Hello! My name is Kate Agarwal and I am the founder and owner of Bella & Boo Organics. My family and I live in the lovely Village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, 10 miles north of Milwaukee. My daughter, Ella, was the inspiration behind Bella & Boo. I am happy to share with you my story and tell you how 'Milwaukee's eco-friendly family shop' came to be.
Soon after Ella was born, I noticed that she would often break out in rashes on her back, arms and stomach. We wondered if it might be caused by a food allergy or some other skin condition. As regular practice, our family takes care to use eco-friendly & natural laundry detergents & soaps, so we knew that those products could not be to blame. My husband and I were very concerned and began searching for the reason behind our daughter’s terrible skin reactions.
I knew about the benefits of eating organic food and I make it a point to choose organic whenever possible. Knowing that conventional produce is treated with pesticides and other chemicals, I wondered whether conventionally grown cotton used for clothing held the same danger. I did a lot of research on the manufacturing process of regular cotton clothing and discovered that, like organic foods, organic cotton clothing is definitely safer and better for us--especially for babies and young children with developing immune systems and delicate skin.
I was shocked to learn that cotton used in most off-the-rack baby clothing is grown with pesticides and treated with chemicals and other unsafe agents. I dug deeper and learned that the root cause of one of Ella’s rashes was actually caused by the chemicals used in her tagless bodysuits. I contacted the manufacturer of the bodysuits in question and was told that, indeed,“certain members of the population do have skin reactions to the chemicals used in our clothing.” I won’t mention any names, but I was stunned. Thankfully, the manufacturer was accommodating and offered a partial refund for the box of bodysuits that I returned to them. Armed with this new information, I began my quest for safe, pure and natural clothing for Ella. There were no shops in my area that sold organic cotton clothing or natural baby products so I scoured the web and came up with a handful of results—many of which were extremely expensive or only carried one or two items I was interested in. Over the next few weeks I managed to replace all of Ella’s bodysuits with organic cotton ones and within a few days of wearing them, her rash disappeared completely! This sealed the deal for me, and I knew that I had to share this information with other moms. I wanted to create a place where parents could purchase safe, pure clothing for their little ones without having to scour the web for other organic products like bedding, toys and other natural baby items like I had to when trying to find a solution for my daughter. Thus, Bella & Boo was born.
All of the products we carry at Bella & Boo are carefully hand selected. We deliberately work with a small group of select manufacturers who share our passion for a cleaner, safer and healthier beginning for babies and children. We are constantly keeping our eye out for the safest and best products for your family and are proud to offer a delightful collection of natural and organic cotton clothing, non-toxic toys, luxurious organic bedding, fun eco-friendly reusable gear, great gifts for mom and our latest addition, books.
Did you realize that an added benefit to purchasing organic products (and organic food, for that matter) is that it is also better for our planet? The growing and manufacturing process is cleaner and less polluting. As consumers, we make choices every day. By making informed choices and understanding that each purchase we make has an impact on the environment, we help protect and preserve the world that our children will one day inherit.
So there you have it, the story behind my passion, my purpose and how it all began. When I am not running Bella & Boo I love to read and listen to my kids laugh. I love seeing their faces light up when they learn and experience something new. I enjoy spending time outdoors, am a huge animal lover and am absolutely crazy about green smoothies.
Here's to creating a healthy, safe and better world for our children!
Kate Agarwal, Owner
Bella & Boo Organics
Photo Credits: The photos of Ella & Kate used throughout the website are by Jean Bernstein Photography and Stella Photographs. Jean Bernstein and Liz Setterfield are two exceptionally talented lifestyle photographers in the Milwaukee area. Please click on the above links to visit their websites.
