Stories,Style,Beauty

Le Prunier – A Sustainable Plum Beauty Oil Brand

USA

Cassidy Green        December 3, 2020

Taking inspiration from their family farm and the superfood of Asia, the plum, the Taylor sisters cultivated a powerful cold-pressed organic plum oil, that mixes tradition with innovation to create a beauty brand.

Sister entrepreneurs Elaine, Allison and Jacqueline Taylor, created their innovative beauty company, Le Prunier, in 2018 after many years of working on their family’s historic farm. Their parents are the largest growers and producers of organic plums globally. However, it wasn’t until the sisters joined their father on trips throughout Asia, specifically Japan and Korea, that they truly learned the power of the plum. These trips and the experiences at their historic 100-year-old family farm inspired the sisters to quit their separate career paths and collaborate to make a sustainable plum beauty oil brand.

 

Full of skin-friendly nourishments, Le Prunier’s Plum Oil is not only USDA and CCOF certified organic, but also non-comedogenic and vegan and cruelty-free certified. Currently the fourth generation of family members working on their family’s plum farm, the sisters have continued the tradition of organic farming that their grandfather introduced 100 years ago. Le Prunier is a unique mix of family heritage and innovative thought and design.

 

Q & A WITH Allison Taylor, Elaine Taylor, Jacqueline Taylor

MoL: Where did you grow up? How did the area where you grew up influence what you do today?

Allison Taylor: We were raised in a small town in Northern California called Yuba City which is an area known for its agriculture. My childhood was mostly spent outdoors, playing sports, riding horses, hanging at the ranch and later working in the family business. Growing up in the country was amazing because it taught me to place value in the beauty and simplicity of life. I’ve definitely always held that closely.

Elaine Taylor: We grew up in a rural agricultural community where our parents are entrepreneurs and the largest producers of organic plums. We’ve gone down a similar route as they did, but focusing on cosmetic application of this superfruit. Growing up, our experiences taught us to appreciate our roots in organic agriculture and the value of hard work.

Jacqueline Taylor: I was born and raised in Sutter County, California. Being raised in the country on a farm we grew up always having access to fresh fruits and vegetables. This has heavily influenced my love of clean eating, appreciation for nature and sustainability later in life.

MoL: Where did you go to school and what did you study?

AT: I studied communications and sociology at The University of Southern California then fashion design and photography at Parsons New School of Design in New York. I’ve always been extremely creative and entrepreneurial. While at USC, I worked at various fashion houses and magazines learning all facets of the business from sales, marketing, PR, branding, etc. I’ve always been very passionate about building brands.

ET: I graduated from the University of San Francisco where I studied international business. I was always fascinated by my father doing business abroad as a little girl and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I also have an affinity for diverse cultures and later studied Mandarin and lived abroad in Beijing, China.

JT: I entered UCLA as a pre-med biopsychology major for dermatology and have always been extremely passionate about skincare even from a very early age. I’m also a graduate of Living Light Culinary Institute where my passion for health and wellness was fully realized.

MoL: What was your occupation prior to creating Le Prunier?

AT: I worked in fashion and entertainment for over 10 years at companies such as Mother Denim, Giorgio Armani and STX Entertainment. Not many people know about this but I also simultaneously worked as a singer/songwriter for 2-3 years in LA. One of my songs is on a major motion picture soundtrack…that was fun and feels like another lifetime ago.

ET: Prior to Le Prunier, I worked at our family’s organic farming business and two well-known CPG startups, including one that was acquired. These roles provided invaluable experiences and lessons that I apply to Le Prunier today.

JT: Prior to Le Prunier, I worked at Mayfield Fund, a Venture Capital firm in Menlo Park.

MoL: How did you have the courage to start a business? What initially inspired you to go into the beauty industry and create Le Prunier? What expertise did you each bring to the business? Was creating skincare always something you wanted to do?

AT: All of my previous roles with brands definitely prepared me for launching Le Prunier. Jacque approached me with the research findings on our Plum Beauty Oil and I really felt like there was an amazing opportunity for us to build a brand based on the power of plum, continue the family tradition, and share this incredible oil that was much needed in the market. During college, I was a Beauty Editor at a magazine that’s no longer in publication (Signature Magazine) but this role definitely sparked my interest in beauty/skincare in general and gave me insight into how we might position the product and what was lacking in the clean beauty space. My biggest takeaway is not to be scared and trust your gut. So many people never even get started because they’re simply afraid. You’ll never know if you don’t try.

