Growing greenery and kindness

WHILE walking up Mount Buninyong, an idea sparked between lifelong friends Clare Quick and Kim Bott.

“We wanted to take a creative adventure together and find a way to give back to the community where we could,” Mrs Bott said.

With a passion for gardens and plants, and inspired by the mountain’s greenery, especially its mossy trees, the pair decided to start their own small terrarium-making business called Grow Kind.

These “little ecosystems in glass” basically take care of themselves, while also nurturing the Ballarat community in the long term.

“Inside the vessels we have plants, moss, and rocks to represent the local terrain. They’re a self-sustaining beautiful gift that reflect nature. The art of giving one of these is a lovely thing,” Mrs Quick said.

“We keep a percentage of every single sale and put it into a separate bank account. We watch that grow, and over time, those contributions will be big enough to give a sizable donation to local charities, or a community-driven project twice a year.

“The main driving force of Grow Kind, and part of our business plan right from the start, has been to give back where we can. Feedback has been beautiful, and lots of people love this focus too.”

Making and selling the terrariums since April, the duo dedicates one full working day and a few afternoons to Grow Kind, making and selling approximately six to eight terrariums weekly, but they have a goal to grow their output.

With five different sized terrarium options ranging from $90 to $270, they craft their own timber and concrete bases, and source all materials locally.

Some Grow Kind products are on display at cafes FIKA Coffee Brewers and Johnny Alloo, at Hattie and the Wolf, and at the Queen Elizabeth Centre’s Gandarra.

Ahead of Christmas, the pair plans to launch vouchers. For more information call 0493 090 805, visit growkind.com.au, or instagram.com/grow_kind.