Our story

Hi, I’m Jo, the owner and founder of Ginger Mint. I live in the beautiful New Forest in Hampshire, UK with my partner, our teenage son and a fun-loving whippet.

I’ve been a lover of plants and nature since early childhood, and went on to study plant biology at university, and then as a researcher. Environmental issues are at the heart of our family life and we’re always trying to do more to lessen the negative impact we have on our environment. I’ve been a vegetarian/vegan for over 40 years with a passion for cooking organic food and healthy eating. It’s the family joke that I’ll have a herbal balm, a tea or a sprinkling of fresh herbs for whatever ailment they may have too!

A few years ago, our young son became ill with severe chronic fatigue symptoms, sometimes known as ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) or CFS/ME. However it wasn’t a diagnosis; it was just a label. I spent every waking hour trying to find the cause of his illness and why he could barely get out of bed – a scary scene for any parent! At the time, I was running my own successful business relating to publishing services. I had to close the business down to look after him, as I couldn't cope with heavy deadlines too.

Sadly, we were dismissed as neurotic parents and told that our son was making it all up. We had no choice but to seek private help via a functional medicine clinic. They discovered the underlying causes were Lyme disease with coinfections, and mould toxicity. His immune system was being bombarded with some of the most toxic, invasive and damaging infections known to man. Not only that, the chemicals and toxins he had unwittingly been exposed to during his short life, were also making him very ill. We thought we were already living a clean lifestyle but obviously not in the right way. You can read about it in more detail via my blog post – 'Living clean in a toxic world: our story'. 

We live in a very toxic world. Daily exposure to chemicals, perfumes, pesticides and plastics damages our health, leading to food allergies, skin irritation, gut problems, cancers, and a weakening of our immune systems. They also pollute the environment!

It's impossible to avoid environmental toxins, but we can reduce their impact. I set up Ginger Mint in March 2020, to inspire others to make positive changes to their life, to achieve a healthy mind, body and planet. Ginger Mint has carefully selected plant based and naturally derived, eco friendly products, to support others on their journey to a clean, healthy and happy life.

No-one is perfect and no-one can do it all, but we can make some small and simple low tox swaps in our lives which will help!

Jo X