JT: Yes! I have always been passionate about skincare. Throughout my youth, I struggled with hormonal acne and still continue to struggle with this now in my 30s. Due to the constant struggle with my skin, it made we want to help others with their own skin. That is why it was so important we launched a product that was Non-Comedogenic. I love being able to use our Plum Beauty Oil with confidence knowing it won’t clog my pores or promote acne.

ET:  We wanted to share the benefits of this superfruit with the world and we recognized there’s an opportunity to put our own unique spin on it. The skills I learned at previous companies helped prepare me my current role although I continue to learn new things every day. The variety and pace that a startup brings is exciting, challenging and always keeps me on my toes. I didn’t have my sights on the cosmetic industry initially, but after understanding the benefits of this product it was obvious this was something I wanted to work on.

MoL: What were some of your biggest challenges when first creating Le Prunier? What are some of the challenges you face now? What have you learned?

AT: Plum Oil was pretty unheard of when we launched in the Fall of 2017, so I think the biggest challenge was creating a market for it, educating consumers and our retailers on the incredible benefits, and scaling as things progress. We’re a small (but mighty) team and are still self-funded, so for the first 2 years we worked pretty tirelessly to make things happen. As a founder, you sacrifice a lot of your personal life and dedicate it to the success of the brand but it’s extremely gratifying at the end of the day.

ET: With any new venture, there comes many unexpected hurdles to navigate and jump through. Learning how to scale a new business with a brand new product can be challenging. Providing great customer service and maintaining the highest standards throughout our processes is also critical to our success, so maintaining excellence as we’ve scaled has been a major focus.

MoL: Why did you create one oil, rather than a whole line of skincare? How does it work on varying skin types? Do you think you’ll be releasing more items in the future?

AT: It’s a bit two-fold. After spending 2.5 years on testing, we knew our cold-pressed Plum Beauty Oil was a powerhouse and filled a void in the clean beauty space as it outperformed most other oils. We felt it wisest to focus our energy on this product and gradually grow the brand rather than go to market with multiple products, plus it was more cost effective. We believe that less is more and truly want our line to only reflect products we feel are innovative and necessary to introduce. Our proprietary blend of Plum Beauty Oil is amazing because it’s safe for even the most sensitive skin types and it’s also non-comedogenic so you can use it on acne-prone skin. We have two new products on the horizon in 2021 and are so excited! They’re incredible and are staples in my routine now!

JT: We definitely have plans to expand the Le Prunier brand! We will be introducing an innovative new plum based product in 2021. It will work beautifully and synergistically with our Plum Beauty Oil. We are so excited for this upcoming launch! Also, we are very intentional about the products we create. It definitely takes time to thoroughly complete and understand the science behind an efficacious and innovative new product.

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MoL: What role does each sister play in the business? How has Le Prunier affected your relationship?

ET: My sisters and I have unique skillsets and we excel in different areas, which is incredibly beneficial and part of our success. I personally love the finer details and oversee our finances, sales and operations.

JT: My background is in the sciences and culinary arts which has enabled me to focus much of my efforts on plum by product innovation and R&D for Le Prunier. That being said, I feel very fortunate I’m able to work with my sisters. We all have very different strengths, weaknesses and points of view – so when we collaborate and put our heads together we make a great team!

AT: I tend to focus on the big picture expansion for the brand. I love figuring out ways to push things forward through new retail partnerships, global distributors, marketing, social, PR, etc. I’m grateful for my sisters as at the end of the day because we really combine our unique skillsets to make things succeed collectively.

MoL: Do you lead a sustainable lifestyle? If so, how?

ET:  Yes! More than ever I feel the need to do my part in protecting our world and resources. I do this through reducing my carbon emissions, reusing and repurposing items, eating locally produced foods, and recycling as much as possible.

JT: Definitely! I certainly appreciate and love eating local and introducing this to my 8-month-old son. In addition, my husband is the founder of a renewable energy company. As a family, we try to be forward thinking when it comes to sustainable living.

AT: Absolutely. I’ve made an effort to remove all single-use plastics in my household, regularly shop at farmer’s markets in LA (we grew up selling fruit as teenagers at farmers markets in Northern California so it always brings back fun memories), and always make sure to recycle when possible. In terms of our business, sustainability and eco-friendly farming practices is something we’re extremely committed to and are always striving to improve upon.

Photography courtesy of Le Prunier

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