Meet The Makers: Camelēr Spice Co.

This month we've had the pleasure of stocking Camelēr Spice Cº at the SoLo Craft Fair shop. Co founders Halle and Myles are great friends and started working together on a project in 2019. Realising from the offset that their values and interests were aligned they decided to direct their passion into setting up Camelēr Spice Cº. Here's a little bit about their brand and what you can find in store:

'As a human-centric brand, our ambition is to disrupt the spice industry, by taking you on a sensory journey, of universal tast and scent with our multipurpose offerings.

When a little seasoning goes a long way, the alchemy has to be superior.

Our spice mix offering is multiuse where each of our blends are curated for more than one specific recipe.

Milling and blending in-house, our artisnal blends are made with 100% natural ingredients.
Cooking, baking and cocktail making is about the exploration of taste buds and our mission is to nurture that enjoyment.

The name “Camelēr” (cameleer) is the person who drives or rides the camel. It is the merchant who brought the spices and other thrifts between continents. The “M” in our logo signifies a camels movement and their humps uniqueness with sharp serifs influenced by fonts created during the enlightenment period over the 17th and 18th centuries. The line over the ē called a “macron” marks the Latin way a long vowel (ee) sounds.

Our endeavour to focus on the enjoyment of the journey that we hope you will be on with us. A little like the cameleer as they drive the camel arriving at the depot with their thrift safe and sound. For us, the celebration is about our community, culture, our collective journey and courage.'

Head to their Instagram to find out more @camelerspiceco and take their unique flavour profile quiz on their website to explore their blends.

Indie Edit - Inkwell Designs

*This is a paid feature

Meet Inkwell Designs, a homeware and fashion accessories company with a focus on sustainability and zero waste.

SoLo Craft Fair sits down with founder of the brand, Nicola, to discuss how the brand has evolved and the inspirations behind her quirky designs.

“Hello, I’m Nicola Erdpresser, founder of Inkwell Designs. As a freelance graphic designer and stained glass artist I enjoy making marks, and working with graphic elements, colour and light. I studied Typography and Graphic Communications at Reading University and have worked for most of my career in book publishing.”

“Having discovered a love of making colourful patterns I’ve been developing my collection of products with a focus on being sustainable and kind to our planet. I’m an environmental campaigner and started off with a zero waste cutlery bag, then moved on to scarves and tea towels in organic cotton.”

“In 2020 during the pandemic, I kept creative by running an online sketching hour per week with a group of like-minded people. A selection of these drawings have been printed as greetings cards on recycled card and are available in the shop.”

“You can find out more information about my stained glass at www.stainedglassartshop.co.uk and freelance graphic design at www.designcreateinnovate.co.uk.”

“I am passionate about creating beautiful, original designs in small scale production and in a way that is environmentally friendly. My collection includes organic scarves, organic tea towels and cutlery bags, plus some greetings cards printed on recycled card.”

“Inkwell Designs is built on three core philosophies: my original designs, made in small scale production, and all in a planet friendly way. We love bees and in an effort to support their continuity, 1% of our sales will be donated to Bumblebee Conservation Trust via Work for Good.”

“My unique and quirky designs are inspired by a wide variety of observations, my travels and favourite places, and each is given a different name. I favour bright and cheerful colours and my patterns are bold and often layered in technique.”

“Everything is made in the UK in small scale production, meaning that my scarves and tea towels are limited editions. All packaging is custom designed and plastic free. ‘Slow fashion’ is the opposite of fast fashion and considers the way the textiles are produced. It advocates for buying better quality garments that will last longer, and values fair treatment of people, animals, and the planet along the way.”

“Having researched the manufacturing of silk and other fabrics I’ve chosen organic cotton as the most environmentally and insect-friendly option for my scarves and tea towels.”

“Using organic cotton reduces our environmental footprint. No toxic chemicals are used in the growing of organic cotton. It doesn't damage the soil, has less impact on the air, and uses 88% less water and 62% less energy. Conventional cotton uses about 16% of the world's insecticides and 7% of pesticides.”

“All of my products are still quite new, but I am looking to grow my range and create some organic cushion covers in a small selection of my patterns.”

“My top tip for other inspiring makers? To make something you feel passionate about and to enjoy the process of being creative.”

Want to learn more about Inkwell Designs? Find their products in the Indie Maker’s Shopping Guide, head over to their website to shop their full range and follow them on Instagram and Twitter for their latest updates.