"Together Talks" feature # 23: Almara Beauty presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on Almara Beauty
Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS was joined by Wendy Llorente, Co-Founder of Almara Beauty. Almara Beauty is small group of working moms that appreciate the true beauty of our skin and the importance of keeping it safe and well cared for. After thoroughly researching the products they were using daily, it was evident that many of them contain harmful ingredients that have long-term negative effects on our skin. They decided to take control. The objective is to create self-care essentials that not only are beneficial to your skin's health, but make you feel pampered and nurtured. This little hobby then became a dream which led to the birth of Almara. Almara is a family-owned skincare company based in sunny Florida. Their goal is one: to help you feel confident in your own skin.
Formation
The company was started by three women and is proudly family-owned. Wendy Llorent ; her mother, Rosemari Scorpo ; Jennifer Scorpo, her cousin "sister". 8 short months ago their dream became a reality. Wendy told us that for years they talked about the products they used and why there weren't better alternatives out there. Rosemari is Brazilin, Wendy and Jennifer were born in New Jersey but grew up in South America. Given their diverse upbringings and backgrounds they were aware of other products and ingredients not being used in cosmetics. Specifically, she had mentioned ingredients from Bolivia for starters. Wendy and co decided to take action.
The entire team began taking classes to learn about ingredients, processes, and manufacturing. She gathered as much info as she could initially. Then the team began creating formulas within her household. They immediately started trying their products on themselves and their families knowing they were safe due to the immense research they had done.
Wendy told us that to them they aren't just cosmetics, but they truly believe they are in the health and wellness industry, striving to create beauty for others.
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
Their Passion
Wendy said that when the trio decided to create this brand there were two main objectives.
All natural 100%
Affordable
Many companies say they are completely natural, but if you look at the ingredients that can be easily disputed according to Wendy. Once again they took the time to do the research and make sure their products included only healthy, all-natural ingredients.
The other critical component was pricing. "A lot of people don't understand you can have a good routine and it doesn't have to cost you hundreds of dollars. We knew we were making a healthy and safe product that would provide results. We also knew we wanted it to be accessible for everyone." Given how the company was created and how Wendy told us over and over about their mission to help people feel beautiful, it is easy to believe!
"We want every woman, wait no, every person (we don't exclude men, our products work on them as well!) to feel good at a price point that is sustainable." Wendy told us that they say most skin care routines require roughly six weeks to notice a difference, but it is suggested to go a full twelve weeks for the full results. By being an affordable product their consumers can continue coming back to restock after they see the results.
We asked Wendy to explain the differences she noticed once she started using their products, of which they currently have 9 total.
"I suffer from basically delicate skin, which is stress induced...but I've always had patches. Immediately I noticed they were clearing up from using our body butter. Face looks better, it feels better, I have less dark circles (we can attest it was a video interview!), wrinkles aren't as visible, I feel hydrated." Inquiring about their products if they are still being reworked, tinkered with, modified she told us the products are final and they are thrilled with them. They do offer some differentiating as they use essential oils instead of fragrances so each season they can change the scent to give it a fresh feel.
The company will be releasing NEW products to celebrate their 1st birthday, stay tuned!
Staying the Course
Wendy described the culture now and in the future of Almara as "Sharing our secret with the world". She told us they are fortunate to have experienced different places all around the world that helped them create the vision and ultimately Almara. Sharing their knowledge and products brings them so much joy. Like their motto says, "Embrace your own beauty!"
The company currently sells everything via e-commerce, but also attends local fairs and markets. As 2023 continues, they are looking to expand their presence and hopefully attend a trade show as well. Wendy told us how their company is different based on their approach and process. "We will be at a fair or trade show and someone will come up asking about a product and I can tell them every ingredient we use, why we use it, and what benefit it offers. We hand make every product, hand package, we use glass containers. Getting people to give us a chance is the toughest obstacle, but when it happens the feedback is unbelievable."
We could feel the passion come through the screen when we asked Wendy about the favorite part of the journey so far and she told us it is making products, watching the industry, and finding new avenues to grow the business. She also added that "I'm a huge believer in God and believe signals or signs are always sent. So anytime I am discouraged or there are hurdles or whatever negative thing is occupying my head, we get a random review or feedback. Or an out-of-state order and wonder how did they find us?!?! Or we will work a fair all day long and it is grueling, but having those interactions with potential customers lights a fire in my soul. It reminds me we are on the right path and realigns everything to focus my perspective once again."
We ended by asking Wendy, what are the goals for 2023 and beyond? She held back her enthusiasm, or tried to! But gave us their hopes:
2023: Get into more local and regional shops
3 years: Be in bigger markets and enter the retail side
5 years: Possibly owning brick and mortar
"We believe in our vision and brand so much, we are excited to see what it brings us. BUT we understand we have to walk before we can run."
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
KLS is booking our upcoming schedule now!
Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!
In Closing
They were recently featured in an article on NBC News, highlighting "250+ women-owned brands to support." This is how we found them! :)
Use '"togethertalks" coupon for 15% off your first order from their website!!!! :)
A beautiful new company looking to help others feel good. Thank you Wendy and Almara Beauty for sharing with KLS for this week's "Together Talks" feature.
Klimson Logistics Solutions - Almara Beauty with Wendy Llorente feature # 23 of Together Talks
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign "Together Talks" if you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands for freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.
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