The Suit Magazine

“At Nature’s Organics, our motivation is based on a philosophy of creating environmentally responsible products, of the best quality, at the lowest possible price,” says Dowel.

As Managing Director of the company, he stops at nothing to fight for his passion, a greener environment and an improved social environment. “It’s part of our social responsibility to set an example of what businesses should do, not only environmentally, but also socially. We are not motivated by making money; we are motivated by what we can do through this business,” Dowel explains during an interview with The Suit Magazine. “We set the example because the corporate world is focused on numbers and cents, and people have forgotten about the point of actually being there,” he added. “Not just making money, but actually creating a better product and creating a better world. Making money gets very boring,” he chuckles.

Justin, who took over the reins of Nature’s Organics as managing director some five years ago, says, “I always worked after school and on holidays as a child with my father. I always knew that I would someday be a part of the business and carry on the family legacy.” Initially, his father, Terry Dowel, who founded the company in the early 1950’s, didn’t allow Justin to work there before forging his own career in sales. Consequently, Justin cut his teeth in the electrical business, working in that field for more than four years. Then, when he turned 21 in 1991, the elder Dowel finally asked his son to join the company. After accepting the offer, Justin worked his way up through the ranks, learning the business from the bottom up.
 
Now with the company for almost 20 years, Justin oversees day-to-day operations, steers the company’s direction while still working with the sales department on major presentations to the trade. Nature’s Organics produces approximately 80 products currently offered in Australia, with three major brands that the company focuses on: Organic Care (for personal care), Earth’s Choice (for household cleaning), and the flagship range of products offered by the company.

Employing good people has been a challenge, Dowel states matter-of-factly. “Hiring people who have good people skills, putting the right people in the right place, and managing the financials accordingly,” he explains, “are the key reasons why we are successful.”

Despite the general economic downturn, Nature’s Organics has shown a positive growth cycle for the past four years. Dowel proudly says that every month the company is able to contribute to the Cambodian Children’s fund, which helps to feed 700 children in that country. The company also funds a veterinary clinic in Malaysia, which takes care of orphaned orangutans from Borneo and Indonesia. It also supports India’s Reaching the Unreached Foundation and provides funding to build three houses a month for both homeless families and those living under straw huts that tend to collapse each year when the monsoon arrives.

“We also support the St. Jude School in Tanzania,” he says. “We support the foundations that really appeal to us,” and adds, “We actually go there to see firsthand what each organization is doing and to ensure our contributions are being used wisely; there are a lot of orphanages that are corrupt and profit from abandoned and abused children, so it is very important who we choose to donate to.”

According to Dowel, Nature’s Organics focuses on developing new, sustainable resources, such as bio-plastics, which utilize a 100% natural or plant-based material, and even petroleum-based materials. They’re the first in the world to produce personal care products using polylactic acid.  Those eco-friendly personal care items are produced under the Nature’s Works brand, an American-based company. “Numbers and cents don’t really matter; that isn’t as important as the potential environmental benefits that the bio-plastics will provide one day,” he says. “It’s all about the environmental benefits – biodegradable products, crude-oil reduction and CO2 reduction,” he adds. “We are moving on to the Cardiac hybrid bio-plastic for our injection-blown caps. The benefit here is about sustainability in using renewable ingredients; that is our priority –
setting an example of how a business should be both socially and environmentally doing the right thing – and the right thing is not to take advantage of others in order to gain,” he adds, “It’s just to be a damn good business, to run it efficiently and stick to what you believe in.”   

Nature’s Organics has one of the most technically advanced manufacturing facilities in the country, consistently investing in new equipment. Recently, the company ordered a brand new filling line, one that promises to be among the largest in the southern hemisphere. “It’s about being bold and brave,” poses Justin. “Some companies are stuck because they are afraid to move forward and invest. We are not.

“I got that characteristic from my father,” he continues, laughing. “My father wasn’t scared of doing anything; he was crazy in his early days. He would just go out and spend $800,000 dollars on a new blow-molding machine.

“I said, ‘Man, how are we going to pay for this.’ My father said, ‘this is what puts the pressure on, to develop new business and forge ahead, if you want to grow.” The elder Dowel forged ahead and beat the odds, making his company an even more respected and successful business.
The younger Dowel argues that entrepreneurs must learn to follow their gut instincts. “You must believe in what you do; if it feels wrong, you don’t do it, and if it feels right, you do it,” he says, proudly before adding, “The greater the belief, the greater the desire. And we really love and believe in what we do and nothing will stop us.” 

Looking back at his early years, he admits that academia wasn’t part of his career growth. “I am from the school of hard knocks. School didn’t go well, and I found it to be rather boring. I was filled with too much energy to sit still and learn,” he adds. “But I had to learn the hard way and that was through making mistakes.”
 
Justin feels that the green movement over the last three years has become too faddish. “Some companies are trying to use consumers’ desires to go green and profit from it without actually providing any real tangible benefit. This only compromises the credibility of those who are really doing the right thing. It has really turned my stomach, seeing some of the claims that some companies, including some competitors, have used to try and sway the people who want to change the way they live,” he says. “People who educate themselves on environmental issues are the ones who are committed and love what they do for the planet. We need to change the way we live and start doing things differently,” he adds, “The good companies are the ones that really invest time and resources while the rest just follow everyone else.”

One day, he envisions, Nature’s Organics will replicate its success in the United States, focusing on the core brands and their environmental benefits – an ambitious and worthy endeavor. 

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