Meet Jo-Anna Cassino | Herbalist & Cosmetic Formulator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jo-Anna Cassino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jo-Anna, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I offer education through social gatherings/teatime gatherings at my shop with a purpose of fostering a deeper connection between humans and the Botanical world. Through conversation, tastings, even tours of the Herb gardens I grow, I enjoy teaching principles in stewardship of the plants, their benefits, history of use throughout all cultures and the many different ways we can adopt them into our lives.

I also love to educate folks on how to create their own blends of self care and make the switch to ingredients that aren’t toxic to the planet or their bodies in a sustainable way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As the founder of Botanic Providence, my love for plants and the natural world is at the heart of all I create. My art is that I sit with the botanicals from seed to shelf. I take great care in growing and sourcing botanicals for my small batch and bespoke products, from seed to shelf. As the Herbalist in residence at a farm, I cultivate many of the botanicals myself and search for the rest from farms that share my ethical outlook. I love every aspect of the alchemical process in creating extracts of all sorts to then blend together with other ingredients to create something that is truly beautiful, in hopes that it will bring joy and a sense of well being to the world. I have always created and formulated small batch self care, teas and tisane for family and friends. I started to create things for my clients at my salon, Flipp Salon Apothecary, to try out and use as part of the services I offer and in doing so, learned that folks loved it and I saw that they performed how I had hoped, so I decided to take it one step further and create Botanic Providence. It is certainly not easy at all, as I take it very seriously. There is so much that goes into studying and learning the art of formulation to make sure you are doing it safely and efficiently while still trying to create something unique to who you are and what you would like to give birth to. It can be costly and time consuming, which is a major challenge, but having the salon not only helps, as it gives me an income, it also helps me spread awareness through my clients and gives me a platform to host small events and workshops. What I’ve learned along the way is that no matter what scale you are at ( I’m still a pretty small indie brand ), you have to love it first, and foremost. There will be many days where you want to just give up, or you may feel like a failure, like you’re not seen or you don’t matter because there are so many others out there that are bigger, and have a bigger voice or presence. None of that matters if you love it. Your people will show up, you are needed, there is room for everyone at the table. The love you have for whatever it is you create and your creative process outweighs “fame” any day. That may sound a little corny, but it’s true. Any artist that is in love with their art knows that feeling of utter satisfaction and gratitude when they give life to a project. Recognition is great…but if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing? That rush dies quickly.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to the many parks, nature walks and ocean front walks that surround the state. Providence is also known for its excellent restaurants and small venues. Some of my favorite restaurants are Amaryllis, Oberlin, Sarto, Matunuck Oyster Bar…there are so many more! So many great cafes, bars, and small venues! The Botanical Gardens, The RISD Museum,, The Providence Athenaeum. There are really so many little venues, speakeasies, and cool little hangouts. We have great theatres as well, like PPAC and Trinity Rep.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My biggest mentors have been my ancestors. I’m Southern Italian and Greek peppered with Egyptian and Persian. I have lived in the Mediterranean for 16 years and learned so much there. Stateside my biggest mentors have been Herbalists like Sajah Popham, Paul Bergner, Michael Ford, Sarah Corbett, Erika Galentin, and Camille Freeman. From the formulator side, the Herbalists behind brands like Fat and the Moon, and Lvnae are my biggest inspirations.

Website: www.botanicpvd.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/botanicprovidence

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-anna-cassino-314038175/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/botanicprovidence

Image Credits
Jacquelyn Marie of www.jacquelynmariestudio.com