Green Options

I recently had the chance to talk with the co-founder of VivaTerra, Bonnie Trust Dahan, about her motivation to found the catalog- and online-retailer of high-design, green products. Dahan had authored three books on interior design and headed merchandising and/or branding for major retailers including Banana Republic and Smith & Hawken. However, it was her personal shopping preferences that made her want to market beautiful products made from organic, recycled, and renewable sources.

I have noticed that a number of entrepreneurs have started business based on their personal frustration at not finding a source for a desired product or service. (Another example is Beth Gerstein’s fiancé wanting to buy an engagement ring that he could feel good about, and Beth then co-founding another green business, Brilliant Earth.)

When asked about having the vision to start VivaTerra, Dahan says, “It wasn’t cool to be green yet. Even as recent as five years ago organic and green products generally looked pretty awful. I was committed to buying eco products, but I didn’t want to sacrifice style.” Dahan figured there were more people like her, certainly enough to support one retailer, so she started writing a business plan in 2000. 2001 did not turn out to be a great year to start a business, so she re-launched, with partners in 2004, and her timing couldn’t be better.