Julie's clean and green world
Business is booming for Julie Bishop and her green cleaning company, Living Clean. The business is based In Norwich and has this year opened a branch at Dereham as demand for her environmentally responsible cleaning services and range of products grows.
Julie's keeping the world clean
• Growing demand for Norwich-based cleaning venture that uses biodegradable products
Business is certainly scrubbing up well for Living Clean, a Norwich based 'environmentally responsible' cleaning company.
The company is booming and has recently opened its second branch, at Dereham, as a result of increased demand for its services. Living Clean only uses Its own natural, biodegradable products to clean homes and offices across Norfolk.
Managing director Julie Bishop said. "We opened the Dereham branch in response to the increased popularity of our products and services across Norfolk. People are becoming more aware of the health damage that harmful cleaning chemicals in their home and office environments can cause. Our customers value the fact that our cleaning products are not only natural and safe but also just as effective as man-made cleaning products"
Ms Bishop founded the company in 2002 in response to health concerns in her family. Her father had developed terminal liver cancer, which he blamed on chemicals and pesticides, and she was experiencing breathing difficulties every time she cleaned her house
She said: "I wanted to use cleaning products that were safe for me and the environment but I soon discovered they were hard to find. So to begin with I had to import products from America"
Living Clean now only uses products developed to Ms Bishop's own formula and made in Norfolk in co-operation with a specialist industrial chemist. They are based on citrus solutions, organic oils and natural acids.
Living Clean uses these products when cleaning and customers can also buy them over the internet and by phone.
Ms Bishop has an office in Unthank Road, Norwich, and has now opened an additional office in Church Street, Dereham. The company now employs 15 people and this is set to increase as the business continues to grow in the coming months.
Ms Bishop hopes to start franchising out Living Clean branches next year and has already received interest from accross the country .
lan Roe. co-ordinator of Shaping the Future's Business Industry Group for the Environment, said: "This is a great example of how an innovative idea to overcome an environmental problem has lead to the development of a thriving business.
Environmental issues can be seen as obstacles, but as in the case of Living Clean, they can also be business opportunities."