Huia.com

 Meet Simon Blarch the colourful character behind 'Creative Nature' - ethical sustainable organic superfoods & take advantage of his 25% discount offer www.creative-nature.co.uk code: 'Huia07'

Q. Simon, first things first... thank you for taking the time to share your time, thoughts and tales with us ……

No worries

Q. And a massive congratulations on winning the prestigious GreenPeace award at the world renoun Glastonbury Festival a few months ago

Cheers, it was a hard slog with the bad weather but the award made it all worthwhile. The criteria was quite strict and included: what you offered, quality, presentation, ethical sourcing and the crew: customer interaction and their knowledge of the products and menu. It was good to be finally recognised as it was all my creative endeavours rolled into one.

Q. I am a huge HUGE fan of ‘Creative Nature’ – quality products, great vibe, wonderful name – how did the whole concept arise??

I’ve always wanted to create a business for healing and teaching purposes not to focus on the money, that is my personal ethos and to find compatible people to work with.

However, to survive and provide the level of education I wish to give the Company needed to take a more commercial approach, which is currently in process now using more marketing techniques than educational techniques. But to me, education is number 1 – you can spend money on marketing but if the people don’t understand why, it’s not worth it.

I do not wish ‘Creative Nature’ to lose its essence. All the products were given to me as a gift of nature, to be a guardian in a way I guess – to protect and promote that essence for peoples healing benefit. Therefore, sustainability is a big issue for me. It needs to be an organic growth of awareness to feed the demand, therefore forcing farmers into a non-organic practice or mass farming ruins the true essence of the plant or herb.

Hence why I strongly believe that education and not marketing will support a natural organic growth as people understand why.

Q. Absolutely! So what was your deciding moment to go healthy?

You really want to know?? (Hesitant pause) ..... Really? Right, okay then … well, I don’t know if you’ll really want to put this in there, but if it helps people .. okay …

Basically I was mashed up at 22 years old – excessive living in all areas of life that eventually lead to its opposite – no living. I was borderline schizophrenic, suffered from paranoia, depression, chronic fatigue, insomnia, mood swings and skin complaints. I even had a form of rheumatoid arthritis, it took me two hours to get my swollen hands moving in the morning.

The Doctors prescribed me loads of drugs. But pharmaceutical drugs and the alcohol did not mix. The moment of truth was after a five day bender I woke up covered in my own excrement, vomit and urine. Although conscious I could not move for six to seven hours. I had totally hit rock bottom. I had my epiphany, I had to take responsibility to sort myself out. Nutrition was the Key. I was too weary of pharmaceuticals and western conventional medicine through my own experience and those of close others.

Q. Thank you for your honesty, wow ….. who were your guides? What books were you reading?

Patrick Holford: The optimum nutrition bible. Taoist healing books.  I embarked on an intense path of self study for two years. In 2001 I met a guy at an event who was importing Herbs from South America and we clicked. He started sending me Herbs to test and I started researching Herbs for him – he kinda sponsored me to set up my own London business. I then dreamed up the name ‘Creative Nature’. One year later I started doing shows and exhibitions. In 2003 I did 300 shows averaging one to two a week – Abbey Mills, Spittalfield markets, Greenwich. I wanted to increase awareness, take it to the market, I couldn’t afford a shop.

Q. So who have you exactly catered for? Who is in your desired market??

The sick, athletes looking for alternatives to synthetic performance enhancers, everybody really …. the spiritually aware, health conscious people, anyone that’s starting to take responsibility for their health. The purpose of running the business is through lectures and education: open up the market, make people aware of the importance and benefits of good nutrition.

Q. Many of us reading this would not have the slightest clue about ‘Superfoods’ would you mind please telling us exactly what this term means?

‘Superfoods’ or healing herbs are considered to be the most nutritionally dense foods on earth. We are aiming to provide affordable healing foods at a sustainable level. As I said earlier, I see myself in a guardian role, as we all should do.

Q. What is your top selling product?

Manuka Honey.

Q. Do you think Superfoods really work?

I’ve personally exhibited at well over 300 exhibitions and I’ve met numerous people who have healed themselves through nutrition and proudly with our products. Also people have contacted me through e-mails and letters plus I include my own personal experiences and that of friends.

Also it is what you know intuitively – this might sound barmy, but it makes perfect natural sense to me. The truth is obvious when you start getting passionate about the fundamentals of nutrition and the anatomy and physiology of the body.

Q. Simon, you are a pioneer. Was it difficult establishing such a pioneering business?

YES!!! Speaking to the totally ignorant was and continues to be tough. Also, establishing trust with products people don’t know about – both the products and company are unknown entities. You are the example, it is the weight on your shoulders. It’s down to me to sell it. It all got done with passion and giving away free products galore.

A HUGE obstacle is the Medical Control Agency / Food Standards Association (FSA)/ Trading standards – it is like dealing with a two-headed dragon: they are there to protect the people yet they are funded by the pharmaceutical industry – restrictions are placed about what you can and can’t say about a product despite folk law history, independent research, personal experiences and sometimes even scientific medical research. At the end of the day they were set up to protect and promote the pharmaceutical industry and create a market they could control.

Q. Where does the bulk of your business lie??

Predominantly Wholesale: The Natural Kitchen, Revital, small independents, Wholefoods, selected Waitrose, Red23, Julian Grave’s chain, Tree of Life, Marigolds

Festivals/shows: creative arts, environmental, holistic health shows – good for educational aspects

Website: which we are developing further.

Q. People over the world are reading this, how can they source their own Superfoods?? Do you deliver only in the UK?

95% of our internet sales are in the UK but we will ship anywhere, as long as they are prepared to pay the shipping costs. I suggest that they just ‘Google’ their own country and take it from there.

Q. I don’t believe that there are many companies out there doing what you do though?

Yep, they may struggle.

Q. So, the festival season has drawn to a close in the UK. …. Where to from here for Simon Blarch?

Definitely a great big holiday!!

I am taking 6 months ‘time out’ for myself – for self-health, to study more in-depth the mountains of information I’ve come across and to research and discover more. I need the time to focus on new ways of putting education out there. I’m going to India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand/Cambodia. I don’t know where it’s all going to go….

Maybe it’s time to slow down?? I won’t know until I get away.

I want to sort out a chemical-free Body Care Range – I’ve got loads and loads of products to release every few months – I already have the formulas for moisturisers, herbs and oils and soaps – I just basically need someone to come along with the money.

I just want to continue being creative – come up with herbal blends, Superfood blends – a ‘Complete Nutrition Product’ with a minimum of all the essential nutrients. I would need someone else to do the Herbal Tinctures though. I need to continue teaching and using my ideas, I don’t want to become stale.

‘Chaiwallahs’ café really stimulates me. WE had 250 000 people pass through and we are offering nothing but goodness. It’s a recovery zone to replenish/restore with fresh creative entertainment and fresh herbs. I want to reach more people with that one (www.myspace.com/chaiwallahs).

Oh! And write a book ….. that’s a big one and something I’ve been feeling I should do for a long time now.

Simon, bless you! Thank you so very much for your time, honesty and passion. People like you push the boundaries and help make natures nutritional gifts accessible to all, as it should be! Thank you. Have a wonderful deeply relaxing holiday (& great adventures)

… oh! & cheers for the discount too!! To sample the benefits of Creative Nature’s ethically traded Superfoods for yourself log onto www.creative-nature.co.uk an easy to use informative site - and remember to make the most of Simon’s kind offer of 25% discount code: 'Huia07' Enjoy! :-)