I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, but it was my time spent in Europe that truly shaped the last few decades. After a visit to Italy as a teenager, I made two promises to myself: I would live in Europe, and I wouldn't return to Italy without speaking the language. Five years later, I found myself back in Italy, speaking Italian fluently, and working in Rome. It was there that I met my husband, Andrew—also a Canadian. We married shortly after and moved to London, where we spent nearly three decades.

Living in London had its perks, especially the ease of travel throughout Europe. Summers were often spent in Provence, and later near Biarritz for surfing, with weekend getaways to my favourite Italian cities. But, I have to be honest—juggling three young children and two careers wasn’t all sunshine and Aperol!

My career spanned across media; from journalism with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, to hosting news programmes on NPR, financial reporting at Bloomberg, and eventually working as a media executive at Disney. It was during my involvement in a health and wellness media venture that my interest in beauty products, supplements, and ingredients took root. We sold European skincare brands and manufactured high-quality supplements, which sparked my fascination with ingredients—what makes them high-quality, their origins, benefits, and uses.

I quickly learned that while many products are made with cheap, low-quality ingredients, there are also truly extraordinary ones out there. Ingredients that are unprocessed, fresh, and beautifully crafted but these aren't used very often because they are expensive and hard to obtain. I began researching these intriguing ingredients, diving deep into scientific studies (the journalist in me couldn’t resist). This passion led me to visit farms and distilleries, sourcing the very best ingredients myself. I became obsessed with finding the ‘holy grail’ of skincare ingredients, and after much searching, I discovered the wonders of prickly pear seed oil, certain marine algae etc.

In 2018, I curated a small box of about six products and shared them with friends and family. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and within a year, I launched our first products and an online store. Fast forward to 2022—after nearly 30 years in London, Andrew’s job presented us with the opportunity to move to Austin, Texas. It seemed like a wild idea, but we embraced it. The move has been an exciting chapter for Desavery. With a foot in the US, I’ve had the chance to expand the business and develop new products. We're approaching our two-year anniversary here in Austin (hard to believe!), where I’ve set up a wonderful office that serves as both a manufacturing space and a creative lab for new products. Ingredients arrive here from all over—France, Italy, Morocco, and more.

Running Desavery is undoubtedly a challenge. I wear many hats, but I’m fortunate to have a few loyal soldiers beside me! Grace is still based in London and we have a small, growing team here in Austin. In the last few weeks, my daughter who is based in London has come onboard too! This allows me to focus more on product development and scaling the business. So, that’s a bit about me and my journey!  Thanks for reading,

Andrea