Business Spotlight: Dr. Lorraine’s Adventure Salves

Dr. Lorraine Ferron
ADVENTURE SALVES
drlorraineferron.com

Dr. Lorraine had been playfully exploring herbalism, medicine making, and wildcrafting for years before moving to the Grande Ronde Valley to practice as a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist. Inspired by the harsh conditions, the vitality of the plant life and the plentiful outdoor access of eastern Oregon, Dr. Lorraine began combining herbs–some local and wildcrafted–to create skincare products for those who spend time in the outdoors. Soothing, nourishing Adventure Salves are specially formulated to support skin after a tough day of fun.

• Tell us a bit about your process of research and development for Adventure Salves?
When creating a salve I definitely rely on my training in natural medicine (both as an herbalist and as a naturopathic doctor), and a few of my favorite herbal medicine books. This helps me narrow down herbs that are candidates for a particular formulation. From there, I think it’s pretty intuitive–what smells good or what feels good initially, have been the combinations that my testers like the most.

• Did it take awhile to get just the right recipe for each product?
Any given salve recipe takes about a year to get to production. Partly this is because I like to know how they will perform in every season, or really, how we respond to each one as we change along with the seasons.

• What do you like most about making them?
I love getting to work with plants, whether its selecting the base oils, wildcrafting local herbs or interacting with essential oils. The spirit of the plants comes through in all of these and I’m convinced that’s what people fall in love with when they use the salves.

• Which is your favorite go-to salve to use and why? Is this your most popular offering too?
I use After Sun Salve on my face every day after a shower. It was the first salve I developed and it smells like a forested hike in the Pacific northwest. I’m not one to primp or pamper myself but it’s a calming and nourishing half-minute every morning.

My most popular salve is Foot Rub Puck which is gently anti-fungal and helps cracked skin recover. I think it’s sweet to see people wanting to take care of their feet or to give the gift of a soothing foot rub to loved ones.

• Have Farmer’s Markets been a successful venue for you and what do you enjoy about the experience of selling there? Where else can we find your salves for purchase?
Farmers Markets have been a part of my life for so many years, it only feels right to bring the salves to my local market. It’s such great opportunity for transparency and communication: customers get a sense of who’s making their salves and I get great feedback about what people want to see next.

Dr. Lorraine’s Adventure Salves are now available on Amazon!

• Do you have plans for any new products you can tell us about?
I’m pumped about the recipes that are in development: a deodorant, a beard balm, a body pain salve and a mosquito repellent. I’ll only let really great products go to production, so we’ll see which makes the cut first.

• Is your Adventure Salves venture what you imagined when you started or have there been surprises along the way?
I’ve been surprised to see how much people love the salves! I mean, I know they are great, but I didn’t expect people to “get it”. I think the packaging catches people’s attention and holds it long enough for the plants in the salves to engage people on a deeper level.

• How are your Evermine labels working out? We think they look brilliant on your products and we love your outdoorsy design!
The Evermine labels are essential! I love that they are tough enough for adventurers and bright enough to catch the eye. Most importantly they communicate the quality of my products, which is a missing piece for many herbal products out there. If more herbal formulations were packaged like high-end cosmetics, I think they would get the attention they deserve. Because we can get Evermine labels in any shape, we can do some really eye-catching and dramatic things with our packaging. It’s fun to dream up the next designs!

Thank you to Lorraine for taking time for our questions and for sharing samples with us. Her Winter Chap Salve was an instant hit with its subtle herbal scent and the way it gently soothes dry skin. Contained in low profile screwtop tins, Adventure Salves slip easily into a pocket or pack for quick access when you’re on the go. They’re sold individually or in boxed sets for gift-giving. We wish Dr. Lorraine much continued success and we’re excited to try her new skincare products when they’re ready for market.