Inspired by a mutual love of their homeland, Gemma Noble and her father started Heartbox Scotland during the heart of the pandemic. Recently we spoke with Noble about the company.
What is your own ethnicity/heritage?
I was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland.
What is the company’s history and mandate?
Heartbox was established in 2020 by my father and I, my father has been in the Scottish textiles industry since leaving school 50 years ago. We both have a deep passion for Scotland and saw an opportunity to bring premium Scottish products to the international market.
How has it grown over time?
Entering our third year of business, it’s been amazing to see how much we have grown in a short space of time. We ship all over the world and have over 20,000 followers in our Heartbox community.
What are your roles and responsibilities there?
I have the best job in the world I get to tour the length and breadth of Scotland discovering new and exciting manufactures and products to share with our Heartboxers. I then plan each box’s theme and how we can tell the story of that theme throughout the month.
What are the challenges of the job?
Navigating so many time zones. We love to connect and chat with as many of our Heartboxers as we possibly can. Shipping our products all over the world and over so many time zones can be tricky, but we do our best to get as much feedback as we can.
What are the rewards?
I can’t tell you how good it feels when we get feedback from our Heartboxers telling us how much they enjoy their experience and how it makes them feel connected to Scotland. It’s just so rewarding being able to share that with people all over the world. It’s also not too bad being able to see the beautiful sites of Scotland daily, I’m very lucky and never take it for granted.
What are your core products & services?
Our Scottish subscription box, we ship a different themed box each month showcasing a different aspect of Scottish culture. We tell the story of each box not just in the package that arrives but throughout the month we share new and inspiring stories of Scotland.
How do you differ from the competition?
The product is at the heart of everything we do. We work directly with suppliers and manufactures in Scotland to ensure we have maximum investment into the products that go into our boxes. We work with big name Scottish brands as well as smaller craftspeople and manufacturers so that our subscribers get to experience the very best of Scotland.
How do you reach your potential clients?
We appeal to people all over the world, so the majority of our advertising is online, we love to get the opportunity to visit international Scottish festivals to keep the connection with our international customers and fully understand what they look to experience from Scotland.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the Celtic marketplace?
With over 25 million people globally who link with their Scottish heritage there is a huge market, the key is to connect authentically and ensure that we listen to what they would like to experience through there Celtic products.
What can be done to improve that?
Feedback and conversations with existing customers are key, we also try not to rely on one means of advertising.
What are your future plans for the business?
We continue to grow our Heartbox following globally as well as rewarding our existing loyal customers with our exciting loyalty program in 2023. If we continue to supply top quality Scottish products the business will continue to flourish naturally.
Do you ship to New Zealand?