AN ENTREPRENEUR has bounced back after being made redundant last year by starting a new business.
Rhianne Jacklin from Worthing has put a difficult year behind her and has founded her own homeware business.
During the lockdown, Rhianne was put on furlough and then made redundant from her previous job as an office manager for an aviation company.
While she was on furlough she started her own homeware business The Forager’s Cottage in June last year. Rhianne was made redundant in October and turned to the business full-time.
The business focuses on sustainability and being eco-conscious as all the materials that are used are plastic-free, recyclable and compostable.
These materials are used in the business products such as cotton grocery bags and bread bags.
The 24-year-old said: “The Forager’s Cottage is a forward-looking, digital business, but one that’s firmly founded in the traditional values I think we’ve all lost touch with a bit in recent times.”
“We develop products of high quality, that are built to last.
“We’ve all got used to reusable bags at the supermarket, and I saw mesh bags being sold for just a few pounds at the checkout.
"We’re learning to question why our clothes can be so cheap - there’s a cost being paid somewhere - why don’t we ask the same about the bags we put our food in?”
The Forager’s Cottage also makes coasters and serving boards from sustainably sourced wood. They are created in Rhianne’s workshop and former shed in the South Downs National Park. She wants to build things that will last and not break quickly.
She said: “We’ve all been spending more time at home, and many of us have connected with the natural world like never before. I’ve become slightly obsessed with trees.
“I want to reinvigorate ‘traditional’ values and sell high-quality, built to last pieces. While plastic-free everyday items are always going to be important I also want to make beautiful and useful products that you can give to your grandchildren - real family heirlooms to be treasured for a long time.”
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The wood used for the coasters and serving boards is from English oak and Scottish elm trees.
“This is the antithesis of mass-production. For me, these pieces are more like art - stunning slices of nature that need nurturing through their useful life in your home, which I hope will be for decades to come.”
Rhianne’s business at the moment is an online-only retailer, but she hopes that it will help reconnect customers to the natural world around them.
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