A
A TRIP
A TRIP TO
A TRIP TO ITALY 20 YEARS AGO HAS BECOME A FAMILY BUSINESS RUN OUT
OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA.
BELINDA TALKED TO ONE OF THE
SISTERS WHO CREATED A
LAURA AMBIENS.
LAURA AMBIENS. >> WHY DON'T YOU GIVE US
A THUMBNAIL STORY OF HOW THIS
ALL STARTED? IT STARTED IN ITALY
AND MY SISTER WAS MY BUSINESS
PARTNER. SHE JUST LEFT
THE BUSINESS THIS LAST FALL,
BUT SHE'S 10 YEARS OLDER. THAN
I AM AND SHE WAS LIVING IN THE
NORTHERN PART OF ITALY. HER
HUSBAND COACHED AND PLAYED ICE
HOCKEY OVER THERE IN THE
DOLOMITES, WHICH WAS VERY
POPULAR. THIS WAS OVER 20 AND I
WAS AT ST. THOMAS AND FINISHING
UP AND SHE KEPT SAYING, YOU GOT
TO COME OVER HERE AND LIVE
WITH ME. THIS IS SO AMAZING.
IT'S A CHANCE, A LIFETIME.
OUR MOTHER HAD DIED. WE WERE
YOUNG. SO WE WE ALL SHARE THAT .
LIFE IS SHORT. BUT I DECIDED
TO DO IT. AND SO I MOVED OVER
THERE AND AT THAT TIME THEY WERE
LIVING IN LAKE COMO AND I SPENT
THE FIRST YEARS STUDYING ITALIAN
AT THE SMALL SCHOOL. WE CAME
BACK IN THE SUMMER TO VISIT
FAMILY AND I REMEMBER SAYING
TO HER, I JUST WANT TO GO BACK.
THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME.
>> I MEAN, IT WAS SO YOUNG.
AND SO I DID GO BACK AND ONE
OF THE THINGS WE DID WAS
WE SHOPPED AND WE WERE IN ITALY.
IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN
THAT . IT WAS THIS PRODUCT
THAT ITALIANS USED TO SEND THEIR
HOME CALLED DIFFUSERS AND WE'D
NEVER SEEN IT OR WE HADN'T SEEN
IT IN THE US AND WE LOVED IT.
>> AND WE CAME HOME THAT SUMMER.
WE BROUGHT HOME TO FRIENDS
AND FAMILY AND THEY LOVED
THEM TOO. AND SO IT WAS TIME
FOR MY SISTER TO MOVE BACK.
>> WE MOVED BACK TO SHE LIVES
IN OUR FAMILY FARM IN SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA. WE GREW UP NEAR
JACKSON AND WENT AROUND EYOTA
INHERITED THIS FARM AND SO IT
WAS OVER DINNER.
>> ONE NIGHT MY HUSBAND SAID,
DID YOU GUYS CREATE YOUR OWN
AMERICAN VERSION OF THIS PRODUCT
DOES NOT EXIST HERE . YOU WANT
TO DO SOMETHING TOGETHER?
>> MY MOM TAUGHT BUSINESS, SO
WE WERE CERTAINLY INSPIRED TO TO
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER.
>> AND WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER
AND SAID, ALL RIGHT, AND THAT
WAS IN TWO THOUSAND.
>> AND WE FOUND A LOCAL COMPANY
TO DO THE FRAGRANCE FILLING.
WE FOUND A COMPANY IN MAINE
THAT'S STILL CREATES OUR WOOD
CAPS, A COMPANY OUT OF NEW YORK
THAT PROVIDES STICKS. WE STILL
USE THEM 20 YEARS LATER. AND WE
SPENT THE FIRST HALF OF 2000
HAND ASSEMBLING THESE DIFFUSERS
ON OUR FAMILY FARM. SO WE HAD
ALL THIS PRODUCT WE PUT TOGETHER
AND WE REALIZED WE HAVE TO FIND
SOME STORES TO SELL IT IN .
AND SO WE TRAVELED WE WENT
TO SAN FRANCISCO, NEW YORK,
CHICAGO, L.A. AND WE WANTED
TO HAND SELECT THE STORES.
