Sisters Rebecca Nowka, left, and Angella Konot are selling small-batch, hand-crafted goods through their new business, Nowka Botanica.
New business emphasizes artisan methods, distinct small-batch creations
When two sisters shared a vision of building a luxury botanical apothecary, they began brainstorming about how to make their dream come true. Angella Konot and Rebecca Nowka created their new business Nowka (pronounced no-kuh) Botanica based on their desire to handcraft products rooted in “wellness, craftsmanship, and intentional living.”
The small-batch products — including candles, botanical soaps, body oils, herbal balms, room sprays, even a beard softener — are handcrafted in Rebecca’s large kitchen located in Twisp.
“Every product is thoughtfully formulated using botanical ingredients, essential oils, and slow artisan methods designed to create moments of comfort, ritual, and connection,” according to their newly launched website.
The sisters’ backgrounds have laid a natural foundation for their new venture. Angella is a licensed esthetician with 26 years of experience in the spa industry. She has spent her career thus far helping her clients achieve healthy skin through individualized treatments, especially being passionate about plant-based botanical skincare. Her practice is in the Methow Valley Wellness Center in Winthrop.
Rebecca holds a degree in Natural Health Sciences from Bastyr University in Seattle. She is a licensed massage therapist working out of her studio in Twisp. She, too, has a passion for plant-based healing traditions and holistic wellness. For about 25 years, she had been formulating products such as salves and lotions that she gave to family and friends as gifts.
It was not a stretch for Angella and Rebecca to conceive of the idea to make enough botanical products to sell direct to consumer. They put their heads together first working on the products to include soaps, room sprays, and candles. Both requiring perfection in their work, they created what they call “a little lab” in Rebecca’s kitchen.
Imagining combinations led them to fragrances such as vanilla and lavender, orange peel and pepper, and rosemary and sage. “Mountain Cabin” blends blue spruce with spiced chai to capture the feeling of a cabin amongst the evergreens while “Dark Roast” layers espresso, rich roasted coffee with a base of caramel and dark cocoa.
Nowka Botanica soaps include one designed by Rebecca’s husband Matt Moore, which was given the name Blackwood Bergamot. It is crafted with traditional pine tar, Earl Grey tea, plant oils, activated charcoal with a base including vanilla and soft smoke. Matt’s soap has become an instant best seller. The Blackwood Bergamot Beard Oil helps soften coarse beard hair while emitting the essence of the same scent.
Getting started
Developing the products has taken the sisters many hours of trial and error, often working late into the night. Establishing a viable business was the next great challenge. Both spent hours online researching how to start a successful small business including watching YouTube videos produced by other entrepreneurs, gleaning ideas for their own endeavor.
“For me, the biggest challenge has been taking something I’ve enjoyed doing and turning it into a more structured, professional and consistent product line,” Rebecca said. “Making products for friends and family is quite different from producing them for retail. I’ve spent months researching, testing, making mistakes, adjusting formulas, and gathering feedback from friends, family, and clients.”
While Rebecca primarily handles the product development and production, Angella accepted the challenge of taking care of the business side which included building a website (for which she had no prior experience), researching how to create professional labels and packaging, and incorporating best practice marketing.
All the products are currently available at nowkabotanica.com. They are available for local pickup at a kiosk that Matt built for the purpose.
With their professional products in hand and the support of local friends and family, Rebecca and Angella were offered shelf space at Methow Valley Wellness Center, Glover Street Market, Mazama Store, and, most recently, Confluence Art Gallery in Twisp.
The entrepreneurs would like to keep Nowka Botanica a small-batch, locally rooted business with a regional presence. Never short on ideas, they would like to continue expanding the skincare collection and eventually have their products carried in more local and regional boutiques, spas, and natural markets.
The siblings described one of the best parts of their journey has been working together as sisters.
“Angella and I have very similar tastes and ideas, and we work well together,” Rebecca said. “We bring different strengths to the business, which makes it a great partnership.”
In addition, Rebecca and Angella are “incredibly grateful for the encouragement and support” they have received from family, friends, clients, and the local community.
“It has meant so much to us as we’ve started this journey,” they both shared.
Nowka Botanica will be at Twisp’s Mistletoe Madness and Christmas Bazaars.
