Local Luxury
Belanima provides locally-grown stress relief
Photographs by Kyle Chesser
It has been a long, hard day. Whether your next step includes sinking into the couch or whipping up dinner and powering through several loads of laundry, you’re in desperate need of rejuvenation. For both women and men, there is a luxurious and eco-friendly way to lift the tension of your day: Belanima Awakening Body and Face Mist. A few sprays of this combination of 100% organic, therapeutic essential oils of orange, peppermint, cinnamon, and ginger will give you a burst of energy that feels more clear and refreshing than any cup of coffee.
Belanima has many other luxurious treats, a favorite being the lavender eye mask. While the perfect weight of the lavender cocooned in satin melts the stress from your eyelids, the rest of your body is overcome by peace and calm as the lavender scent surrounds you. The mask contains only lavender and can be used hot or cold. Take it on a trip, and it doubles as a sachet in your suitcase.
Quinn Cao founded Belanima to help us remove the mantle of daily stress while supporting our desire to buy green, buy local, and receive the best quality. Her all-organic products help to relax or rejuvenate the spirit while treating us to well-earned luxury.
Belanima is Italian for “beautiful soul,” If a company’s soul is its products, this is unquestionably true. From the beautiful jars and bottles, for which most of the labels are printed on 100% recycled paper, to the scents and textures contained within, Belanima is accessible luxury brought to you in little glass jars.
In 2005, after failing to find fulfillment as a consultant in investment banking, Quinn Cao took a leap of faith and invested in herself. This was not a blind leap, for Quinn has a business degree from the University of the Pacific. She used her education and the support of her mentor, Mark Plovnick, Dean of the UOP Business School, to ensure a sound investment.
First, she worked for a friend for what she calls “a brief moment,” learning the A to Zs of manufacturing. Then, she used her savings and the connections she had made living in the US, Europe, and Asia to found Belanima.
She began with a line of bamboo clothing—shirts and blouses. The line was purchased by a Japanese home shopping network. In 14 minutes, Belanima had sold an astounding 4,000 articles of clothing—an undeniable success. This relationship continues, as Belanima manufactures an exclusive line for the television station.
Success abroad wasn’t enough, though. “It is a continuous journey,” Quinn says of running a business. Having re-invented herself, she set out to re-invent the company. Quinn’s favorite Winston Churchill quote is “Success is never final; failure is never fatal; it is courage that counts.” Expanding a company from clothing into bath-and-body is, indeed, an exercise in courage.
Although she was born in Vietnam and has traveled the world, Quinn feels that the Bay Area is her home, and she is dedicated to supporting the local economy. All Belanima products are made from local, organic ingredients and are packaged here. Even the soaps are not mass produced; they are made in Napa and then hand cut and individually packaged.
Belanima’s line of bath and body products includes Bath Teas, which have been a hit. Sweet Dream Bath Tea is made with organic rose petals, lavender flowers, chamomile, and therapeutic grade lavender essential oil. This soothing combination prepares you for deep and restful sleep.
Other popular products are the Lustrate bath, lavender fabric softener, soy candles, and soaps designed for men.
Using organic yellow mustard harvested in Napa, the Lustrate bath draws out impurities and warms your muscles. Mustard is known for its stimulating and cleaning qualities, as are the Epsom salts and Dead Sea salts used in this bath treatment, which also includes buttermilk, pure cereal Atlantic sea salt, and therapeutic grade essential oils of orange and rosemary. As your muscles are relieved, your mind is calmed.
Lavender fabric softener infuses your clothes with a calming scent, even after using the same sheet for the 10th time.
All of the company’s candles are made from soy, making them cleaner and longer burning than their paraffin counterparts, which release the petrol-carbon soot that can add carcinogens to the air. Soy candles are also biodegradable and, being made from soybeans, do not deplete the earth’s nonrenewable resources.
Products to soothe a man’s soul and skin include the Goat’s Milk and Almond Soap and the organic Dead Sea Mineral Soap.
All Belanima products can be purchased individually or as gift packs from the Belanima website. You can find a gift pack that suits the occasion, such as “medical package,” an ensemble of Belanima’s most relaxing products: bath tea, relaxing mist, travel candle, and eye pillow.
“You should have your body and mind enriched with healthy thoughts as well,” adds Quinn. To support this, she has created an extensive website, which includes not only Belanima products but also healthful recipes, fashion and make-up tips, and experts answering health and beauty questions. The site is updated regularly, offering a new experience for return visitors.
Quinn says the key to her success is “my family and the people I work with. I’ve been so blessed.” Her parents, husband , and brother have supported her, and Belanima gives back. Quinn’s father is a dentist, and a portion of Belanima’s profits go to the San Francisco State Dental Program, providing scholarship assistance for students who come from underprivileged backgrounds.
Quinn has achieved success through her hard work and perseverance. Though she has a mind for business, she has a heart for people, those who purchase Belanima products and those who have supported her and the company. “I’d love to take my family, friends, and those who have helped me out together,” she says. Always interested in the health of the body and soul, she adds, “Maybe to a yoga class.”
An adventure that has found a new beginning, Belanima is a work of love for Quinn as well as a lot of work. Regardless of the long hours and self-sacrifice, when asked if she would do it all again, Quinn answers with conviction, “100 percent.”