WE WANTED TO BE SMALL BOUTIQUES
LIKE WE'D SEEN IN ITALY AND WE
WOULD JUST WALK IN WITH
OUR PRODUCT AND ASK TO MEET
THE MANAGER OR THE OWNER
AND COULD WE SHOW YOU THIS
PRODUCT? MOST OF THE TIME PEOPLE
WERE SUPER INTERESTED BECAUSE
THEY WANTED TO HAVE COOL
PRODUCTS TOO. AND WE PRESENT IT
AND SOMETIMES WE'D LET THEM KEEP
IT. WE'D COME BACK AND GET IT.
BUT BY THE END OF THAT YEAR,
I THINK WE HAD A COUPLE DOZEN
STORES THAT CARRIED THE PRODUCT.
I HAVE HAD THEM IN MY HOUSE.
I HAVE SEEN THE DIFFERENCES.
I CAN SMELL THE DIFFERENCES,
THE LONGEVITY.
THE LONGEVITY. >> BUT WHAT IS IS THERE
A CHEMICAL DIFFERENCE? IS THERE
AN ORIGIN DIFFERENCE?
>> IT'S THE FRAGRANCES
THEMSELVES AND YOU'RE NOT
THE ONLY ONE THAT SAYS THAT .
CERTAINLY OUR LONG TIME HANSKA
EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAY. I TRY
THE OTHER ONES. THEY DON'T
COMPARE. BUT MY SISTER HAS BEEN
THE NOSE IN THIS BUSINESS
AND SHE CREATED THE DIFFERENCES
AND SHE WAS REALLY PICKY AND SHE
HAD A SOPHISTICATED PALATE
AND IT'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART
OF THE PRODUCT WE WE COULD SPEND
A LOT MORE, BUT WE HAVE REALLY
NICE FRAGRANCES AS YOU LOOK
BACK, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE AWAY? IS
IT JUST NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE
OR WHAT IS YOUR TAKE AWAY
FOR
FOR OTHER
FOR OTHER PEOPLE TRYING TO START THEIR PASSION BUSINESS?
>> WELL , AGAIN, I'D HAVE TO SAY
THAT WE HAD SOMETHING THAT WAS
UNIQUE, WHICH IS WHICH HUGE.
AND I THINK THERE WAS A LITTLE
BIT OF WE WERE KIND OF NAIVE.
YOU WE DIDN'T KNOW WE WEREN'T
SET OUT TO CREATE THIS MILLION
BUSINESS AT ALL. IT REALLY
HAPPENED. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
SAY IT WASN'T A COLLEGE DEGREE
AND IT'S CERTAINLY PLAYED INTO
IT.
IT.
IT. >>
IT. >> BUT WE ARE HARD WORKERS
AND WE WERE DETERMINED AND I
KNOW THAT THE OTHER PART OF IT
IS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PART
OF THIS. I MEAN, WE WOULD NOT
HAVE A BUSINESS CERTAINLY
A PRODUCT IS GREAT, BUT WE TAKE
CARE OF OUR CUSTOMERS.
>> I THINK WHERE YOU CAME FROM
AND THE ONE PART THAT YOU NEVER
GAVE UP WITH YOUR SISTER, FROM
WHAT I CAN GATHER FROM WHAT YOU
TOLD ME AND WHAT MOLLY TOLD ME
IS IT'S ABOUT QUALITY AND THESE
PEOPLE HAVE COME TO RELY
ON AGAIN, WE SAY I TRY
THE PRODUCTS. THEY DON'T COME
HERE . I BET ONCE ONCE A WEEK
I GET AN EMAIL FROM SOMEBODY
IN CHINA THAT WOULD LOVE TO MAKE
OUR CAPS OR I'D LOVE TO DO
A CERTAIN PART OF OUR PRODUCT.
I LOVE IT. IT'S ALL MADE
IN AMERICA. YOU KNOW, IF I HAVE
A PROBLEM, I CAN FLY TO MAINE
AND MEET WITH THE COMPANY
THAT MAKES THE CAPS,
THE FULFILLMENTS ALL DONE
IN LIKE OVER THERE SEVERAL TIMES
A WEEK. I LIKE THAT BECAUSE
I LIKE THE RELATIONSHIPS TOO.
>> I MEAN, THAT IS CERTAINLY
PART OF I LOOK BACK, IT'S LIKE
I HAVE PEOPLE THAT I'VE WORKED
WITH . WITHOUT THEM WE WOULDN'T
BE.
BE.
BE. >>
BE. >> WELL , THANK YOU FOR TELLING
US ABOUT YOUR COMPANY
AND