WildCraft Co.’s Quinn Kavanaugh submits to The Pitch Questionnaire
Photo by Mark Allen.
Owner of minimalist herbal skin care shop Wildcraft Co. and artisan soap maker Quinn Kavanaugh has studied herbalism for nearly five years. After taking over the small-batch personal care company in Oct. 2022, Kavanaugh put her passion to use, promising only to provide customers with clean, sustainable beauty products.
Dedicated to using no ingredients that aren’t absolutely necessary, Kavanaugh has stocked Wildcraft Co.’s shelves with all-natural handmade items like deodorants, skin serums, and soaps, to name a few.
We got a chance to peek into the mind of the craftsperson and talk about all things herbalism, personal growth, and even star signs in The Pitch Questionnaire.
Photo by Mark Allen.
Hometown:
North Sioux City, SD
Current neighborhood:
The Crossroads
Social handles:
What are your favorite food spots in KC?
Lulu’s, PT’s Coffee, and Extra Virgin. They have the best happy hour at Extra Virgin.
What are your go-to cocktails?
A Gin and Tonic. Oh, and my favorite herbal cocktail is a Nettle and Rose Petals.
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What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Do not take criticism from anyone you wouldn’t ask for advice.
What do you wish you could tell your younger self?
Don’t make yourself smaller to make other people more comfortable.
Would you consider yourself to be an extrovert or an introvert?
I feel like I’m one of those elusive blends of a person. But technically speaking, I do feel like I’m an introvert because I recharge my battery when I’m alone, especially in nature. That’s where I go to be at peace.
Where do you stand on the topic of astrology?
I think astrology is another language you can speak. I never judge someone who might not find it to be beneficial to them. It gives me tools for self-understanding and self-compassion—two things I find hugely lacking in our society.
Practices that lead to self-growth and self-discovery can often be taboo and demonized because you have to make yourself vulnerable to open yourself up to new information about yourself that you might not have had before.
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What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Working with plants and just the whole process of making soap. I was trained as a printmaker in my undergraduate degree, so I love processes with multiple complex steps. I love blending oils and making products.
Also, meeting people and going out into the community, having popups, and getting to know all these fantastic people in Kansas City.
How’d you get to where you are now?
I started studying herbalism about 5 years ago with Regina Compernolle of Sacred Earth Arts. Sarah, whom I bought the business from in the fall of 2022, has been a friend since 2016, so when she was ready to release her business, I stepped up and told her I’d love to be considered. I loved the products and loved working with plants. I was by trying to figure out what makes me happy in life. I found that to be working for myself and being a helper. So what I’m doing now allows me to be creative and also allows me to help people.
What do you want people to know about you?
I hope to encourage anyone to connect or consider connecting more with their creativity and the natural world. Sometimes it seems like I’m in my world, but it’s just because I’m so in love with the things happening in my world. So what I want people to think of when they think of me is that I’m genuinely really someone who wants to support them and help them grow and be healthier and happier.
What are your goals for Wildcraft Co.’s future?
I want to expand Wildcraft to a nationwide market. Still, in addition to that, one of the incentives I look forward to launching in 2023 is a program that donates hygiene kits and self-care kits to LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness.
LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their peers. This is a cause very close to my heart. One of my sayings for this business is that Wildcraft Co. is about radical self-care, which means putting yourself first and prioritizing your health and wellness, starting with the products you put on your skin.
I want to give back to kids who have been displaced and to give them something that helps them remember they matter and that they deserve good things.
