Vendor Highlight: The Original Jojoba Company
Behind the Scenes at The Original Jojoba Company
By Eileen Murray
Photo by Eileen Murray
How often have you driven westward on Rt. 17, seen the sign The Original Jojoba Company, and wondered, hmm…what is that all about? For me it is every time. So I met with Brian of The Original Jojoba Company and asked him.
The story began in 1994 with founder Bob Butler, who had a thousand-acre farm in Arizona, selling jojoba oil at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The first day he had a couple of sales. The second day a customer from the first day, a massage therapist, came back and asked if they could purchase it in a gallon quantity. That small interaction, essentially, turned a pushcart vendor in Faneuil Hall Boston into the international company it is today. “After growth and changes throughout the years, Bob and [his wife] Sally sold the company to a cooperative of jojoba farmers in Israel in late 2018.”
The Original Jojoba Company sells their products under the brand name HobaCare. The majority of these are 100% jojoba oil. The warehouse in Washington Maine, receives the jojoba oil, bottles it, and sells it wholesale and direct sale online, both nationally and internationally. It is available as regular, organic, or, clear/deodorized. One can buy it in various quantities from 1oz and up.
Jojoba (pronounced ho-HO-ba) is an evergreen shrub native to the US southwest and northern Mexico. Its mature seeds, when pressed, release a liquid wax commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as an oil. According to the company’s website “the liquid wax esters in jojoba are the closest thing in the plant world to the sebum our skin produces.” Benefits of jojoba oil include it being pressed from a seed, not a nut, thus is safe for those with nut allergies. Its chemical makeup makes it less prone to oxidation, leading to it being both healthier for our skin and having a stable shelf life. It can withstand heat without changing its properties. And, because it is a liquid wax, and not a plant oil, it does not stain natural fibers. All of these benefits make jojoba oil desirable for those professions that work with or on people’s skin.
Most customers are massage therapists, estheticians, or tattoo artists. Others include those working with babies, oncology related skin disorders, or serious acne problems. Tattoo artists use if for its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Additional uses include pets with skin problems. It can be used on wood, on leather. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren sells it for tool care.
HobaCare 100% jojoba oil is available to purchase in the Good Tern Co-op’s wellness department, the company’s online store, and at retailers across the country. The company’s website and blog provides much more information, including laundry tips. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.