D’Entrecasteaux Soaps & Hospital Healing Hampers

Carol Whitmore and Jen Holdsworth

nature in all her vigor, and yet in a state of decay, seems to offer to the
imagination something more picturesque and more imposing than
the sight of this same nature bedecked by the hand of civilized man.

 ~ Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni d’Entrecasteaux

D’Entrecasteaux was a French navigator who explored the coast of Australia in 1792.  On the 20th April 1792, he anchored his boat in what is now Recherche Bay and then spent five weeks exploring what is now the D’Entrescateaux Channel describing and detailing all of its beauty,  including Bruny Island which was also a part of his name.

Colours from The Channel inspiring D’Entrecasteaux Soaps

D’Entrecasteaux Soaps: Carol Whitmore

This is the same feeling that overcame Carol when visiting this exquisite part of Tasmania, so beautiful, so fresh, and yet so wild and relatively untouched by man.  It is here in Charlotte Cove a majestic little community tucked into the bush land right on the water front of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, that Carol and her partner Geoff decided to settle into and create.  Create Carol has done, being passionate about the environment and motivated by Tasmania’s beauty, Carol started to experiment with soap and study the possibility of making some soaps that represented Tasmania.

D’Entrecasteaux Soaps incorporate stylish packaging in their design

After many trials, research and establishing a good network of many other motivated Tasmanians, Carol has managed to refine her soap collection and has triumphed with the end result being a rather unique collection of soaps, handmade in Tasmania and using 100% natural ingredients.  You won’t find any synthetic fragrance, phthalates, parabens, sodium laurel sulphates, petrochemicals or artificial colours.  With the use of essential oils to create a lovely scent, clays and botanicals are added to nourish and to provide natural colour.  Also, Carol has lovingly picked seaweed from her patch at Charlotte Cove, dried it and then placed it into one of her soaps; magical soap that has so many trace elements from the Tasmanian seaweed, your skin will thank you for it.  The colours of her soaps are so natural with warm earthy tones that truly represent the many colours of Tasmania’s beautiful bush, sea and sky.

D’Entrecasteaux Soaps are handmade in Tasmania using natural ingredients

D’Entrecasteaux Soaps have been operating from Charlotte Cove for over a year and are just starting to build a reputation for quality soaps, that are hand created and carved with not any two soaps being the same, each having its own character without compromise of quality.  Many shops in the Hobart area are stocking these soaps, as they are across this wonderful state, with many boutique accommodation places recognizing their quality.

D’Entrecasteaux Soaps are designed, made & distributed in Tasmania

Hospital Healing Hampers: Jen Holdsworth

Unfortunately, Carol and Geoff have had to return to NSW to complete another project.  However Carol feels so passionately about Tasmania and D’Entrecasteaux Soaps and the potential for her soaps to be sold across Australia and built into a truly Tasmanian icon, that she has partnered up with Jen Holdsworth from Hospital Healing Hampers, an equally passionate Tasmanian.  Carol and Jen have established a wonderful friendship and working relationship whilst Carol was supplying soaps to Hospital Healing Hampers, and from there both Jen and Carol have discussed how wonderful it is to be working in Tasmania and representing Tasmania by creating truly unique ideas and products. D’entrecasteaux Soaps will remain Tasmanian made and still be created with such passion and pride, whilst Carol will continue to operate the business and make regular visits to Tasmania to work with Jen to create more soap, more ideas, and to actively spread the message of quality natural soaps.

Jen with her Hospital Healing Hampers business has a huge desire to promote Tasmanian products in her hampers which are beautifully presented, and that are not only packed with goodies but also the emotions of empathy, respect, love and pride.

Tasmanian: Hospital Healing Hampers by Jen Holdsworth

She is a mother of four children – the fourth child with a rare genetic disorder called Kabuki Syndrome.  As a result of the issues associated with the syndrome, there have been many hospital visits both here and in Victoria.  This has given Jen a true understanding of the emotions of a hospital stay, not only for the patient but for all family members.  The family would have found it easier to move to Victoria for their daughter’s treatment; however it is Tasmania that they call home and Tasmania that they choose to raise their four beautiful children in.  Teaching their children the importance of nature and family values, is something that they are able to do here whilst working from home.

Send you're loved one a Tasmanian hamper as they're healing in hospital

Thanks to many supportive people, Jen has been able to establish her dream of helping others whilst creating beautiful products. “It’s so important for families to feel supported during their time of crisis and this is how we are able to help” says Jen.  The hampers provide a lovely treat, and are designed to help promote emotional and physical healing.  They also make wonderful gifts for any occasion and are such a lovely way to promote how healing Tasmanian products can be.

Tasmanian Soaps & Hampers: A Partnership Made in Heaven

Both Carol and Jen have a wonderful relationship that flows into both their businesses, the warmth shines through in the soaps and the hampers, and the passion and pride they have for Tasmania is evident as they speak highly of what this state has to offer in the way of support, produce, people, natural beauty, and passion.

Carol and Jen are inspired by the colours of nature in Tasmania

This year they both plan to work hard to establish wonderful partnerships with both suppliers and customers to provide wonderful personalized service and create even more stunning soaps and hampers.  “I think people are still looking for service provided with a smile and pride, and a good quality honest product” says Jen, “and both Carol and I believe that this is what makes a wonderful shopping experience, resulting in many happy smiles”.  “Tasmania is a state in which we are both very proud of and its constant changing environments is what inspires our soap” says Carol, who gleams with pride!

Both Hospital Healing Hampers and D’Entecastreaux Soaps have Facebook pages, with Hospital Healing Hampers also in the Tasmanian phone book for their mobile service.  Both soaps and hampers can be delivered anywhere across Australia with overnight delivery, and the presentation of both soaps and hampers are simply stunning.  Your skin will thank you for the soaps and your soul will thank you for the hampers.

A selection of Hospital Healing Hampers, a company based in Tasmania

Both Carol and Jen would like to thank many Tasmanians who have supported them and look forward to this year with so many exciting things to come.

For more information, check the websites for…
D’Entrecasteaux Soaps
Hospital Healing Hampers

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Map: D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Tasmania…

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