Emerging as one of the most popular bath bomb brands in Australia, Bath Box started as a home-based business in 2017 by Australian entrepreneur, Hannah Pereira. Since then, the brand has uniquely carved out its own place as a luxury handmade bath brand leading the market in Australia.
Bath Box, found in thousands of Australian households, experienced a surge in sales during the recent pandemic, with lockdowns keeping more of their target customers at home and spending time in the bath.
It also helped that Bath Box customers could very easily process their orders online and have delivery within just a few days.
In 2017, Hannah Pereira, originally from New York, USA, was a full-time worker in the child care industry in Melbourne, Australia. She had been working in the industry for three years and during this time explored a few different ‘side hustles’.
“I love kids, but can’t say I was passionate about the work I did in childcare. I don’t know if many people love their jobs or are passionate about the work they do, but this is and will always continue to be a requirement for me,” says Hannah.
Bath Box turned out to be one of these passionate side hustles that has now turned into a full time business for the avid entrepreneur.
Growing up with entrepreneurial parents who run their own small business in the USA, Hannah believes that her childhood taught her many of the traits required to be a successful entrepreneur. She claims, “I think I didn’t know it at the time, but when I was growing up, I was subconsciously learning about the work ethic and mental strength required to be a successful small business owner.”
Although Bath Box began on a small scale, it quickly grew to what it is today, a multimillion dollar company. This was with the help of investor and serial entrepreneur, Ashton Jude, who was brought on board after a few months to manage the business’ online advertising and sales channels.
Ashton brings vast experience in eCommerce, having also founded a successful publishing company and a marketing agency targeted to driving digital leads and online sales for small businesses.
“I saw the potential in Bath Box early, people online were raving about Hannah’s products, the bath bombs, bath salts, skin care, everything. I knew I had to put it online as soon as possible and start bringing traffic to it,” says Ashton.
As the business grew, Hannah and Ashton brought on board close family member Kim Pereira. With experience in customer service and retail sales, she managed the customer journey, expanding product verticals and boosting the recurring customer rates.
“It was great to be able to use my career experience and skill sets on a business that I had a vested interest in, rather than working for someone else and helping them grow their business,” claims Kim.
Today, the Bath Box team has expanded to over 15 staff members and operates out of a large factory in Melbourne, Australia.
With the majority of their products still made in-house, by hand, Bath Box remains a company that keeps quality, control, and community at the forefront.
“We cannot let quality slip. Today, more than ever before, it’s so easy to post reviews online, so we have to keep our products at the best they can be,” says Hannah.
During the recent pandemic and lockdowns in Melbourne, the business experienced a surge in sales. This was led by their best selling bath comfort accessories – the bath pillow and bath caddy products.
However, with more people taking baths, Bath Box has significantly expanded their manufactured range of products too – with a large range of luxury bath bombs, bubble bath goods, bath salts, and bath soaks now available.
“Sales were so great, we even invented a new product – our bath dusts range,” Hannah reported.
As ‘Australia’s luxury bath brand’, the team at Bath Box are very excited for what the future holds, and hope to sell their creations worldwide by 2023.
