We believe in supporting Canadian products, not for the sake of it, but because our nation boasts some of the finest brands and designers in the world. This Canadian-based company provides safe, organic menstrual products for women and girls, and de-stigmatizes talking about periods.
Finding inexpensive organic pads and tampons can be nearly as painful as cramps. 26 year-old Taran Ghatora noticed this with menstruation product companies having no direct-to-consumer relationships. During her masters of law at the University of British Columbia, Taran created an online subscription service with customizable boxes alongside her sister, Bunny, who was then an accounting student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Meet Blume.
Previously named Ellebox, the company slayed a Dragon with their pitch in 2016. Blume carries its own line of pads, tampons, deodorant, oil rollers, face wash, and acne treatment. Base boxes start with the choice of regular or super tampons, regular overnight pads or a mix. Add-ons include liners, the self-care bundle (face wash, deodorant, and acne treatment) or the PMS bundle (chocolate, tea, and oil roller Cloud 9). Before their product’s release, the duo discussed with their customers which products they liked the most. They heard a need for natural deodorant, a paraben-free face wash and an acne treatment without benzoyl peroxide.
Through an extensive community survey asking about their puberty experiences, education, and “what was good, bad and what they struggled with. 60% of women could pinpoint their self-esteem plummeted when they went through puberty, and 79% of women use the same products their moms used,” Taran says.
After her personal experience with her PCOS diagnosis—a common hormonal disorder—at age 21 and unanswered questions in doctor’s offices, Bunny turned to the internet for conversations to answer her questions—namely a holistic alternative—but was “pretty left in the dark,” Bunny says.
“There were so few non-fragmented articles available, and that helped us solidify why Blume needs to exist.”
Blume’s website adds educational blog posts catered to young girls going through puberty and shares people’s stories to provide a sense of community. By opening up that conversation and encouraging it, Taran explains, Blume helps dismantle the large stigma that every woman and girl grow up in quiet conversation about. “As much as it’s been hush-hush [in society], it’s not because women don’t want to talk about these things, and that’s been interesting to see.”
Men also chime into the conversation, and are excited about the online service. Many women say they experience less UTIs and discomfort, according to Bunny, who mentions Blume has a lot of customers with PCOS and endometriosis reaping the benefits of their products.
Blume recently did a 30-day self-care challenge. “It’s something we encourage ourselves to do, our team, and our customers to do,” says Bunny. The sisters own self-care routines involve drinking lots of water, getting adequate sleep, cutting down on caffeine, journaling and meditation. Of course, Bunny and Taran incorporate their products into their self-care routines, favouring Cloud 9 and Meltdown.
“Self-care means so much more than putting on a face mask or lighting a candle, it’s a holistic view on the things we can do throughout our day to make us feel good…whether it’s a few extra glasses of water or hugging our mom,” Taran says.
Blume also works with Days for Girls, an organisation that supplies young girls in other countries, who are held back in school when they are menstruating, with pads and tampons. Taran adds, Blume’s mission to educate girls, provide safe, effective products and be the brand girls grow up with, “goes with any kind of flow.”
