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Don't laugh, it sounds bizarre, but it's a real business success story...
Ashley De Grey, a New Zealand woman, lives in the Taranaki area.
She is a mom of 3 children and a successful entrepreneur.
This business opportunity began when she was pregnant with her third little sister, Delilah.
At that time, she was 6 months pregnant, and with the experience of the first two babies of the grandmother, she was already familiar with it.
She didn't sit idle at home, but with a big belly, she taught more moms online lessons on baby exercises.
"One day, I suddenly received an email with a mention of how to make breast milk ornaments.
"It's really weird, but it's cool and fun."
She felt that after anyway, breast milk was there, and she had the courage to try something new, so she planned to take a course and learn more.
In this regard, her husband, who has been married for 12 years, is also very supportive of her.
Anyway, it is to make pregnant women happy and play by themselves.
In the beginning, she tried it herself at home, transforming the laundry room into a small studio.
Then some mothers in the social circle knew about it and went to the door to do it with her.
Well, people have more strength, and more milk is more productive.
Everyone interacted with each other and improved their craftsmanship, and this time it was on fire in the local community.
Under the promotion of social media, these breast milk jewelry products have a great demand.
Soon, these jewelry of special value were passed on to ten or ten hundred, and people from all over New Zealand were very interested.
Since the people liked it, she decided to simply build a website to sell breast milk jewelry.
This is the company she founded, The Spilt Milk Co.
The slogan is aptly written: a memory that can be cherished with love.
This mother is indeed energetic.
On average, she devotes about 30 hours a week to production, while also surrounding the children's respective schedules.
She said: "She was only a week old after my third child was born, and I learned to make a website myself while nursing my child, which was a very busy time. ”
With the official website in place, sales really opened up.
New Zealand moms sent 10 milliliters of breast milk from all over the country to customise jewelry accessories.
"The most popular is breast milk jewelry, many moms are proud to have completed their breastfeeding journey, while others struggle with breastfeeding and want to make memories," she says.
Some mothers' children have died prematurely, and in order to commemorate the lost baby, some breast milk will be sent to make ornaments, which makes her feel very precious.
She would refrigerate all the breast milk and then dehydrate it.
Finally, it is ground into a powder and put into jewelry.
Then send the finished jewelry order back to the customer, and the courier will not stop every day...
Later, she launched the Indigo collection, named after her eldest daughter, which included rings, earrings and necklaces, which launched the brand.
She also worked with a local jeweler and a jeweler in Auckland to create a line of gold and silver jewellery.
Beads are $80 and jewelry starts at $160.
Breast milk jewelry sales are getting hotter, but De Grey doesn't want moms to be bothered by breastfeeding.
She hopes to try to change the myth about breastfeeding and help mums celebrate their achievements.
"Many mums are disappointed when they don't reach a certain goal or milestone in breastfeeding, and it's easy to blame themselves for not being able to provide the best nutrition for their baby."
"I want to change that, even if you only breastfeed for 8 weeks, it's amazing to celebrate."
And as her business expands, she now makes more than breast milk.
Hair, pet hair, the first tooth a child loses, sand...
These became what she called "memories you can treasure."
She believes that these jewelry should not be stored in a box, but should be an emotional souvenir worn with pride.
"I want to create a precious memory that you can hold by incorporating various elements into your souvenir to capture memories related to the person, pet or place you love."
That's where her business model stands, and it seems to be doing it successfully.
It's hard to imagine how a pregnant mother could start making breast milk jewelry on a whim.
What Ashley De Grey went through seemed bizarre, but it made sense.
She studied art and design in college, and her previous job was in a jewelry store.
So, the new business she's doing is a collection of her experiences.
As there is a famous saying: Everyone who walks by will leave a trace, and everything you have experienced in the past will converge at a commanding height in the future.
Maybe that's the way it is.
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