How a shift to working from home inspired this small business dream team to create a lineup of 5-star products! 

Taurah launched in November of 2020 with the brand’s must-have Yoga Mat Cleanser, after a shift in working from home inspired the small business-founding duo, Jessica Sheppard & Rhaelyn Gillespie to create their very own company. As an eco-conscious business, the brand uses recyclable packaging and all-natural ingredients to create the best of the best- it is also made in Canada, 100% vegan, cruelty-free and alcohol-free. Taurah gives you everyday rituals that make you feel good- because self-care and personal wellness are so important right now! To learn more about this female-founded team and their growing company, check out HOLR’s interview with the girls below. 

Give us some background information on yourselves and how you founded Taurah.

We both met when working for a high-growth tech start-up in Toronto on the Sales Team in 2019/2020. When we shifted to working from home in 2020, we were both working out from home and in a casual chat, I asked Jess how she cleans her yoga mat. Just like myself, she had never even thought about it before!

We started researching and asking our friends and family if they cleaned their mats and a few people wiped down their mats with water or chemical cleaners. We realized that when we were at the gym, we were on auto-pilot and cleaning our mat, but at home, we didn’t have anything handy to wipe them down with. We tried a few DIY cleaners and produced the perfect recipe with organic witch hazel and a blend of antibacterial essential oils – that is a beautiful clean citrus. Having ecommerce backgrounds, we wanted to share this product with the world, so we launched Taurah in November of 2020!

What are some of the top products we can shop from the brand, and what are their benefits?

Since we launched in November, we’ve come up with other products we wish existed like our popular Face Mask Mist to prevent maskne. This product works by creating a toning and hydrating barrier between the fabric and your skin. Recently we launched our Lavender Calming Mist, which is a mediation and pillow spray that we’ve always wanted, and the most refreshing Cucumber Cooling Mist for hot days and sweaty workouts!

How have you adapted your business to accommodate for the shift in events that happened this past year? Did any of your products come about as a result of this shift?

The launch of Taurah was a direct reaction to the new world we are living in. We wanted to create products we wish existed. This started with our Yoga Mat Cleanser, and now keeps growing into more wellness products that celebrate activity and movement. We’re big advocates for the benefits that exercise, and movement bring to our mental health, and we love creating products for people looking to elevate their self-care and movement routines.

Our products have such distinct and gorgeous smells that we really cannot wait to go out into the world to markets and pop-ups and share samples and connect in person with customers, but for now we try to keep our social channels and website as interactive and open as possible. We respond to every email, DM, text or call right away and love connecting with the awesome customers that are looking to Taurah for clean products they can feel good about using. 

 Why are yoga and meditation important practices that we should implement into our daily routines?

Jess and I are incredibly busy juggling full-time jobs along Taurah and other projects we’re working on. We always have a million things on-the-go with countless to-do lists. Something that we do not waiver on is going for a walk every single day, which sometimes is my meditation, and we both always practice yoga and stretching. Taking the time for yourself really helps us focus when we are in high-gear for the rest of the day. There’s so much out there now, between virtual classes at your favourite studio, tons of on-demand yoga classes, and guided meditations to help you ease into this practice. A few shoutouts to get you started would be looking into Yoga With Adrienne on YouTube, Sky Ting Yoga subscription, and Headspace.

 Do you have any future plans for the brand in terms of what’s next?

We truly love hearing from customers about things they wish existed and we keep researching and developing behind the scenes, but we only come out with products that we’re obsessed with and use every single day. We want to stay true to what we love which is “active wellness” that celebrates your choice of movement with products that elevate your self-care routine. We’re excited because in a few weeks our next product launches and it’s truly one of my favourite products that I use every day.

Check out Taurah.com for more information and to shop the brand’s latest products.