Hi there.
I’m Kailey, the founder of Marro: a wellness brand that offers therapeutic terpene blends for everyday use. Curious how it all began, how these blends can support you, and what the heck terpenes are? I am here to share it all…
Growing Up
My older sister and I were born and raised in Los Angeles, CA by two parents with an entrepreneurial spirit. Being included in the hobbies and businesses that arose out of their passions and interests made for an intriguing upbringing, to say the least.
My dad is always full of energy, excitement, motivation, and has a mindset that you can be, do, and have anything you want in life. His enthusiasm is infectious. His energy is inspiring. He shows up every day in a big way and constantly emits love and light. My mom is always centered, calm, collected, nurturing, supportive, and encouraging. She is always the sounding board. She is the shoulder to cry on. The friend to share anything and everything with. She is the rock.
Like most, my parents have evolved over the years, but they always stayed true to their unique personalities. The personalities that guided, encouraged, and made me who I am today. I have vivid memories of plants, animals, and art being a foundation to my childhood, and now each of those influences plays a huge part in my life… .
Growing up, my family’s house was a farmhouse. All doors and windows open all the time. Chickens cruising through the house, the rooster crowing to show his dominance, dogs barking. Sectioned off areas for animals in healing, potions lined up on the counter, syringes being sanitized. That was my norm. That was what I welcomed into my life. I wanted to help and heal any animal in need because my heart ached not to. There always was and continues to be so much passion for animals and how to heal them.
These experiences shaped me. They molded me. They impacted my life and made me who I am today. These experiences also helped create the foundation for Marro.
My dad is always full of energy, excitement, motivation, and has a mindset that you can be, do, and have anything you want in life. His enthusiasm is infectious. His energy is inspiring. He shows up every day in a big way and constantly emits love and light. My mom is always centered, calm, collected, nurturing, supportive, and encouraging. She is always the sounding board. She is the shoulder to cry on. The friend to share anything and everything with. She is the rock.
Like most, my parents have evolved over the years, but they always stayed true to their unique personalities. The personalities that guided, encouraged, and made me who I am today. I have vivid memories of plants, animals, and art being a foundation to my childhood, and now each of those influences plays a huge part in my life… .
Plants
Among the moments that molded me were the times I would be my dad’s sidekick as he worked in the yard. He would share plant names, their origins, and anything and everything you would need to know about caring for them. Hiking or out on adventures, he would do the same. He knew every scientific, family, and common name for pretty much every plant, tree, or flower we came across. Always ripping off the leaves, rubbing them to secrete the oils, smelling them, feeling them, getting the whole experience of the plant including the aroma and its healing properties. To this day, we now turn it into a game where he sends photos of plants and says, “name the plant”. I quickly do a Google search and respond with what I think it may be. I then share an image back and try to stump him, which usually results in a quick response of him sharing exactly what it is (without the help of Google, of course). These experiences have made me appreciate nature, plants, their vital value to our ecosystem and their healing properties. And most importantly, these experiences have made me truly appreciate the bond I developed with my dad throughout this process of learning about plants.Animals
Just like plants, animals played a huge role in my upbringing. I have been drawn to animals my entire life. Interacting with them, helping them, healing them. Sick or injured animals somehow always find their way to me. I have hand-raised or rehabilitated hundreds of animals. Among them: squirrels, dogs, cats, birds, raccoons, possums, hawks, bunnies, goats, pigs… the list goes on. As a pre-teen I worked at our local pet store, Anderson’s Pet Shop in Montrose, CA. The owners were my mentors. They taught me so much about hand-raising and rehabilitating orphaned and injured animals. I spent countless hours with them at their store, working and learning. I used to read book after book about homeopathic remedies for healing animals, which in turn led me to create plant-based potions to cure and support the animals under my care.Growing up, my family’s house was a farmhouse. All doors and windows open all the time. Chickens cruising through the house, the rooster crowing to show his dominance, dogs barking. Sectioned off areas for animals in healing, potions lined up on the counter, syringes being sanitized. That was my norm. That was what I welcomed into my life. I wanted to help and heal any animal in need because my heart ached not to. There always was and continues to be so much passion for animals and how to heal them.
