Meet Audrey Zuber | Audrey Zuber | Owner & Formulator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Audrey Zuber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Audrey, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?

I started out wanting to provide solutions for parents. During a time of uncertainty, we were seeing a lot of product warnings and recalls. I wanted something safe and natural for my child when she was teething and after speaking with our pediatrician, she suggested clove oil. I bought some at the store and applied it to my daughter’s gums and was instantly horrified when she started screaming! I had burned my child because I had no idea that it needed to be diluted.

I reached out to an aromatherapist and started learning all about essential oils and herbs. I loved the beauty of what they offered, but quickly realized they can be incredibly harmful and dangerous if not used properly. This set me on a mission to create a teething solution that was both safe and effective. A product that parents could use with confidence and would have a difficult time making a mistake in using it. And because I know how amazing and ingenuous children are, I made sure that even if a child drank an entire bottle, they wouldn’t be harmed by our formulation.

With my newfound passion for natural resources and formulation, I found myself creating several well-loved products. Before I knew it, customers and boutique shops all over the world were asking for my products because my customers couldn’t stop bragging about how wonderful they were. By focusing on my customers and making sure they had the best I could offer, they love and trust everything I make. And they all have become my brand ambassadors. Ironically, I know nothing about advertising or promoting my products. If it wasn’t for the love of my customers, I wouldn’t be here today. So, I really owe everything to them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I make everything by hand with the help of just a few employees. Our focus has always been on quality versus just making money. Small batches ensure safe, consistent, and reliable production. I’ve never outsourced any of it which has helped us stay on top of any issues that might happen, starting at the ingredient level all the way to shipping. Being one of the longest manufacturers in this specific space, we have the safety history, generational support and brand trust others can’t match. They copy us, leave fake reviews and try to even get us removed from places like Amazon. In the end, our quality and history speaks for itself, and customers aren’t deterred. I stay focused on what I want to accomplish and ignore the outside noise. What matters is the next thing my customers are asking for and how to make sure they are still loving our first products as much as the newest ones.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was in 2009. The housing crisis had really hit us all hard. I had a little retail shop and was trying to manage a toddler while also pregnant with twins. In-person sales had nearly vanished, and it was clear I needed to close my shop. Knowing I wouldn’t be able care for newborn twins and a toddler in a retail environment, I made the decision to move everything home. At this time, I was buying soap from another company that had come up for sale. I took the gamble and bought the business to complement mine. This was a big financial risk, but it paid off tremendously. Turned out, I had a knack for making soap. In fact, I felt like I found my perfect creative and artistic outlet! This sparked so much new creativity and product launch ideas that business grew very rapidly from this point on.

The biggest lesson I learned was that certain risks must be taken to grow. You must try new things, challenge yourself, and risk failing. If I never took the leap, my business probably wouldn’t be here right now.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I live in an adorable little German town called Boerne, just North of San Antonio. So of course, I would have to show them our picturesque Main Street and take them to all my favorite little spots to shop and eat. Lunch would have to be at a cute little restaurant called The Little Gretel. They have the most amazing hamburger. My daughter, the last time we were there even said, “Whoever made this hamburger is an angel.” They specialize in German/Czech dishes, but the pastries are what we love to indulge in! A few other great spots to eat at would definitely include Mary’s Tacos, Compadres Hill Country Cocina, The Dodging Duck Bewhaus & Restaurant, and the Cypress Grille.

Every month we have Market Days where local artisans sell a variety of products, there’s live music in the gazebo and the food trucks are a definite must-try! And while there, you have to go say hi to Wild Bill Hickok who sits on a bench at the end of the park watching all the cars go by on Main Street. A great tourist photo to capture the memory of the day!

Then we would need to head a little north of town to go see the Cave Without a Name. It’s quite a beautiful cave with a colorful history to it. A few other spots we love include Boerne City Lake, Cibolo Park with all the nature trails, and River Road Park where you can feed the ducks and turtles and enjoy a nice picnic lunch.

Nightlife in a sleepy little town is a little harder to come by. But we have been blessed by Salvador Dobbs right on River Road that has the best music in town and is a clean and friendly bar where people can go and listen to live music, play corn hole, shuffleboard, pool or darts and there’s even a little room in front of the stage to dance. Another option just 10 miles east of town is an outdoor, family-friendly music venue that has a beer garden and food trucks called the RoundUp. They’ve had some big names and awesome up-and-coming artists providing excellent concerts.

Just north of us, you hit wine country, and of course, south of us is San Antonio with endless sites to see.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I really need to recognize my children for being both the inspiration for most of my products and the motivation to keep going on the rough days. They are incredibly understanding when I have had long days, weeks, or even months where my time with them is spread thin. Some days, they visit with me and help me work. Other days, my youngest brings me a little snack or tea when she realizes I hadn’t eaten all day.

My friends also need some recognition. After Covid hit, I was working 16-hour days because everything was crazy. My retailers were forced to close or shut down all together in many states and countries and my direct to customer sales seemed to mostly vanish. Everything was going through Amazon, and I couldn’t keep up. My friends dropped everything and showed up to help me catch up. I felt so loved and cared for and it renewed my energy to keep pushing forward for my customers.

Covid also created a bit of a disconnect from my customers and I felt myself losing my sense of purpose. It was at this time a friend connected me with an organization called the Hill Country Pregnancy Care Center. They offered so many services to families right in town and I loved how they especially empowered young and new parents with classes and material assistance. Their mission really touched me, and I thought I wanted to give a little to make a difference. I started making hundreds of little gift bags for the moms and babies to make them happy when they picked up their necessities each month. It gave me a sense or renewal hearing how much they loved not just getting a gift but the products as well.

Website: www.punkinbutt.com

Instagram: @punkinbuttbaby

Facebook: @punkinbuttbaby

Image Credits
Paula VM Photography