In the summer of 2019, Sandra Velasquez, the CEO, and founder of Nopalera, a luxury, clean body care brand, visited her family in San Diego, Califo. Inspired by this beautiful place she grew up, she launched her business.
As a hobby, the entrepreneur created soap in her spare time. Aloe vera was the requirement in most recipes she referenced – which she didn’t have.
Velasquez says, “The prickly pear cactus is called the nopal by Latinos but called prickly pear cactus in English.” Since my parents have a Nopalera in their front yard, I started using that instead of aloe.”
It was her “aha” moment when she created this cactus-infused soap. She combines her passion for celebratory, cultural storytelling, and authentic self-care with the plant’s nourishing properties to bring her product to market.
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Collaborating And Designing
Velasquez intends to put every product he names into the Nopalera brand, from its design to its name. She then hired a designer from her previous job to create the packaging and sought out a packer to make her products. By using her credit card, she started her brand.
Brand Inspired By Culture
A passion for culture is Velasquez’s most crucial contribution to Nopalera. She says, “My family has impacted me and my business because they instilled great cultural pride in me, which I’m very grateful for.”
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High-Quality Ingredients
Nopalera products are made with cactus as their star ingredient. Every part of the plant goes into Velasquez’s clean body care range. In the Mexican region, hibiscus, jasmine, and tepezcohuite are used to soothe the body.
Making Every Step Count
“The purpose of this brand is to reposition Latino goods in the premium space because we’re not there,” Velasquez says of launching Nopalera. The goal is to normalize the visibility of her luxury, Latina-owned brand. She adds that we want people to understand that our products are high-end and deserve to be there.