Art
The third major influence of my upbringing was art: drawing, painting, sketching, doodling. I often was on the floor, sketch pad in front of me, letting my hand just flow. It was an outlet and a way of expressing myself. I had a passion for color, for different mediums, and for exploring all avenues as I tapped into my creativity, from childhood doodles to high school art classes. Fast forward a few years and I was graduating from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, CA with a major in Textile Design.These experiences shaped me. They molded me. They impacted my life and made me who I am today. These experiences also helped create the foundation for Marro.
Creating Marro
I spent many years in the corporate world living on a creative high. Designing for big brands in the activewear, sports, and apparel industries. It was a fast-paced lifestyle: pumping out new designs, many meetings, presentations, working with and designing for athletes, celebrities, professional surfers, children, women, men, teens – basically, anybody and everybody. Adrenaline running and head spun most days, the high started to wear off as I asked myself, “All these hours, my creativity spent, and for what?” The thrill was fading. The motivation was dwindling. I needed something to re-spark my creativity, to know that I was doing something to better the lives of others while I bettered my own. I knew I had a bigger purpose than working design jobs in corporate America. I wanted to contribute to something bigger than myself.
While working freelance jobs and figuring out my next move, conversations of starting a brand were beginning to surface. The excitement, the energy, and (best of all!) the creativity were back… and in full force. Having always had a passion for healthy living, natural products, minimal ingredients, and living a plant-based lifestyle, I wanted the brand to represent those qualities and choices. That’s how Marro began….
Marro is a terpene-based wellness company founded in Los Angeles in 2018. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds found in essential oils. They are what give lavender, citrus, pepper, hops, and other plants their characteristic smells and properties. The name Marro / merō / has its genesis in the meaning and function of bone marrow. Without bone marrow our bodies could not produce the white blood cells we need to fight infection, the red blood cells we need to carry oxygen, and the platelets we need to stop bleeding. Marrow is what’s inside us; it’s our life force, our vitality, and our shield from the outside. I wanted the name of the brand to embody overall strength and well-being. I wanted the name to not only represent the brand as a whole but also to give meaning to each individual product we offer. After pondering names for some time, my sister suggested dropping the ‘w’ and naming the brand Marro.
That was the start. That was the concept. That gave it all purpose. The meaning behind the name is so powerful that I knew we needed a product line that lived up to it. During the process of developing our blends with our formulator (who is a terpene mastermind and the reason why our blends are so effective), I became incredibly confident that we could offer products that tapped into the true healing, nurturing, and protective properties of plants.
So off I went – working side by side with our formulator, talking about terpenes and testing blends. My love for plants, animals, art, design, color, and creativity were infused directly into creating the brand image for Marro: creating the blends, designing our website, social media, packaging, and everything in between. The ingredients inspired me to create packaging that would speak to people, giving a glimpse of what’s inside each blend even before twisting off the cap. I spent hours doodling line drawings of plants for each blend and staring at colors that best represent what I wanted someone to feel, smell, and taste when using the blends. Creating an entire experience, end-to-end, was of the utmost importance.
Before I knew it, product was sitting in front of me, the site was live, and people were buying. Marro launched with the essentials: pain relief, anxiety relief, sleep aids, and a little something for pets. All-natural, therapeutic, clean wellness products that are intended to support you throughout your day. Helping people with healing blends – that’s what it’s all about.
While working freelance jobs and figuring out my next move, conversations of starting a brand were beginning to surface. The excitement, the energy, and (best of all!) the creativity were back… and in full force. Having always had a passion for healthy living, natural products, minimal ingredients, and living a plant-based lifestyle, I wanted the brand to represent those qualities and choices. That’s how Marro began….
Marro is a terpene-based wellness company founded in Los Angeles in 2018. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds found in essential oils. They are what give lavender, citrus, pepper, hops, and other plants their characteristic smells and properties. The name Marro / merō / has its genesis in the meaning and function of bone marrow. Without bone marrow our bodies could not produce the white blood cells we need to fight infection, the red blood cells we need to carry oxygen, and the platelets we need to stop bleeding. Marrow is what’s inside us; it’s our life force, our vitality, and our shield from the outside. I wanted the name of the brand to embody overall strength and well-being. I wanted the name to not only represent the brand as a whole but also to give meaning to each individual product we offer. After pondering names for some time, my sister suggested dropping the ‘w’ and naming the brand Marro.
