Meet the Founder: Terri Hudson of Royalty Gardens, an Organic Beauty Skincare Company With a Purpose
- Profile Interview by Minya Irby
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Meet the Founder
Terri Hudson is the founder and operator of Royalty Gardens, a purpose and mission-driven beauty and skincare company specializing in premium handmade organic products based in Detroit, Michigan.
Committed to being a business owner since youth, with a strong desire to contribute and give back to the community, Terri Hudson returned home to Detroit after finishing Grand Valley State University in 2014, and running three restaurants in West Michigan.
Terri always wanted to be in business for herself, and the restaurant business opened the door for entrepreneurship. Her first product was hot sauce. She worked closely with MSU Extension and Eastern Market to get the product on shelves. However, the sudden impact of the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the hot sauce venture. But as the saying goes, ‘when one door closes, another door opens up,’ the shutdown of her first venture led to another opportunity for her to be of service to her community in a more significant way.
The reality of the virus and the continuous hand washing during the pandemic created skin problems for many. The media and healthcare professionals were constantly urging people to wash their hands more frequently to prevent the spread of the virus.
With the new rules around hygiene being pushed, along with the fact that her son was experiencing acne outbreaks, and her own struggles with eczema is what led Terri to research soaps and lotions that are healthier for the skin. She also researched natural skin care remedies for healing, nourishing, and protecting the skin. As a result, in 2020, Royalty Gardens was born.
Why Royalty Gardens is Unique
Terri launched her organic skincare business through community farmers markets and pop-ups. Royalty Gardens is also currently available in two stores at Meijer, including the Rivertown Market, and Walmart.com. Although the recent health and beauty regulation changes and requirements infringed upon small business owners may lead to limited access to her products through these sites, Terri is optimistic about adjusting to these changes and continuing to deliver high-quality, and value to customers who find her products there. Customers can also purchase Royalty Gardens organic skincare products online at the company’s website at: rgardensoap.com.
The dream of going from kitchen concepts to retail shelves taught Terri to manage her time and money differently. Royalty Gardens is also attracting talent to help sell their products and create more job opportunities in the Detroit community. In fact, Royalty Gardens has found much success with young people in their training programs, as they learn how to sell and market their products.
Shaping the Voice of the Community
Through her work training programs, Terri has helped young people find their voice and overcome fears of interfacing with the public.
The point where many people give up in business is where the cost of doing business becomes more than what they are willing to pay. But through the ups and downs, Terri discovered that she could either spend her life working to achieve the goals of someone else, or she can spend her life investing in herself and expanding her service to meet the needs of the community. So, despite the challenges, Terri chose to invest in the future of Royalty Gardens and her vision for growth, job creation, job training, and delivering premium organic skin care products to consumers.
When you have a growing business, a large chunk of operating it depends on human capital and paying others, and as a business owner, Terri understands that sometimes you pay for others to make mistakes. For Royalty Gardens, this always evolves into lessons learned for doing it better the next time. This is one of the ways that Royalty Gardens is helping young women who are afraid to use their voice (and are often told their voice doesn’t matter) to find their voice as they learn from mistakes.
Why Terri Hudson Became a Vendor at JCFM
Terri’s passion for engaging with the community and her desire to support other entrepreneurs is what led her to become a vendor at the Jefferson Chalmers Farmers Market (JCFM), where she finds a sense of community. She believes that the neighborhood farmers markets like the Jefferson Chalmers Farmers Market and the East Warren Farmers Market keeps her close to the community and informed about their needs.
Fun Facts About the Products
The fun part of Terri's job is the product naming and skin blends that allow her to exercise her creative muscles. Her SugarDaddy formula is a goat's milk soap with a combination of natural ingredients that offers everything a person could want and need in a skin care product.
Terri is still in the kitchen, where her first business venture was launched, but instead of food recipes, she’s crafting skin care recipes for moisturizers and handmade soaps. This summer, she has been working on a sheer sesame oil and grapeseed oil base moisturizer. This new blend is unscented, but the pomegranate infusion adds a hint of a unisex smell. Adding this product to her line is about intentionality and creating options in the marketplace that meet consumers' needs. And for a Black-owned beauty brand that competes with other mainstream beauty brands constantly, caring about the skincare needs and overall well-being of consumers is what makes their mission unique and imperative.
Contact Info
To learn more about Royalty Gardens visit: rgardensoap.com
Detroit Office: 1420 Washington Blvd, Suite 301, Detroit, MI 48226
Phone Number: 1-616-990-5294
