A new cleaning products business has opened in Llandeilo. ALLAVARE produces eco-friendly home cleaning and laundry products made to secret recipes that date back more than a century.
Founded by Ed Willes, the business makes all its products at its Llandeilo headquarters and sells them via its website and in selected shops across the UK. The business has its roots in a book of “cleaning remedies” created in the last century by housemaid Betty Smith. Betty grew up in London and went into service in 1922 at the age of 14. Starting out in Belgravia, she went on to clean in some of the UK’s most prestigious houses. She made her own cleaning products following formulas passed on by her mother, and collected them together in a book.
Betty became good friends with Ed’s mum Vanessa Willes and the secret formulas in “Betty’s Book” were first produced commercially by Vanessa’s company, Mangle & Wringer. Now, having moved from the Cotswolds to a farm in Llandeilo, Vanessa has handed Betty’s Book and the company, who has rebranded it as ALLAVARE (from the Latin “to wash”) and launched an extended range of products based on Betty’s cleaning remedies.
All ALLAVARE’s products are sustainable and contain no harsh chemicals, petrochemical ingredients, fillers, artificial fragrances or dyes. They rely on simple, natural ingredients such as lemon juice, vinegar and coconut oil. With an eye for recycling, they come in metal tins and refillable glass bottles.
“I like to say we’re minimalists when it comes to product formulations because we use the simple ingredients that get the most output,” says Ed.
ALLAVARE is already enjoying success with mothers, eco conscious shoppers, and people with sensitive skin and conditions such as eczema.
“I believe that you should look after your house with ingredients that care for your items – and if you treasure a piece of clothing, you should use products that will look after it without being harsh,” says Ed. “Just as harsh products can dry out your skin, harsh chemicals can damage clothes over time. ALLAVARE is also aimed at people who want to make sustainable choices with their cleaning products – for example, our natural oxygen bleach releases oxygen bubbles that help lift stains from the fabric fibres, and because it breaks down into oxygen when in water, it’s septic tank safe and eco-friendly. The same care for the environment runs through all our products and is definitely one of our biggest selling points.”
ALLAVARE’s newly launched homecare range includes concentrated spray and go cleaner, concentrated cleaners for granite and glass, pure liquid soap, bathroom balm and kitchen cleanser.
“I’m proud to have launched ALLAVARE,” says Ed. “We have a strong focus on customer service and I’m enjoying getting to know our customers. Our aim is to provide them with premium, effective, beautifully packaged products that are kind to the skin, kind to the environment and protect the things they clean.”
