Behind the Brand: A Day in the Life at Twig Botanicals

Most days at Twig Botanicals don’t look particularly poetic. They’re full, practical, and often a bit noisy. But underneath all of that, there’s a steady rhythm and peace I’ve come to really value.

The morning usually begins the same way most family mornings do — coffee first, lunches packed, quick conversations, shoes found (eventually). Once the house quiets down, I grab my favorite mug and walk to the studio to make tea. Not just for the taste, but because it helps me shift gears. Often it’s peppermint and licorice to switch on. Sometimes lemon balm or tulsi fresh from the garden if the day already feels like it’s moving too fast. It’s less about ceremony and more about creating a clear starting point.

The first stretch of work is usually admin and orders. Checking appointments, replying to customer questions, checking what supplies and products are running low and need making. I’ll look at the infusions lined up along the window — jars that have been quietly steeping for weeks — and make a note of what’s ready to strain. Orders are carefully wrapped in recyclable, plastic-free packaging and tied up with string.  

Production tends to happen mid-morning. This is the focused part of the day — blending oils, butters, and extracts to make creams, melting beeswax, measuring carefully, cleaning down surfaces, labelling batches. It’s methodical more than magical. There’s repetition in it, which I really like. You get to know your ingredients well — how chickweed behaves as it dries, the colour shift of a finished oil, the texture change when a balm sets well. It’s quiet, detailed work.

Afternoons are about completing tasks. Client emails. Acute care consult bookings. Herbal formulating. Behind the scenes admin. Filming something quickly between tasks before the light changes. Some days it flows. Some days it doesn’t. Running a small herbal business means switching constantly between maker, practitioner, marketer, bookkeeper and cleaner :) 

By late afternoon, I’m usually doing a final reset of the studio so tomorrow doesn’t feel chaotic. Wiping benches. Refilling jars. Setting up the next infusion. Quick run to the Post Office. Then the house fills up again and I step back into family mode.

It’s unfortunately not aesthetic most of the time. It’s work — thoughtful, steady, peaceful work. But it’s meaningful. I get to make products slowly, in small batches, using herbs I trust. I get to formulate remedies to support people through skin issues, stress, sleep struggles, hormone shifts. 

Being a small, sustainable herbal brand in Australia isn’t about scaling fast or doing more for the sake of it. It’s about choosing to stay hands-on. Sourcing locally where possible. Letting things infuse properly. Keeping quality high even when it would be easier not to.

If you’re here — whether you’ve been following along for years or you’ve just found Twig — thank you. Small businesses are built on community. Every order, every message, every workshop booking genuinely matters.

If you’d like to explore the range, visit the shop.

For herbal remedies connect with me here.

~
 Katie