for people who like to have matching accessories or offer a special gift box to someone.
MT: What is your kind of clientele?
S: Our main target public are travellers and people interested in travelling who care about our earth and sustainability.
MT: What are the challenges of a business like yours?
S: We tried hard to source all our packaging from the UK and we are very proud of our achievements but hopefully, in the future, more companies in the UK will have a wider range of sustainable options.
Many people still think sustainable fashion is very expensive and also they do not know much about the type of materials that we use, so one of our main goals is to educate them about sustainability and guide them to do more conscious purchases.
MT: What are the rewards of providing a service like yours?
S: The opportunity to meet people from all over the world, get to know amazing artisans, new materials, and techniques and have the opportunity to teach our audience about sustainability and ethical fashion whilst introducing them to new cultures.
MT: What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a business like yours?
S: Do not be upset or think about giving up just because your family and friends do not support your business idea. Work hard and let your success speak on your behalf.
Also do not think you can do everything by yourself, finding a business mentor/coach or enrol in a Business Bootcamp/Membership will help you take your business to the next level.
MT: What are the next steps for PrimaBerry London?
S: We have countless plans for PrimaBerry, and we want our customers to be a part of this journey.
Looking ahead, we want to expand the number of countries that inspire our items and continue to come up with innovative and exciting sustainable accessories and clothing.
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