What began out of concern for family health has become a home-based business success story for Malakwa’s Diana Evdokimoff.
Officially, Evdokimoff’s homemade natural health and beauty business, Homestead Infusions, is nearing one year old. But Evdokimoff says she’s been producing different herbal remedies and rubs for humans and animals for a while now. What got her started was a desire for natural health alternatives for her family.
“My youngest son has asthma so he was on quite a few medications, so we were trying to do something that was more holistic for him,” said Evdokimoff. “That was kind of the start of it, and then it took off into helping animals if you can believe it… making things for animals.”
Evdokimoff’s journey into natural healing products lead her into the field of aromatherapy. She is in the process of becoming a registered aromatherapist, and has drawn from this training to create new and different products sought after by her customers.
“It was my customers who kept pushing for new and different products. They wanted face care lines and they wanted soaps and natural detergents, and I just kept going and researching and finding out what to do,” said Evdokimoff. “It’s good. It’s been just learning all the time, right, and I’ve got a great customer base in Sicamous. If it wasn’t for them pushing me and saying, ‘hey, you know what, we want this from you and we believe in you and you have wonderful product,’ I never would have gotten to where I am.”
Currently, Evdokimoff’s Homestead Infusion products are carried at Happy Corkers, Fruit World and I Am Yoga in Sicamous, Angel Acres in Enderby, the Grindrod Feed Store as well as Buckerfield’s and It’s Handmade in Salmon Arm. .
Evdokimoff can also be found at the Red Barn market on Saturdays.
Last month Homestead Infusions was named the best new business in the Sicamous and District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Evdokimoff said she is proud and honoured by the recognition. She is also proud of what she makes, and is very particular about the ingredients.
“I can explain why I’ve put in everything that I have – it’s not just because, well, it’s supposed to work. It’s because these are the reasons, this is the chemical reaction that’s happening and this is what’s supposed to happen so it does what I want it to,” said Evdokimoff. “Being able to provide that knowledge to somebody, they’re usually pretty blown away because there’s not a lot out there who can do that.”
