BOERNE, Texas – Amala Thorne grew up learning about the importance of roots and spices on people’s health.
Thorne’s business, Island Turmeric, is a tribute to her roots. Her family knowledge and recipes have become soaps and healing balms, which she sells at local farmers markets.
“A lot of these ingredients are indigenous to the Caribbean and to Trinidad. They are also like family remedies recipes,” she said.
Thorne started her business in Trinidad as a way to make money and to be able to enjoy a flexible schedule with her child. When she moved to the U.S., her business took a break as she adjusted to a new culture.
“It’s something that comes very naturally to me. I get to express my creativity. And also, I love helping people,” she said.
The products are made from all-natural ingredients, even some that are prepared and shipped from her home country. Her best advice to any small-business owner is to do something that you love and are passionate about because business has its ups and downs.
Turmeric has been instrumental in making Thorne’s business a success, and as a tribute to the Caribbean, it’s part of her product’s name. She has a lot of other products in the works.
“I tell people, ‘You know, you have to be careful what you put on your skin. The skin is like the largest organ in our body. So whatever you put on it, it’s absorbed. So it’s like food for your skin,‘” she said.
Thorne said her customers’ feedback gives her confidence in the future of her business, which she runs from her home kitchen.
“I know I definitely have a multimillion-dollar company on my hands,” she said.
