Hemp farms, quality coolers and Nigerian dairy

Plus, how to deal with copycats (and when to get over it).Plus, how to deal with copycats (and when to get over it). Friday 5 May 2023 [View in browser]( / [Sign up]( We're digging into the CBD brands to know, Nigeria's dairy industry and a new creative agency centering Muslim women. Plus, how to deal with copycats (and when to get over it). Did we mention our latest magazine issue is out? 1. [Drew Joiner]( seems to be everywhere in the fashion world – and nowhere, all at once. His down-to-earth approach to covering fashion and sharing playful gorpcore fits hasn't yet landed him in the front row, but it does give him a direct line to hundreds of thousands of loyal [podcast]( listeners and social media followers, he [told us]( 📱. ‘I'm not the best at camera, video and audio stuff. But, if I put the reps in, I'll be able to find a niche for myself and carve out a community.’ 2. With an entrance hidden in an unassuming smoke shop in NYC, [Sushi 35 West]( is run by chefs with backgrounds in some of the city's top sushi restaurants, serving up quality omakase even from a tiny space. 3. Ben Newman found [his niche]( in the furniture world by creating mounts for ancient artifacts. Now he's started [Bnf Studio]( which makes handcrafted chairs and tables in bold colors. 4. [SEEN LIBRARY]( sells books wrapped in paper with handwritten clues on the front cover, so readers choose based on the subject matter rather than cover, title or author. 5. A business owner to watch from our contributor and [Good Vodka]( co-founder Mark Byrne, based in upstate New York 🍃. ‘I sometimes joke to people that New Paltz is the rare tiny village with more vegan restaurants than greasy-spoon diners. This is at least in part because of [Lagusta Yearwood]( a vegan feminist chocolatier who's lived here for years. She has a chocolate brand and a little café called [Lagusta's Luscious Café]( and recently launched a THC and CBD candy company called [Softer Power Sweets](. She has one of the first legal THC licenses in the state. Lagusta is one of the most thoughtful entrepreneurs I've ever encountered – just completely fixated on treating her staff well, sourcing from good suppliers and using good materials in general.’ 6. Speaking of CBD in unlikely places, check out this hemp farm based [in Milan](. 7. The next big way to get your CBD fix is through a skin patch (see [Fleur Marché](. 8. Ayurveda has been working its way from a traditional health practice to infused ingredients in skincare, wellness and food. Here are four brands that have caught our eye. - [Bourii]( creates small-batch body oils meant to restore balance to people's doshas (a kind of bodily energy, if you didn't know). - [Sahajan]( skincare is created with consultation by Ayurvedic doctors in Kerala. - [Deja]( makes supplements that support digestion and mental clarity. - [Moonji]( creates ice cream inspired by Ayurvedic principles, with flavors like golden turmeric. TRY IT. Ayurvedic brands live and die by the purity of their ingredients – Moonji's founder Abi Bhohi [let us in]( on her procurement fundamentals. 9. [Câm]( is building a dairy industry in Nigeria (where long life, condensed and powdered milk, as well as drinking yogurt, is more common), sourcing from farmers in remote areas. So far, it's released glass-bottled milk and a Greek-style yogurt – which, according to Instagram comments, is very good (if you're in Abuja or Lagos, please let us know). 10. [Mill]( a kitchen device, turns food scraps into grounds overnight – the brand then collects and turns these grounds into chicken feed. 11. Think YETI is the king of quality coolers? This Norwegian company called [Oyster]( is trying to take the crown 👑. 12. [Muslim Sisterhood]( which started as a London-based photography collective, is now a creative agency centered on Muslim women. Its three founders started out taking photos in and around areas like Brick Lane and Shepherd's Bush 📸. ‘When we started our Instagram, we got 1,000 followers in our first week. We reached out to loads of platforms to see if anyone wanted to publish us. We stalked people, liking their stuff and making them notice us,’ co-founder Lamisa Khan told us. 13. Our Istanbul-based contributor [Alexandra de Cramer]( recently spotted these Turkish brands. - ‘[Civan]( is a handcrafted menswear brand that's been around since June 2012. It does bespoke tailored suits.’ - ‘[Ait İstanbul]( is a creative studio based around the concept of belonging.’ - ‘[Pâme]( is a limited-edition silk scarf brand. Each collection is designed by a different artist. They're sold in pop-up shops in London and Istanbul.’ - ‘The [Turkish Designers]( Instagram account features the typography and designs of Turkish artists.’ - ‘Beril Ates runs travel and food blog [Tuzlu Kadın]( – she handcrafts [beautiful journals]( and travel guides for her destinations. Her Istanbul food stops are the best.’ - ‘Built in 1900 for Jean Botter, a Dutch tailor for the sultan, [Casa Botter]( is a rare survivor among Istanbul's art nouveau buildings. The seven-story building has been renovated and just opened its doors to the public.’ - ‘[Melez]( is a Turkish tea brand founded by tea sommeliers Liliana Lopez and Emre Aslanoba. They collaborate with partners to create tea programs for companies, plus they do corporate events, product launches, brand activations, etc.’ 14. If you occupy the same niche CPG corner of the internet as us, it was impossible to miss the recent squeezable olive-oil [discourse](. A word of advice to founders dealing with imitation, from Ju Rhyu, co-founder of Hero Cosmetics: ‘[Get used to it]( TIP. That said, if you're dealing with a copycat, there are ways to take action. We've got a guide on how to deal with [people ripping off your product]( (on a budget). 15. This app is making it easier for musicians and producers to [stay organized and work remotely]( – and it's using AI to connect artists around the world for virtual collaborations. 16. [BABY Audio]( develops plugins for music producers to add stylized sound effects – and it just released one [based on]( an eighties synth. 17. [Gadhouse]( is a music and lifestyle brand based in Bangkok 🇹🇭 that sells turntables with a retro look. It's now diversified into furniture and accessories, like a record holder and a trolley. 18. [Melon]( is a tool for organizing online learning resources (like saving a TikTok tutorial that would've been lost to the scroll or an episode of a podcast you listened to years ago). 19. [Sparetoolz]( is a peer-to-peer tool-sharing app 🛠️. 20. This graphic designer quit his job to do [ceramics full-time](. Here's [how he knew]( it was time to take the leap 💡. ‘Over the past four years, I've really fallen in love with working with my hands and getting away from the keyboard and eventually found myself thinking more about clay than my design work.’ 21. Putting your name on your brand holds you a little more accountable to customers. That's what Manny Mandela, founder of diving school [Manny's Diving Adventures]( in Honolulu, Hawaii, told us 🚘. ‘I touch base with all the clients, even though I may not be the one taking them into the water. Because my name's on the company, I tried to make it a point not just to collect their money, but to introduce them to scuba diving.’ TRY IT. Naming your business is super important – but not super easy. Luckily, [we've got a few tips]( from people who've done it before. 22. [Housefly Fishing]( a fly-fishing shop founded by friends Sean Witman, Tim Miller and Dan Santoro, is based in Hawley, Pennsylvania. Think outdoors meets streetwear. But it's the real deal – the store is just steps away from the Lackawaxen River, so it's not (exclusively) for fishing cosplay. 23. Back in 2019, chef Jeanette Cutlack bought a ruined, abandoned basalt barn on the Isle of Mull in Scotland ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó ´ó ¿ and she's now working with her childhood friend, architect Edward Farleigh-Dastmalchi, to turn it into a restaurant called [Croft 3](. 24. This butcher [hosts]( bespoke sausage-making parties. 25. Portland-based [Company]( renovated a former garage into a wine bar – for [less than $10,000]( 🍷. 26. [Contact Sports]( a sex shop, just opened a store in New York City that looks like Aimé Leon Dore designed a luxury locker room… to sell lube. Needs to be [seen](. 27. Also in New York City, queer-owned fine-dining restaurant [HAGS]( is doing a lot of things differently: it has a pay-what-you-can night every Sunday. Employees only work eight-hour shifts. Nearly two-thirds of its costs go to its people (unheard of in the industry). And all of the recipes, as well as the prep list, can be found in a public [Google Drive folder](. Elsewhere in Courier: 🤳 On TikTok: [Go inside]( a slow-fashion shop in Goa. 💻 Online: The menswear designer [turned]( custom-speaker maker. 📰 In print: Our [latest issue]( features food as art and female hiking clubs. Drop us a line any time at [hello@couriermedia.com](mailto:hello@couriermedia.co). Update your preferences [here](. Unsubscribe [here](