We would like to welcome our newest member of the team, Jeremy, who is a business student with an emphasis in Marketing. He will be an intern here at Basilwood for the semester and we are happy to have him on board. We know that he will add some great ideas to the mix as we take on new projects.

What is your main goal as our intern this semester?

My main goal for this semester as the marketing intern is to LEARN. There is so much opportunity to grow in this field with a small business. I know that it is my job to help with the marketing and show others that this business is the real deal. Jill has many great ideas and I am here to help add to those ideas. If there is one thing I am good at it is always having an idea to throw into the mix. I enjoy bringing new thoughts to the conversation and hopefully some of those ideas work out this semester.

How would you describe a regular day here at the farm?

A regular day at the farm for me is working in the soap roam along with the rest of the team. I love all the fresh scents that the soap roam provides for my nose. It is hard to explain but I will try so here we go…. It reminds me of a summer morning waking up to the sun in my room

and the fresh scent of flowers blooming outside the door.

I hope you all can smell it as you read that last sentence. If not, then I suggest you come on down for a visit. You will love the smell of the soap roam I promise. As I am working on SEO or talking about ideas with Jill there is always a good vibe in the soap roam. It is also great working along the “CIO” who is Max.

He is a great kid and he is entertaining to see run around the farm and the soap roam.  Also when I drive up to the farm I love how the goats are always there to greet me.

What would you like to get out of this internship here at Basilwood?

I would love to just add a different perspective to the conversation because everyone has different ideas which is a good thing when discussing a marketing plan. I want to learn as much as I can because I know that when I graduate it will be my time to show my skills. If there is anything new I can learn I am up for the task.

I know that I am not a marketing genius yet but this is my first step to taking my journey towards becoming something great. I have this funny dream that I am destined for something great and that all these obstacles right now are just a test for me. I am ready to help here at Basilwood Farm and I hope to do my best! This business is great and I am just happy to be a part of the team this semester.

As Jeremy takes on these new projects we have for him we know that he will give it his best. This is the beginning of his journey and we wish him the best as he continues to grow.

Photo Credit: Mariano Friginal Photography (the really good shots), Nicole Kent (the other good shots) & Jill Spruance ;-)

Here in Basilwood we are all about quality, so it just makes sense that we would want quality photos. We work hard to make sure our soaps are the absolute best for our customers because we love you guys! After all, our soaps are great company for singing in the shower! Each scent can help you feel confident and fresh. Great pictures can do that too, right??

Since we are all about great quality, we need awesome photographs to go along with our products. We work with local, San Joaquin Valley photographer, Mariano Friginal (and now you know why we titled this blog the way we did ;-)

This guy is one of THE best photographers in the Central Valley. (Of course, we're not biased or anything). He truly takes pride in his work. Just take a look at his Instagram!  Every single photograph exhibits his love for his craft and the love he puts into his craft. Mariano has been a great help to us in telling the Basilwood Story.

We wanted to make sure that the viewer gets the feeling that they are actually here with us when they encounter a Basilwood photo and Mariano just "gets us." Recently he has begun working with us to produce video shorts to better showcase our activities and products too!

This is an exciting addition because it has become so important to small business success!  We also love the ability to partner with another local family business to accomplish this.

Having a photographer like Mariano to work with is truly a blessing. The cameras that he uses are amazing, and sometimes they even make it into the shot.  Why not???  He likes vintage cameras, and we like using vintage means of creating utility items! Perfect fit.

Photos have to be crisp in order to complete the look. We have a good camera on site, and we do use it, but Mariano has the "eye" that we can hit about every 1000th photo.  

He hits it every time. So it's definitely a HUGE benefit to include someone like him on your small business team. 

In Basilwood, we consider everyone on the team a part of our family, and we try to communicate that through words, images and product creation. We have a good time making our soaps and spa products.

The Basilwood Farm team, (including the goats because they really are a bunch of Divas), love each new photograph that Mariano creates for us. Visual communication is important for every small business to create and promote your brand. We believe in putting a smile on your face and we hope to do that through each photograph.

We LOVE Mariano and his family here in Basilwood. They are some of the best people we could have ever met.

Stay tuned for new photographs of the new soaps for Fall coming up soon on Instagram & Facebook for our Bubbles Bash September 10th from 10-3. Make sure to Save the Date!  We look forward to seeing you.

To contact Mariano... http://marianofriginal.com/photography

It was so nice on my walk this morning down by the chicken coop, that I decided to drag one of the chairs down there and blog with the hens.

There's a cool breeze down here this morning, which is one of the fabulous things about the Central Valley. Yes, the days get up into the 90s and 100s most of the time in the summer, but the best kept secret is that the mornings and evenings are fabulous 60s and 70s! Especially when you are out of the City and up in the foothills where it cools down sooner and the stars are far more visible. It also takes longer to heat up in the morning.

So, while the neighbor's horses, Baby Doll and Princess, chomp away on their alfalfa and the hens wander about scratching in the morning air, we are just going to sit here and do a little country life observation.  

When you first enter the domain of these creatures, they are suspect and stay away, but after a few minutes, when you become part of the landscape, they return to their natural way of doing things and you really get to know them.  They all have distinct personalities, each one uniquely amazing in her own right.  We have three flocks currently.  

The larger of the two get their free range time together, and the little guys aren't big enough yet to be safe from aerial predators outside of the safety of their roomy coop. So it's interesting to watch them sort out their pecking order (quite literally) in the larger pasture.  Eventually they will share the same space for nesting boxes, so getting them accustomed to each other this way makes for fewer scuffles.

These are all laying hens because we LOVE getting fresh eggs here in Basilwood! Recently, we have added some new breeds to the flock.  We have got a mixture of Blue Ameraucanas, Easter Egger's, Speckled Sussex, Belgian Maline,Blue and Jubilee Orpingtons, Copper Marans, Cuckoo Marans, Red Stars, and even a Japanese longtail who is the smallest and mightiest of the bunch!  She's a HOOT!