About Us

THE STORY SO FAR

Our story begins in 2020 with our founders Mark Geary and Andrew Ryland launching an online business, at the start of a global pandemic, from their two bedroom flat in Sale, Manchester with the belief that they could make not only premium natural skincare but they could also make a difference. Their intention was to create a range of skincare that was free from single-use plastic, made from cruelty-free natural ingredients and presented in no-fuss, recyclable packaging. The formulations would be their own and every ingredient would have a function, if it wasn't needed or didn't serve a purpose then it wouldn't be added. There would be no gimmicks, no false promises and full transparency so that the customer can invest in the brand with full faith. Welcome to Truly Artisan. Read more.

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OUR PURPOSE

Truly Artisan has the planet, nature, community, equality and empowerment at its core. It believes in the power of self-care and uses it's voice as a business to promote the causes that resonate with us from body positivity to testing on animals.

Our planet is beautiful. We are all beautiful. We believe that it is our job to shout about that from the rooftops. 

In truth, we are a small business in it's infancy but that doesn't mean we cannot try our best to make a difference. Change comes from those who try and we are trying our best to do what we can to make a difference and limit the impact our business has on the planet. They maybe baby steps compared to some businesses but they are steps in the right direction.

Our mantra from the very beginning has been, do good, be good and make good things happen. Find out more about our ethos here.

PART OF THE REVOLUTION

If the pandemic had a silver lining, it was the shift in the shopping culture from shopping with faceless, global brands to seeking out and supporting small, local, independent businesses. Before the pandemic kicked in, we were becoming obsessed with ordering online because it was convenient and retailers we using every trick in the book to ensure that we switched to online shopping because it was cheaper and easier for them. For years the big, new shiny malls and superstores left our local high streets for dead and now the same thing is happening with online shopping. Not only is it another nail in the coffin for the high street but it is also emptying our malls of physical stores too. Today, there is a shopping revolution, people are returning to shopping small and visiting artisan the markets. There is a real passion for connecting with small businesses,  and meeting the people behind the products. This is where our brand comes alive. We love our online customers and we are so grateful to have both online and physical sales but it is on the cobbles of an historic market place or on a road in a city centre market that our brand shines. We are so proud to be part of this shopping revolution, we get to connect with new people in different towns every weekend. For us, seeing people try our products, having the opportunity to discuss our journey with them and building up those customer relationships on a face to face basis is what business is all about.

But we are in an economic crisis and shopping small costs more. Correct. We can't sugar coat that. Shopping small does cost more and it is at this point in the argument that we refer to Vininne Westwood's quote...“buy less, choose well, make it last”. Part of this shopping revolution is about buying less but buying better, investing in small businesses and making it last.

Call us old fashioned but we love it.  Long may the revolution continue!!!

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COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION

"Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much." - Unknown

We launched our business the same week as the first national lockdown, our launch date had always been planned and it just so happened to collide with the biggest news story of our lifetime. The original idea was to launch the business, book onto the local artisan markets and build the brand from there but over night that option was shut down. We launched our website but it's impossible to make sales if you don't have an audience and there are only so many times your Facebook friends can support you. We needed to find an audience, we needed to something that would connect us to shoppers. Shortly after launching the business and inspired by similar groups on Facebook, Mark launched a public Facebook group, M33 Artisans. The intention behind the group was to connect like minded M33 based makers with people who wanted to support local, independent businesses. The group started just at the right time and before the end of 2020 it had grown to over 2000 members and today it is on course for 4500 members. We are so proud and grateful for the support the group has had as it has been a vital lifeline for many local makers like ourselves, it has inspired new businesses, it has forged friendships and it has brought together an entire community of makers. M33 Artisans helped to launch Truly Artisan and it allowed us to build a wonderful base of local customers as well as support many other businesses, from sourdough and pies to florists, from macrame and craft kits to wooden tables... the community of makers and shoppers thrives proving that social media does have it's positive side.