Nothing Fancy Supply Co.’s All-Natural Beeswax Food Wraps Create a Buzz
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A trip to the fabric store was just the beginning for Nothing Fancy Supply Co. Colleen Flinn grew up in a family of quilters and loved beautiful fabrics, so when she realized how much waste her family of five produced, she headed straight to the fabric store.
Flinn used colorful, patterned fabrics to make reusable food wraps. Each wrap is handcrafted using ingredients made in the U.S.: beeswax from Illinois, pine resin from Georgia and jojoba oil from Arizona.
“Cotton and beeswax have been used as food preservers for forever,” Flinn explains. “The beeswax, pine resin and jojoba oil make it more pliable and help it stick, and it seals with the warmth of your hands.”
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Fancy Beginnings
Where to Buy
In 2019, Flinn shared photos of her handmade creations on social media, and friends asked about ordering reusable wraps for their families. The creative, zero-waste solution to disposable plastic wrap was a hit, and Nothing Fancy Supply Co. was born.
Before long, Flinn had signed up to participate in her first farmers market.
“I remember thinking, ‘If I sold $50 worth of wraps, it’d be a success,’” she recalls. “I sold out.”
To accommodate demand, Flinn and her husband, Tim, who live in Pleasant Plains just a few miles from the family farms where they grew up, saved an old shed from demolition and turned it into a backyard workspace. Flinn moved production out of her kitchen and began selling the wraps to local shops and at weekend handmade, craft and vintage markets.
“I targeted stores and customers in this area who had never heard of beeswax food wraps before,” she says. “Midwesterners are so great; they want to support their own.”
The approach worked: Customers loved the pretty, practical wraps. Each one is made from 100% cotton and lasts up to 12 months with proper care, which includes rinsing with cold water after each use and, if needed, washing with mild dish soap or white vinegar and water.
“Everybody uses plastic wrap or baggies, and this is an easy fix to disposable plastic,” she says. “I wanted them to be attractive so people would be excited to use them.”
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Buzzing Across America
The business exceeded her expectations, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Flinn lost almost all of her regular sales channels. So, she pivoted, moving Nothing Fancy Supply Co. online and posting on social media, which helped her develop a nationwide following and attract the attention of shop owners from coast to coast.
“The movement with handmade, sustainable, made-in-the-USA is so big right now,” she says.
Learn More
Colleen Flinn provides additional details about her company and wraps in this episode of the Partners podcast.
Even though her business gained in popularity, nothing prepared Flinn for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have her products appear on the TV show “Good Morning America.” The producers wanted to feature the handcrafted beeswax wraps after meeting Flinn at a trade show in Atlanta.
In advance of the air date in October 2021, Flinn prepared for the onslaught of attention the national media appearance would bring. She rented warehouse space, stocked up on fabric, hired additional staff and celebrated the accomplishment.
“I grew up on a corn, soybean and cattle farm and learned from that experience how important it is to support locally owned businesses,” she says. “I feel really blessed with how it all came together.”
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