Today we’d like to introduce you to Briar Kemper.
Briar, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My mom utilized herbal medicine and naturopathic medicine when I was a child so I was exposed to herbs at a young age. I spent my childhood growing up overseas and in India I was exposed to essential oils and ayurvedic medicine. After going to Seattle University and becoming a nurse at age 21, I found myself being drawn back to herbal medicine and low toxin living. I got interested in making my own skin care along that path because I have always had very sensitive skin and been allergic to many products. I also wanted to reduce my environmental footprint and I became very passionate about sustainability and was implementing that in as many aspects of my life as I could. So one of those was making as many products, household or otherwise that I could. It was a slow progression from there for several years and this all started in 2016. I started making products for friends and family and then decided to rebrand. I had saved enough money to where I could reduce my full-time nursing job and pursue Wild River Rose, this allowed me to put more energy into it. It was extremely scary but I took a leap and it ended up working out well for me where I can now balance nursing and Wild River Rose. I enjoy being able to explore both medical and herbal forms of healing. And being able to share that with others is really wonderful.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road over the past 10 years. I have struggled in a variety of ways, primarily with finances. Owning and running a business by yourself is really challenging when you also have the regular bills that come with life. So it took me a long time to save up enough money to be able to really even launch the business. I was just limping by for many years and making products as people were ordering them. Which was not as frequently as I needed to be able to pay for the ingredients and the supplies. On top of the finances I also needed time, in order to push the business forward in any capacity I needed time, and working a full-time job didn’t allow me for enough time to put towards the business. So I had to take a giant risk and reduce my full-time position to where I could have enough time to pursue Wild River Rose. And that was a big unknown whether it was going to be financially supportive in the end, but my intuition was strong and I knew I had to at least try to pursue the business. And I just wanted to know if there was a market for herbal skincare in Oregon, and if so, what would that look like. I also realized I’m passionate about more than just skincare and wanted to have an outlet to share my sustainability and environmentalism as well as the low toxin living lifestyle, so this leap of faith was a strong one. To get personal a little, I also struggled greatly with confidence in my ability to run a business by myself and juggle life and my profession. It took a lot of mentorship from peers and support from family and friends to continue to put energy and effort towards the business. It’s a lot more work than I realized initially and in a lot of ways learning as you go can be challenging but I’m also thankful for the support I had along the way to bounce ideas off of and to keep me focused on the end goal.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
By profession, I am a home health and hospice nurse. I think that in and of itself sets me apart because hospice is such a specialized field. I’ve also always known I’ve wanted to be a nurse since as long as I can remember. There’s just never been a question in my mind, almost as if being a nurse was always going to be my path. I have always idealized my two aunts and one of them is a 4th generation RN and I just knew I always wanted to be like her. I started Wild River Rose in 2016 and have chosen to focus on it for the last 6 years. I balance nursing, dog sitting, and Wild River Rose. A fun fact about me is that I love dogs and have two myself. I really enjoy dog sitting and dog walking. I have a small pool of clients that keep me busy. It’s a lot of fun. In the Wild River Rose realm, the most popular product and probably what I’m known for is two things: first is the Sunshine Serum Face Oil and the second is the Healing Calendula Salve. These are the two products that I get the most positive reviews on, and are two products that I use religiously myself. They’re the two products I recommend first to anyone who wants to try my line. And they’re the two products that are reordered the most. I have many clients who rely on these in their daily regimen. Wild River Rose is an herbal skin care company and I’m known for growing my herbs in my backyard organically. Then I dry the herbs and infuse them into organic carrier oils such as apricot, almond, olive, and others. I let these herbal infusions sit for 6 or more weeks and allow the oil to extract all the medicinal benefits from the herbs. I then strain the oil out and combine it with other plant-based oils and butters along with beeswax and essential oils to create a variety of natural skin care, self care, and body care products. This slow process is the traditional way to infuse herbs, and is not as common any longer because most people add the herbs to the oil and then heat them in a Crock-Pot or otherwise. This is effective and fast, however I prefer the slow, simple way that nature infuses herbs into oils, and I feel this creates a more potent and whole product. I am passionate and proud to use the slow, timeless method of infusing into glass jars. I’m the most proud of those two products, the slow dedication and care I take in making my skin care, and sourcing the highest quality ingredients that I can. I source as many local or Oregon-based ingredients as possible. Of the herbs that I do not grow or source from local farms or friends, I wild harvest in Oregon. My beeswax comes from my friend who’s a local beekeeper and honey producer. So keeping a small footprint , increasing local, increasing sustainability , slow infusions , plant-based ingredients. All of the sets me apart from many others.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I was following a local small business owner on Instagram and ended up reaching out to her for support. I also met several women while at local markets that I was vending at over the years who run successful businesses and have been very supportive. I also joined a local female business group who meets monthly and is always available to each other for support. I’ve also found that following some business related social media pages that have been helpful. And watching as many business related YouTube videos as possible. Don’t let fear prevent you from following your dream, it will work out in the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Wildriverrose.com
- Instagram: @wild.river.rose
- Facebook: @wild.river.rose
