Recently, we sat down for a chat with Galwegian, Dara Scott who has successfully founded two completely different businesses
His career in science saw him travel the world for over 20 years. He worked with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, an American non-profit marine research and education outfit and spent a decade working with its underwater research robot, piloting it through the Pacific Islands. But it wasn’t all hard work, there were lots of activities and experiences too. From cycling solo though Cambodia, Vietnam and China and finding harmony doing yoga in Fiji to hiking with a group to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, there aren’t many places left to tick off on Dara’s travel bucket list. However, once he met the love of his life he was eager to return to Ireland.
One of the experiences that stuck most with Dara during his travels was the level of beekeeping he witnessed when in New Zealand. “Everywhere I went, I could see beehives”, he said of his experience. It was different to Ireland, where hives are generally not visible so it piqued his interest. When he returned to Ireland he set about getting a hive and a beekeeping mentor.
“I always naturally looked at ways of improving things with science. I noticed a need for nutritional supplementation for my beehives that would keep my honeybees healthy. I didn’t realise that in 2013, I was embarking on a journey that would see me and my team creating a market leading nutritional feed for honeybees called HiveAlive, that is distributed to over 45 countries around the world.”
HiveAlive harnesses the power of natural, active ingredients to keep honeybees healthy and thriving. From there, Dara decided to take these learnings and apply them to a new category, skincare for people. Being active himself, Dara noticed that there was a need for tailored natural skincare for active people that targeted the issues these people face on a regular basis as a result of the life they lead. He researched what was being offered to this target group and found it was primarily synthetic, mostly male orientated body washes with the word “SPORT” on the front, that didn’t carry any of the natural and environmental ethos that Dara was passionate about and didn’t offer any benefits or functionality.
Dara and his team spent four years working on R&D to develop what would become the Nuasan range of products. “In January 2020, my team and I were finally ready to launch Nuasan Active Skin & Bodycare. Needless to say, 2020 was a challenging time to launch a new brand! Nonetheless, we persevered, and the brand has grown from strength to strength thanks to our hard-working team, loyal customers and fantastic retail partners.”
Dara says their most popular product is their Active CBD Muscle Gel which has proven to be a hit with people of all ages and abilities, not just athletes. “It’s been a lifesaver for me. I used to dread the springtime because it would mean lots of gardening jobs for me and I used to be sore for days after it. But now I know that if I rub some of this magic gel on after, I won’t be aching the next day. I’m so proud of what we have created and humbled by the amazing feedback we get from people who are finding great relief from using it”.
The gel contains a natural blend of CBD (high concentration -500mg, 0% THC), hemp oil and pure plant extracts, including amyris, eucalyptus, cinnamon, chili, peppermint and cassia, to give warming and focused relief to sore, aching joints and muscles. “It also smells great and isn’t sticky!”, enthuses Dara.
In addition to caring for bees and bodies, caring for our planet is hugely important to Dara. From wind powered offices to using recycled plastic and paper in their products, Dara and his team are doing all they can to minimise their environmental impact. “But I believe instead of just minimising their impact, companies should have a positive effect and that is why we are donating 10% of our profits to climate action groups and sustainable charities. It’s a small start but we are a small company and as we grow we will continue to do more.”, says Dara.
To find out more about Dara and his team, you can visit their website www.nuasan.com and join in the conversation @Nuasan__ on Instagram and @NuasanActive on Facebook and @_Nuasan on Twitter. His products are available online and from select pharmacies and healthfood stores
