An Australian mum has launched a gift-giving business that aims to give back to socially-conscious brands.
Michelle Smith is a self-confessed “wannabe social justice activist” who for many years couldn’t find an outlet for her passion.
But in 2017 she finally found the courage to launch Curated with Conscience.
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The ethical gift hamper brand, based in Melbourne, handpicks gifts from social enterprises, design-led sustainable brands, Australian small-batch producers and First Nations-led businesses.
“When I lived in London for a time, I remember taking a very long day trip to Edinburgh to join the Make Poverty History march during the G8 summit in 2005,” Michelle said.
“My companions successfully manoeuvred their way past police to join the protest. My path was blocked by an officer who told me to nick off.
“So I took myself off to the nearby Fair Trade store and shopped up a storm on products with social impact. The credit card is mightier than the sword?!”
It was during her stint in the UK in the mid 2000s that Michelle found herself inspired by the growing fair trade and corporate social responsibility movements.
Brands such as Innocent Smoothies had cult-like followings of customers who loved the delicious smoothies and their social impact stories.
“Reading the book Business as Unusual by The Body Shop founder Anita Roddick was another game changer for me: I desperately wanted to be part of this amazing business movement changing the world,” Michelle said.
Returning to Australia, where fair trade was still considered quite fringe, Michelle struggled to find a “fit”.
She ended up on a conventional corporate marketing career trajectory.
“I yearned for more purpose in my work but I never quite found it in corporate,” she said.
“Instead I tried to scratch that itch by doing volunteer work with Oxfam and making donations to humanitarian groups.
“I actively sought out brands with an ethical ethos to spend my money with. This is where the seed of a business idea was planted.
“Ten or so years ago, buying ethically invariably meant sacrificing on design and aesthetics.
“I wanted to buy gifts with gorgeous design and incredible quality first and foremost, that had the added layer of being socially conscious: Beautiful gifts that did good too.
“The drive to make a difference persisted, and I finally found the courage to launch Curated with Conscience in 2017 shortly after having my first baby, Charlie.
“Being home with a baby, absorbing a steady stream of frightening news stories about looming climate change catastrophe, political leadership failings, indifference to the suffering of marginalised groups, and the erosion of human rights world-wide, I realised I didn’t want to go back to my old life.”
Michelle’s vision for Curated with Conscience is to see purpose-driven businesses thrive and increase their share of spend, to normalise the practice of ethical procurement and to financially support social justice, humanitarian and environmental protection not-for-profits.
When you give a gift of a Curated with Conscience hamper, you create positive social impact: for example, SisterWorks fig jam supports women refugees and migrants in Melbourne.
There are also gifts such as grazing boards crafted from upcycled wine barrels, and the “Powered by the Sun” hamper that funds climate action.
Every hamper contains a “Gift Menu” card that shares the inspiring stories of its artisan and social enterprise partners.
Curated with Conscience is partnering with social enterprise SisterWorks to create employment for women refugees, migrants and asylum seekers who will assemble the gift hamper orders this 2023 Christmas season.
To shop all of the gift hampers, please visit the website here.