That was the start. That was the concept. That gave it all purpose. The meaning behind the name is so powerful that I knew we needed a product line that lived up to it. During the process of developing our blends with our formulator (who is a terpene mastermind and the reason why our blends are so effective), I became incredibly confident that we could offer products that tapped into the true healing, nurturing, and protective properties of plants.
So off I went – working side by side with our formulator, talking about terpenes and testing blends. My love for plants, animals, art, design, color, and creativity were infused directly into creating the brand image for Marro: creating the blends, designing our website, social media, packaging, and everything in between. The ingredients inspired me to create packaging that would speak to people, giving a glimpse of what’s inside each blend even before twisting off the cap. I spent hours doodling line drawings of plants for each blend and staring at colors that best represent what I wanted someone to feel, smell, and taste when using the blends. Creating an entire experience, end-to-end, was of the utmost importance.
Before I knew it, product was sitting in front of me, the site was live, and people were buying. Marro launched with the essentials: pain relief, anxiety relief, sleep aids, and a little something for pets. All-natural, therapeutic, clean wellness products that are intended to support you throughout your day. Helping people with healing blends – that’s what it’s all about.
Here to Support You, Your Kids, and Your Pets, too!
A little over a year ago we hosted a ‘Testimonial Day’. Family, friends, friends of friends, and anybody that had tried our blends were invited to come hang out and share their stories. From sun-up to sun-down we heard the most heartfelt, genuine, and moving stories of how our blends had changed their lives. The immense feeling of gratitude that was circulating the space was overwhelming at times. There were smiles, there was laughter, there were tears; and sometimes there was a heaviness in hearing the struggles many were going through. Heart attack, stroke, living with MS, animals with epilepsy, animals with cancer, aftereffects from a car accident, dealing with daily stress and anxiety, bedridden from menstrual cramps, and the common theme amongst most: struggling to get a good night’s sleep every night and the effects from the lack of which reek havoc throughout their day.
That day a profound truth struck me: I realized that we are transforming people’s lives. This was bigger than what’s in the bottle. At the surface, these blends are effective, quick-absorbing, aromatically pleasing, and affordable. And they are convenient to use anytime, anywhere. But much more significantly: these blends are making it possible for people to live more confident, composed, comfortable, and care-free… lives.
We heard over and over that this is a brand that is changing people’s lives for the better.
We are thankful for these stories and we are listening. We are here to make a difference and will continue to lean into our mission. The road doesn’t stop here. We are constantly experimenting with the best that nature has to offer to develop new blends that can further enhance the lives of our customers. We continue to reach out and educate everyone we can about how powerful and therapeutic terpenes can be. We are beyond passionate about our calling to help others and we know that this is just the beginning.
That day a profound truth struck me: I realized that we are transforming people’s lives. This was bigger than what’s in the bottle. At the surface, these blends are effective, quick-absorbing, aromatically pleasing, and affordable. And they are convenient to use anytime, anywhere. But much more significantly: these blends are making it possible for people to live more confident, composed, comfortable, and care-free… lives.
We heard over and over that this is a brand that is changing people’s lives for the better.
We are thankful for these stories and we are listening. We are here to make a difference and will continue to lean into our mission. The road doesn’t stop here. We are constantly experimenting with the best that nature has to offer to develop new blends that can further enhance the lives of our customers. We continue to reach out and educate everyone we can about how powerful and therapeutic terpenes can be. We are beyond passionate about our calling to help others and we know that this is just the beginning.
Join us on our quest to relieve, revive, and restore the world with all-natural, healing, therapeutic terpene blends as we embrace the power of plants…one bottle at a time.
Join us on our quest to relieve, revive, and restore the world with all-natural, healing, therapeutic terpene blends as we embrace the power of plants…one bottle at a time.
