Mother-and-daughter team Megan and Isabella make exquisite products from scratch at Wildflower Botanicals.

Everything about the shop is gorgeous, from the jars of colourful teas to the beautifully designed labels for the range of house-made skincare products. To Megan Sheppard, it’s important to make all her teas, balms, creams and other products on site. There’s no hidden factory, and certainly no hidden ingredients. They make fresh products in small batches, and don’t need to add preservatives or any unnecessary chemicals.

Megan is a herbalist who works with over 400 different botanical ingredients to create her range of delicious and luscious products. She and Isabella moved from Kaikōura to Christchurch, along with the store, late last year to be closer to family – “A global crisis helps put these things in perspective,” Megan says.

The 70-odd teas range from English breakfast, green, and white teas, to teas made from native herbs, and functional herbal teas. There are teas to help with grief, pregnancy and breastfeeding, detoxification, urinary tract infections, hormone balance, and giving up smoking.

The skincare range has grown exponentially due to the two-way stream of information with the people who visit the store. Megan and Isabella work a lot from customer feedback and requests – people wanting a certain effect or something for their sensitive skin. They listen to what the customers want, and develop products accordingly.

There’s even a range of supplies for DIY skincare, and Megan is always keen to give advice and troubleshoot for people making balms at home. “My work is cooperative, not competitive,” she says.

Megan also offers therapeutic treatments, including light therapy, hair mineral analysis, bioresonance treatment, herbal consults and health coaching. “Everything here is for people who are interested in taking care of themselves. More and more, people are interested in health, organics and buying local.”

wildflowerbotanicals.co.nz